A “courageous” brother and sister are behind the development and ultimate growth of Sydney Disability Connection Expo 2022 Platinum Sponsor Bradannii. Bradanni Founder and CEO Julie Allison shares his/her story with us in this exclusive Q&A.

1. Bradanni is a rather unique name – tell us a little about its origins and growth along with your business’s mission and vision.

The name Bradannii comes from a brother and a sister Bradley and Dannii who I used to babysit. I was also their T-ball coach in Bowral.

They both sadly passed away – Bradley at 12 and Dannii at 14 – but they were very courageous, never complained and so inspiring that I said “ if I ever had a company I would name it after them.”

Bradannii has had massive growth in the four years we have been established. We started off in southern Sydney then worked our way down to the south coast.

Bradannii mission and vision is “To provide a service that enables everyone to see that we all have a purpose. To provide a platform that gives everyone a direction in which to go. We give everyone the opportunity to create the lifestyle that they want to live.”

2. What services do you offer and where are you located? What encouraged you to become a Platinum sponsor at the Sydney Disability Connection Expo 2022? Is this your first expo?

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3.What is your background in the disability sector? In 100 words or so, tell us a little about yourself. What was your impetus to start this journey?

I commenced working for other providers that offered NDIS services as a support coordinator then worked towards starting up my own NDIS company.

As a support coordinator I really enjoyed working closely with the particular to achieve their goals and ensured that they had the right equipment they needed and community access. I created innovative community events ie: camping, high tea picnics, craft activities, days out on a ferry and going out for the day.

In the early days before Bradannii before COVID we provided STA and were able to help the public and trustee and guardian with their participants to provide respite and enjoyable days out. Then we commenced SIL – although it is very challenging, we have seen how much a person’s life can be changed by the right support and how much positive influence you can have on a person and their daily life.

4. Where do you see yourself in the industry in, say, five years from now?

We are Bradannii – in five years’ time we will be seen as the leader of innovative community participation as well the leader in capacity building and all our participants achieving all their goals.

5. If you could wave a magic wand, what changes would you like to see within the sector, moving forward?

The changes we would like to see in the sector moving forward are that the participants have the funding they need to reach their goals.

6. How difficult is it to train and retain support staff? What qualities do you look for when recruiting and what training do you offer?

Bradannii as a company has been blessed with leading professionals in the disability sector particularly mental health so it is not difficult to train or retain our staff. Bradannii is very proud of its dedicated staff who enjoy working for the company and would like to do more.

Bradannii looks for compassionate, dedicated, loyal, hardworking, honest, creative, and fun support workers.

We offer a wide range of training including traineeships for our staff, violence prevention training, understanding mental illness, medication, and boundaries training.

To find out more about Bradannii, look for them at site #61 at the Sydney Disability Connection Expo 2022, or visit their website https://bradannii.com.au/ for more information on their services.