Hundreds of volunteers & dozens of Take Kare ambassadors will take to Sydney’s streets this New Year’s Eve to offer more support to revellers than ever before.
This year, volunteer support is offered in 15 different languages including Japanese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, German, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean as well as English.
Volunteers will be on hand to guide visitors throughout the city from 7am on New Year’s Eve, answering questions about access points, public transport & other services.
“We are proud to have so many volunteers turning out on our biggest night of the year showing the world how passionate & supportive locals are about our city” Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.
“Many people will have travelled from overseas or interstate & if this is their 1st experience of Sydney, we want to make sure it is the best it can be”
Sydney New Year’s Eve volunteer, Adrian Lane, is eager to again be part of Australia’s largest public event that transforms the entire city he lives in for the night.
“Sydney New Year’s Eve is special because it brings together people from all nationalities & walks of life” Mister Lane, from Haymarket, said.
“We expect lots of people in the city from 3pm & big crowds leaving the vantage points after the 9pm Family Fireworks. If anyone needs some help, they should come talk to one of the volunteers on the day. We are always happy to help.”
“A lot of the volunteers have been doing this for over 5 years, some even longer so they have a wealth of experience & knowledge”
With over 40 years of volunteering experience, 2016 will see Adrian volunteer on New Year’s Eve for the 10th time. Alongside 200 fellow Spectator Service Volunteers, Adrian will hit the streets from the 27th of December to New Year’s Eve offering information & support to the public.
Roving volunteers will be found at Hyde Park North, Shakespeare Place, Wynyard Park, Macquarie & Bridge Streets, the Queen Victoria Building & the Sydney Opera House on the night.
Information booths will be at The Rocks, Martin Place, Macquarie and Bridge Streets & Shakespeare Place on New Year’s Eve. Information booths can also be found at Customs House & the Queen Victoria Building from the 27th of December to New Year’s Eve.
The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation’s program Take Kare Safe Space will work with Saint John’s Ambulance on the night.
With a team of around 50 ambassadors including 5 roving teams, Take Kare volunteers will operate from Take Kare Safe Spaces at Sydney Town Hall and Kings Cross & 6 information booths from 10pm to 4am AEDT.
Take Kare Ambassadors will provide free water, phone and internet access & help vulnerable people get home safely.
In addition, Saint John’s Ambulance New South Wales volunteers will have access to Saint John’s vehicles, defibrillators, oxygen & 1st aid kits for those in need of urgent medical attention.
With Sydney welcoming over 1 million spectators around Sydney Harbour, the new services will further ensure the safety & enjoyment of revellers after the Midnight Fireworks light up the sky.
Getting in & out of the city will be different this New Year’s Eve. There will be road closures, on-street fencing & diversions that will help people get through the city safely & move crowds to transport.
Over 40 wayfinding personnel will be available throughout the city on New Year’s Eve. They will assist in directing revellers to vantage points & to public transport. Wayfinders will be located on main routes throughout the city.
The City Of Sydney will provide a guide for public transport on New Year’s Eve. The guide includes tips about using public transport & a map with walking routes to public transport that is supported by wayfinding personnel. It can also be downloaded from the official Sydney New Year’s Eve website on the Public Transport webpage.
Leading up to the night, the event guides will be distributed across the city centre at train stations, information centres, libraries & service centres. Event guides are available in Chinese, Spanish, Korean, German, Japanese, Braille, large print & audio format.
There will be more than 1000 extra trains & 3500 extra buses available on the night.
The official Sydney New Year’s Eve 2016 website offers a range of tools to plan a safe & enjoyable night including an interactive map with details on road closures, public transport information & vantage point details. Head to sydneynewyearseve.com/plan-your-nye/ for more information on how to plan your night.
Transport For NSW offers public transport information through social media & transportation smartphone applications. For a full list of pages & smartphone applications, head to transportnsw.info/en/travelling-with-us/keep-updated/index.page.
For further information on road closures, Google Maps will integrate road closure data on the 30th of December & divert people around these on the day.
Media platforms such as Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television, other broadcast television & the 2DayFM radio broadcast will give updates throughout the night concerning road closures & traffic conditions.
Roads & Maritime Services has provided a list of real-time road smartphone applications, visit rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/using-roads/trip-information/real-time-road-apps.html for more information.
As the event proceeds & vantage points begin to fill, key information will be regularly updated & delivered to the public using the #SydNYE Twitter hashtag.
For information about the Take Kare Safe Spaces, visit thomaskellyyouthfoundation.org.au/take-kare-safe-space/.
Media Release: City Of Sydney
Sydney Spectaculars 