News

Vivid opens doors to community

By Lua Ikenasio

Sep 12, 2025

Bennett Henson, Corey Davis, Stephen Rees and Michelle McCafferey showcased their creations as part of the Hub program. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

Vivid came alive on Wednesday, September 10, as the organisation welcomed the wider community to its annual Open Day.

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Building on the success of its first event last year, the Vivid team have been busy preparing to make this year’s event even better.

Vivid chief executive Kylie Liebmann said the day was a chance for the community to explore everything Vivid had to offer.

“Vivid has been around for years on this site, so I want people to come and have a look and see the improvements that we’ve made and the facilities that we have, because we have some fantastic facilities,” she said.

“It’s a great way to come, meet the staff, see what things we do and what services we’ve got, to see if that suits them.

“I encourage people to come and have a look even if it’s not on our open day, reach out to us. Come and have a look and see if it’s right for you.”

The Vivid UPbicycle team were excited to show off their projects. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

Ms Liebmann added that it was also a chance for members of the younger generation at the Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School to think about their futures.

“This (building) used to be part of the old Echuca Special School, so for the students to come here and see how their old school has changed and the fun things that they can now do here is really encouraging for them as well,” she said.

“It opens their eyes to ‘what do I want to do when I leave school?’ and ‘is Vivid an option for that?’.”

Nate Spiers, Mark Stockden and Zach Phyland manned the Vivid Work Crew stall. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

Vivid clients were heavily involved in organising and carrying out the day’s events, with one client even leading groups of guests on guided tours around the facility.

Participants in the Vivid Silent Voices program kept visitors entertained as they danced along to popular songs while using sing language.

Team members of the Vivid Workcrew, Support Coordination and Residental and AAA, had information stalls to offer guests more information about each program.

A crowd favourite was the Hub stall, where clients showed off the different creations they made through the program, with many able to be purchased.

The Upcycle team were also working on their bikes in the workshop throughout the day, giving guests a closer look at their recycling process.

Twin Rivers Specialist School students James Anderson and Archer Trail trying out the MultiBall wall. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

Visitors on the day were also among the first to try out the newly installed MultiBall Interactive Sports and Gaming Wall, allowing clients to get active in a new and fun way.

Ms Liebmann said the introduction of more programs that made use of technology was something they were looking towards.

“We’re trying to introduce more technology because we have a lot of younger people coming through,” she said.

“They are very computer savvy and they want to develop those skills.

“It’s all about them telling us what they want to do and where they want to go and what they want to learn and achieve, and us helping them to get there.”