Photography: Matthew Morden [Image ID: There is a crowd of people standing outside, surrounded by a row of white marquee tents. The tents have signs and banners on the front, and there is a netball ring and netball to the right in the image. People in the crowd can be seen talking and smiling, and there are trees and buildings in the background.]
The annual Victorian Disability Sport & Recreation Festival returned to Crown Riverwalk on Friday 1st December, where over 7,000 members of our community came together to celebrate International Day of People with Disability. This year’s event featured over 25 industry-leading exhibitors who were on hand to share information about their inclusive programs or services, encouraging event attendees to get active in their local community.
We were pleased to welcome 200 students from specialist schools across the Greater Melbourne region, who took part in our interactive passport activity, visiting as many exhibitors as possible before receiving their event showbag thanks to generous donations from GFA and the support of SCS Group. The VDSR Festival provided an ideal platform for school groups to join forces and learn about widespread inclusive sport and recreational opportunities in a central setting.
Throughout the day, the event featured three activity zones showcasing a range of interactive sport demonstrations, musical performances from DJ Cooper and emotion21 dance, the Law Enforcement Torch Run parade with Victoria Police and Special Olympics athletes, and six teams competing in the Wheelchair Rugby Corporate Challenge. After a highly competitive round-robin tournament, it was team Active Melbourne that emerged victorious in the grand final, claiming the trophy for the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby Corporate Challenge.
Photography: Matthew Morden [Image ID: There are 17 adults and two young boys gathered in two lines on the outdoor pavement, surrounded by orange fencing. Some people are standing and some are sitting in sports wheelchairs. They are all smiling and raising their arms in the air, and the two boys are holding a silver trophy. A blue Disability Sport & Recreation banner can be seen behind the group, with trees in the background.]
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our event partner, the City of Melbourne, and to Crown for supporting our Festival again at the wonderful Crown Riverwalk location.
A full list of exhibitors from the 2023 VDSR Festival can be found here: www.dsr.org.au/exhibitor-list