Towards Better

16/11/2025

🎉 All work and no play is no fun.

While our main focus at Towards Better is working alongside people with disabilities, and local businesses, to create big roles (roles that take up a big part of our week, shape our identity, and bring purpose, growth, and income), a huge part of that journey also includes discovering and crafting other meaningful roles in education, leisure, and community life.

Because a good life is never just one role. It’s a whole collection of roles that bring connection, belonging, learning, joy, and contribution.

Here are just some of the roles we’ve crafted alongside people across Townsville:

🏈 Gridiron Coach
🚗 Marque Car Club Member
🐴 Horse Association Member
🏀 JCU Sports Teammate
🎤 Toastmaster
🦁 Lions Club Member
🏉 AFL Player
🍔 AFL Canteen Volunteer
🏐 Netballer
🎨 Facepainting Volunteer
🥪 Canteen Volunteer
🦘 Wildlife Carer
🥋 Martial Arts Teacher
🎖 Army Cadet
🥊 Boxer
🎶 Musician
🧘‍♀️ Yoga Practitioner & Group Member
⛪️ Church Member
♟ Chess Club Member
🌿 Garden Association Member
🥾 Hiking Club Member / Hiker
✍️ Writers Association Member / Writer
📱 Social Media Volunteer
📸 Photography Club Member / Photographer
🎲 Boardgamer & Boardgaming Club Member
🧵 Craft Guild Member
⚔️ LARP Club Member
🏆 Lawn Bowler
🏄 Stand Up Paddle Boarder
🚣 Outrigger Canoeing Member
🎾 Tennis Player & Club Member

Townsville is full of welcoming communities who love inviting new members, volunteers, and active supporters.

👇 If you know a community group, club, or association that is open, inclusive, and looking for more great people—tag them below!

And if your someone, or have a loved one, who desires to have even one unpaid person in their life (a friend) and wants to create a long term strategy to bring that experience about, lets chat

Create a clear plan for a good life. We help infants to young adults with disabilities build valued roles, friendships, and career goals for a fully inclusive future.

15/11/2025

🌟 Supporting Your Child Through Life Transitions 🌟

Is your child approaching a big life transition; starting secondary school, moving into teenage years, or finishing school?

As children grow, their needs, goals, and aspirations change and so do the decisions families make. Before putting in an NDIS change of circumstances, it’s crucial to get really clear on your child’s vision, goals, and aspirations.

At Towards Better, we don’t just provide a document; we guide you through the process of creating a Vision Statement tailored to your child. Our approach helps families reflect on the unique gifts, interests, and qualities of their loved one, and think about the life they hope to create.

✨ Some questions we explore together:
• Who is your child as a unique individual?
• What makes them happy or anxious?
• What skills or experiences would you like them to develop?
• What would a “good life” look like for them?
• What are your hopes, dreams, and goals for their future?

💡 Examples of typical experiences for 13–25 year olds:
• Attend secondary school and complete post-secondary education or training
• Make and maintain friendships, including dating
• Participate in sports, hobbies, and interest-based groups
• Explore independence, experiment, and test boundaries
• Develop sexual and gender identity
• Get together with peers on weekends and holidays
• Plan for work or career pathways and skill development

Having a clear vision before updating the NDIS can make all the difference. It ensures decisions reflect what’s truly important for your child and helps set a roadmap for their future.

📞 We can meet with you to guide you through this process step by step, so your child’s next stage in life is supported in the best way possible.

09/11/2025

“We have to listen to more people with lived experience.”

Take it from someone who knows it firsthand – Temple Grandin.

Some might dismiss this and say "well she is very capable" (some might call her “high functioning”), but the point isn’t about the negative labels or diagnosis you have received or percieve, but rather starting with the person and some positive mindsets and high expectations that "everyone has gifts and talents and community life (not segregated programs and services) is where these can truly be welcomed, acknowledged, and contributed.

Temple isn’t telling you exactly what to do – she’s highlighting the mindsets, expectations, and actions that really make a difference.

If you’re ready to help your child, teen, or young adult learn real-life skills in real-life settings, through meaningful roles – not just “work skills programs” or generic “get ready” NDIS supports – this is where it starts.

Watch and if you have these mindsets and expectations and are ready to take action, lets chat: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CoL69n6cZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/11/2025

🌟 Everyone Can Have a Microenterprise! 🌟

Does someone you love have skills, talents, passions, or ideas but isn’t sure how to turn them into meaningful work?

