1300 222 222
Newcastle District AA & Al-Anon 2025 Rally
Surrender and Acceptance
After a hiatus of nearly eight years, the Newcastle District got its act together and organised a district AA and Al-Anon rally that was held over the period 28 February to 2 March at Rathmine Theatre.
Planning
Planning for such an auspicious event started back in June 2024, when the proposal was first broached. With widespread approval, initial communication and brainstorming was done via a WhatsApp group, with Zoom meetings commencing on Tuesday 16 July 24 and fortnightly thereafter. With no real template to follow, the initial discussions focused on the dates and
scale of the rally, concentrating on how big we imagined it would be, suitable venues, public transport to and from, then other considerations such as catering, meeting rooms etc.
By the end of July, the venue options had narrowed to just a few, with Rathmines being the favourite. Meanwhile the Zoom meetings continued, with a core of seven to ten members in regular attendance and continuing the planning. We put ourselves into several separate groups to discuss and organise such things as:
- The design of brochure
- Registration requirements
- Literature availability and sales.
- Liaison with Lake Mac Council.
- Al-Alon participation.
- Catering.
- General helpers.
- H&S of the building, along with First Aiders and fire wardens.
- Administration:
- Minutes for the committee
- Website and communication.
By the end of July, we were able to book Rathmines and pay the deposit to hold the venue for the agreed dates. Planning continued throughout the remainder of 2024, with a solid plan coming together.
The Rally
The Friday evening was a great success and rounded off by our Eastern Region Trustee (Gary) getting his guitar out and leading a good singalong. I truthfully do not know how many stayed after the official close of business on the Friday, but it seemed to be a good number.
The weekend started on the Friday afternoon, with a core of volunteers setting up the venue and being ready to receive the attendees. Reception was exceptionally busy, with a small team of three dealing with greeting everyone and completing the registration.
Saturday dawned and the rush began. We were blessed with excellent weather, with a top of 35 degrees and it was great to be beside the beautiful Lake Macquarie, as many attendees wandered down to the waters edge to catch the breeze and enjoy the view.
Catering for the event, which included an evening meal for 90, was seamlessly done by our team of Chefs and Managers from within the local Fellowship. The quality and quantity of food was exceptional, whilst the service was smooth and efficient; our thanks go to the great team who tirelessly helped in the kitchen.
We had hoped for 250 attendees on the Saturday, but ended up exceeding our expectations, with an excess of 260!
Sunday was another early start for the volunteers, with the crowds starting to arrive at 7 o’clock for the meditation session. It was full on, all through to the conclusion and a very emotional countdown, which was presented at 1.30.
Outside of the venue
Lake Macquarie Council have fully renovated the Rathmines Theatre
complex, with excellent facilities and is wheelchair friendly.
Conclusion
The Newcastle District should feel very proud of their achievements in putting together a great rally. As with all these events, we learn lessons, which we hope to take forward to the next time and to share our knowledge in the hope that others can learn from them.
Notably, we underestimated the duties of the reception team; three was never going to be enough.
The collation of names from the registration to the top table could have been handled more smoothly. At times, we called for a person to share, only to find that they weren’t in the room at the time.
Saturday evening could have been extended, but we were limited to a 10 o’clock finish at the venue. The attendees were still on a high and the night could have gone on longer.
One final thought for next time, maybe a high-profile speaker.
Overall, however, Newcastle’s first rally in eight years was a tremendous success, largely thanks to a small, dedicated team of organisers and the kitchen volunteers.
Many thanks for all who gave service and all who attended.