At Towards Better, we help people with disabilities discover their skills and knowledge, explore opportunities, and start supported microenterprises in the Townsville community.

Through our process mentees:
✅ Develop a valued role as a business owner or meaningful worker
✅ Gain purpose and something to look forward to
✅ Build social networks and friendships
✅ Be viewed as a human and treated with respect
✅ Gain control over life decisions and secure income
✅ Contribute to community life

💡 Examples of microenterprises we support based on mentees interests, talents, passions and potential contributions:
• Dog walking services 🐕
• Market stall businesses 🛍️
• Woodworking or craft enterprises 🪵
• Lawn and garden services 🌱

From exploring ideas to testing them out and finding a path and role that works, we provide support every step of the way.

Interested in helping someone you love turn their ideas into reality?

Contact us today:
📧 ricky@towardsbetter.com.au
🌐 www.towardsbetter.com.au
📞 0447 574 600

06/11/2025

Northern Lightning - Townsville Ice Hockey is a community we are grateful we discovered.

From the come and try day back on February it was clear this was a really welcoming group; Energetic and Flexible volunteer coaches, really active organisers, engaged families and supporters, and this flowed onto how the kids teens and adult players showed up.

The last 6 months my son has grown in his confidence on and off the ice, genuinely looks forward to Thursdays, has made new friends and extended school relationships, and he’s a healthier version of himself.

The fact he has improved greatly in skating, stick handling, passing, communication, positioning, and goal scoring is a bonus and a byproduct of what Northern Lightning - Townsville Ice Hockey are creating. Come on down to Warrina Ice Skating Rink on Thursdays 5:15pm for 5:30pm start!

- Ricky-

Founder & Principal Community Development Worker

06/11/2025

Coming to the end of 2026… or maybe school’s already behind you?

Are you or someone you care about:
👉 Unsure what to do after school or during the holidays?
👉 Stuck in 1:1 support or day programs and wanting something more?
👉 Feeling isolated, with few or no friendships or community connections?
👉 Wondering how your NDIS funding could support real goals, dreams, and a good life?
👉 Wanting your team of support workers to have strategies to help move things forward?

💡 Join us for:
Building a Vision for a Good Life
A workshop for individuals with disabilities, families, and loved ones to gain clarity, confidence, and connection — and take small, practical steps toward meaningful roles, relationships, and futures.

🗓️ Find out more or register here:
🔗 https://events.humanitix.com/building-a-vision-for-a-good-life-workshop-for-families-disability-towards-better

05/11/2025

Discovering Potential, Creating Pathways 💛

Over the past two years, we’ve had the privilege of working with a talented young person to explore their skills, passions, and interests; with incredible support from their family, school, and community. Through a thorough discovery process and careful job development, we’ve helped create a customised role as a technology assistant at Escape Room Townsville.

This isn’t just a job. It’s a pathway that has:
✅ Built confidence and real-world skills
✅ Opened doors to meaningful work and study opportunities
✅ Strengthened connections within the community
✅ Allowed their talents in electronics, technology, and systems thinking to shine

By working closely with the young person, their supporters, and the business, we’ve created a role that is truly tailored to their strengths — and in doing so, the business has gained a creative, tech-savvy, and valued team member.

His feedback: "Finally I have some purpose to the week, somewhere that values my problem-solving brain, and money coming in".

This story is a reminder that sometimes the right role for someone we might never have considered can bring positive change for everyone, the individual, their family, the workplace, and the community.

💡 Imagine what could be possible for your loved one or someone you support, their community connections, and their future when we focus on strengths, passions, and meaningful roles.

Send a message to learn more

04/11/2025

Another fantastic morning on Friday with the team at Diligent Supports; a group deeply committed to continuous improvement, developing leaders, and delivering high-quality, person-centred supports.

It’s been such an honour to facilitate the "Good to Great Development Series" and this session on “Understanding Needs & Behaviour” — exploring how behaviour is communication, and how curiosity and compassion can transform the way we support others.

A huge thank you to Elsie Prinsloo for sharing her powerful lived experience, and to Janet for the stories and insights that grounded our learning in real life and real heart.

A team that truly understands the needs of the people they support, can see behaviour as communication, and takes a learning approach to their work — will always go far.

I’m looking forward to being back later this month for our next session on Right to Risk & Supported Decision-Making!

👉 If you have a team of 5–50 support workers and want to help them build confidence, strengthen decision-making, and deliver even higher-quality supports that create more value for your clients — let’s talk.

📞 Book a free discovery call or learn more here:
🌐 www.towardsbetter.com.au/for-organisations

29/10/2025

🌟 Challenging Mindsets and Elevating Expectations Through Valued Social Roles 🌟

In our journey to create truly inclusive communities, the mindsets we hold play a crucial role. One powerful approach is through Valued Social Roles, which can transform perceptions and highlight the strengths and abilities of individuals with disabilities.

Recently, we had an experience with a healthcare organisation where one of our mentees was met with low expectations. A leader openly expressed doubt about her potential (“I dont see what she could do here”) despite a really clear visual resume and her telling him examples of real tasks and passions. This moment was a powerful reminder of how vital it is to challenge those assumptions and shift our thinking towards what’s possible — not what’s lacking or our pre conceived bias.

It brought to mind the saying: “What you think of me, I’ll be — and what I think of me, I’ll be.”
Our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations shape what we and others become. Thoughts become giants — and they emerge in bigger ways, either building people up or holding them back.

We can draw inspiration from the “Assume That I Can” video by Core Down, which beautifully shows the importance of holding high expectations and challenging stereotypes. It reminds us that when we assume competence, people rise to meet it.

By fostering valued social roles, we not only support individuals but also help them grow and thrive. It’s about getting to know each person, assuming that they can learn, develop competencies, and hold roles that are meaningful and valued.

Together, we can set clear, typical goals and journey towards that vision — creating a culture where everyone can truly shine.

Let’s celebrate the journey of inclusion by focusing on each person’s potential and working together towards meaningful roles. 💪🌈

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/9HpLhxMFJR8?si=csQ9njgdY7qIpagg

Our negative assumptions about people with Down syndrome can lead us to treat them in such a way that these assumptions become reality. In sociology, this is...

28/10/2025

💼 The True Value of Work 💼

Yes — people want an income. It’s essential for independence, security, and choice. But work gives us so much more than a paycheck.

Work gives:
✨ A sense of purpose and contribution
✨ Belonging and connection with others
✨ Opportunities to grow and be recognised
✨ Routine and stability
✨ The pride of being part of something valued

When people talk about wanting a job, they’re not just saying they want money — they’re saying they want to be part of community life in a meaningful way.

Take Jenny, for example.

Jenny was an empty-nester hairdresser in her 60s when her husband died. She didn’t handle her loss well, and it was only after a long, quiet period that her son-in-law suggested she take a course at a local college. She did — in truck driving.

During the course, the class were offered positions, including a fly-in, fly-out job with a mining company 2,000 kilometres away. Jenny applied and got the job. She turned out to be not only a skilled truck driver, but a great contributor to the team culture. She’s the oldest team member by 20 years and says it’s the best job she’s ever had — and it pays well.

Jenny has since sold her house and moved into a retirement village. They look after her home and dog while she’s away, and she returns to an instant community every time she’s home.

What began as a painful loss led her into a new role she could never have imagined — one that gave her purpose, belonging, and a whole new life.

That’s the power of valued work roles. They don’t just provide income — they create connection, growth, and meaning.

27/10/2025

THE POWER OF THE VISION

Errol and a group of friends had been talking about stepping outside their comfort zone by doing a 40 kilometre hike through the Australian outback. They had their phones for communication and direction, and enough water and snacks to make the 40 km hike and be back in camp for dinner.

However, their phones were leading them away from the track. By the time they realised this, they were out of water and their phones were flat. They foolishly thought they could just turn around and go back, so they started to follow their tracks in the dirt. What they didn’t realise was they had been going around in circles for hours. By following their tracks they continued to go in circles.

Instead of staying put, they continued to try and walk out.

Three days later, Errol was the only survivor. His three friends had died from dehydration and exposure.

Once he had recovered from the trauma of this experience, Errol began to think about how things might have been different if only they had taken a map or a compass, and not relied solely on their phones. This brought Errol to the realisation that his company was also going around in circles.

One day in a staff meeting he cried out, “We need a compass to get us back on track.” But what would that compass look like?

So Errol began to map out a vision for his much-loved company, as a way to ensure they were heading in the right direction, and to ensure that if they were ever off track, the compass—or vision—would get them back on track.

A quick look at many successful companies reveals that ‘Mission Statements and Visions’ are in place to help keep everyone from the CEO to the cleaner on track.

When you set out on your journey towards the ‘Good things of Life’ for your young person, remember to pack your compass—your Vision.

It turns out that a well-thought-out vision is a lot like a compass. No matter how passionate the Board or Company you establish, it too can easily go round in circles, leaving the young person and the Board lost in the wilderness of ‘Good Intentions’.

⸻

HOLDING A CLEAR VISION
• Having a clear Vision helps with knowing who to invite to join the Board, and what skills and experience they bring.
• When ideas are put forward, it’s a safeguard ensuring that this idea is aligned with the vision.
• It is a safeguard for any roles that the person has by ensuring alignment with the vision. Do opportunities that might be offered align with the vision?
• The vision can also support recruitment of staff.
• The vision supports the manner in which staff are trained and how and what training is provided.

SRV, Social Role Valorisation, is a great tool for staff and the Board as it focuses on roles, not just keeping the person busy with ‘Life Wasting activities’. SRV is a good compass by simply asking, is what is being proposed typical of what any other person of this age might do? It helps to look for roles for the person. SRV offers support staff a way of helping to work with the person to build their competence and confidence. It can be difficult for support staff, particularly young staff, to find their way when working with the person. SRV offers them new perspectives, tools, and ways to measure progress.

ABCD, Asset Based Community Development, is excellent training for support staff as it too offers a different perspective. Understanding how community works and how to help embed the person into the community is a critical part of the role of a support worker.

• When issues come up for the Board to deal with, the vision makes it a lot easier. How does this align with the vision? If it doesn’t, it’s an easy no.
• The vision can only be truly helpful if it is clearly understood by everyone involved with the person. It helps to ensure that the vision makes it clear what is wanted for the person, the direction this takes, and what is never to happen.

• E.g., suppose we are vague about exactly what we mean. The Board says we are looking for a job for the person. A Board member suggests a local ‘Supported Employment Provider’ as a way for the person to quickly get a job. This ticks the goal of getting a job, but it doesn’t align with the greater purpose for working—namely independence, autonomy, competence, and being known and valued in the community. Being locked away in a sheltered workshop would not align with this. These kinds of issues can arise when the goal is not clearly defined in detail.

• Holding a clear vision also means the Board accepting responsibilities including legal responsibilities.
• We can all be swept away by the power of a persuasive person or idea, but having the vision working in the background as a compass makes it much less likely that you or the Board will go round and round and perish on the dusty road of good ideas.

• E.g., a networking group was suggested as a way for the person to attract more clients into her business. The decision in this case was yes. Why? Because being part of a local networking group was a very typical thing for small businesses to do. It also aligned with the vision as it helped to grow the business and portray the person as a competent local business owner.

✍🏻 Joanne Lynam - Speaker and Author : https://www.amazon.com.au/Angel-My-Door-daughter-potential/dp/0645076805 -view_1761564334553

🎥 Master Shredder : https://youtu.be/TAXlJ7155Qw?si=aDsHk6IjbPCORC82

🎟️ https://events.humanitix.com/building-a-vision-for-a-good-life-workshop-for-families-disability-towards-better/tickets

26/10/2025

🌟 A Story of Possibility, Purpose, and Partnership 🌟

Meet Caleb and the team at Explore Property Munro & Co in Townsville — a powerful example of how Customised Employment creates real change for both people and businesses.

When Explore Property- Munro & Co partnered with Towards Better, they discovered a new way to fill business needs and unlock hidden talent. Through Customised Employment, they created a role tailored to Caleb’s strengths — and the results speak for themselves.

💼 For the business, it’s meant greater efficiency, teamwork, and morale.

💪 For Caleb, it’s meant confidence, connection, and a whole new outlook on life.

🎥 Watch their story here: https://youtu.be/viq636-9Nl4

🌐 Business owners: Learn how Customised Employment can strengthen your team → towardsbetter.com.au/for-businesses

👤 Individuals & families: Explore how we can help you find meaningful, tailored work → towardsbetter.com.au/for-individuals

Together, we can build workplaces — and lives — that work for everyone. 💙

Are you struggling to find the right staff for your business? Discover how Customised Employment is helping regional businesses like Explore Property Munro &...