About Us
Since establishment in November 2014, Superheroes Events Limited has achieved some world-first achievements, established Kidditch as a new Guinness World Records category (Jan 2017), held the inaugural Guinness World Records Official Title Attempt for the Largest Kidditch Tournament (Oct 2017), became the first successful Guinness World Records Largest Kidditch Tournament champions (Jan 2019), launched the insugural Kidditch World Cup (May 2019), established numerous fictional Shoalhaven/NSW/Australia pop culture POP Worlds, events, and activities, and created Australian and World First characters Master & Miss Brix Fundraising Superheroes (Sep 2018), and the Buy a “Superheroes” Brick donation Campaign (Nov 2019).
In view of the continued evolving expansion of operations and fundraising developments, Superheroes Events Limited (SEL) is establishing a new business, Superheroes Community Care (SCC), with the specific future purpose to receive and distribute SEL’s fundraising and donations proceeds to the promoted cause(s)
Through the Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival, Events, and Activities, make the Shoalhaven region the Superheroes capital of NSW / Australia.
Our Passion
Encouraging, recognising, supporting, and celebrating volunteerism in the Shoalhaven region – our real Shoalhaven Community Superheroes!
Our Charity Focus
Superheroes Community Care has recently been established to broaden the charitable fundraising and donations activities of the Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival. 100% of fundraising and donation proceeds go to providing short-stay accommodation assistance to families with chronically ill kids and/or families requiring benevolent assistance at the Superheroes Community Care River Retreat at Shoalhaven Heads, NSW.
Meet the Directors and Team
David Arakie
Founding Director
David has been a Director of SEL’s since it was established in November 2014, and is the Founder and Organiser of the Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival.
He has a long and successful career in banking in the UK and Australia, working with government, companies, corporations, and developing strategic alliances relationships. David has also worked in the community service industry, involving world-first philanthropic program development and management, event organisation, arranging corporate sponsorship, and charitable fundraising.
Anna Kemp
Director & Treasurer
I’ve been with Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes for 7 years as a volunteer and now Director and Treasurer. I enjoy being part of the team, meeting people and helping to raise money for South Coast families and children requiring assistance to have short stays at our two respite retreats at Shoalhaven Heads.
My interests include card making and scrapbooking. Also travel, at present travelling within Australia and marvelling at this beautiful country of ours. I have also travelled a little in Europe and North America. I also enjoy going to shows and dining with friends.
Dennis Henry
Director
Dennis has been active with Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes for the last few years helping out with various projects including helping to renovate the River Retreat and lending an extra pair of hands at various Superheroes fundraising events.
A retired fitter and turner by trade Dennis knows his way around a hammer and nail and is excited to keep volunteering his skills with Shoalhaven Superheroes as a member of the directors team.
Georgina Henry
Director
Georgina is a Nowra local who has been active in various social community volunteer and fundraising events for many years.
A retired nurse, Georgina is aware of the need for support for families and individuals going through hardships. Georgina has been with Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes since 2016 and has loved being able to volunteer and raise funds for the community in that time.
Georgina is excited and humbled to step into a directors role and looks forward to continuing the hard work of Superheroes Community Care in helping raise funds to sponsor short accomodation stays for families in crisis at our Superheroes Community Care River Retreat and Sunset Haven Retreat.
Larry Walker
Director
Only recently retired from Bega Dairy where I worked as a distribution assistance for many years and am now looking forwards to continue supporting the growing charity work of Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes. I have been a Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes Events Limited volunteer for some 7 years.
I was born in Berry NSW and lived and worked all my life in the Shoalhaven. Married to Rani Walker and have two children and two granddaughters.
In my spare time I love to read and also like bike riding and spending quality time with family.
Only recently started a grey nomads lifestyle, and wanting to see some more of the vast country we live in.
Rani Walker
Director
I chose to be volunteer with Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes, some 7 years ago, as I found this charity group quite beneficial for our local area and I felt very comfortable in the charity organisation. I moved to Australia in 1986 after getting married and found after working and raising children in this beautiful part of NSW, this is my way of giving back to the community.
I enjoy Zumba and also now bike riding. I love spending time with my families and friends. Together with my husband also enjoy going on caravan trips. I have enjoyed being part of the volunteer team and meeting so many beautiful people along the way and I enjoy contributing and being part of this community.
Daniel Zachariou
Alternative Director
Daniel grew up, eventually in his estimation, and went to UNSW for his degree. Before that he spent his life accumulating copious amounts of pop culture information in the fields of comics, cartoons, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, toys, anime and more! He was so good at it that in 2000 he was encouraged to create what eventually became, Supanova Comic Con & Gaming; an event that now tours Australia annually entertaining like-minded fans.
And it’s been since 2015, when Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival made its first appearance at Supanova in Sydney, that has compelled Daniel to increasingly team-up with the amazing crew at Superheroes Events Limited; in seeking to keep building on the legacy that’s already delivered so many wonderful events, recognition awards and fundraising.
Vicki Swift
Children's Ambassador
Vicki has been an SEL director for 5 years, our Ambassador of Fun, and organiser of our team “superheroes” dress up activities and fundraising events. She also runs the very popular “superheroes” Zumba performances at SEL’s fundraising events and visits to schools in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra with the Power FM Schools Breakfast Shows.
Phillipa Cook
Account's Payable Officer
Phillipa has been an SEL director for 6 years. She has previous experience in assisting with the development of strategic and corporate alliance fundraising programs, including their financial and administrative operations. She also runs a ladies’ fashion boutique in Berry, NSW, which she has done for 17 years. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
Business Achievement Highlights
The first fictional POP world was BerryPOP (The Shire of Berry Potter), established in 2014, which covers the Shoalhaven geographical areas of Jaspers Brush, Berry, Coolangatta, and Shoalhaven Heads. All events and activities held in the Shire of Berry Potter are Harry Potter theme related.
In 2016 and 2017, SEL’s BerryPOP Shire of Berry Potter co-hosted Quidditch Australia’s national QuidCamp Quidditch tournaments as part of the Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival at Berry Sport & Recreation Centre, Shoalhaven, NSW.
In late 2016, SEL established with Guinness World Records a new Record Category for Kidditch – a boys and girls, no snitch, non-contact version of Quidditch, which was made famous by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and movies.
On 31 October 2017 at Shoalhaven Heads, NSW, in the BerryPOP Shire of Berry Potter, SEL successfully held the inaugural Guinness World Records Official Record Attempt for the Largest Kidditch Tournament. 260 students aged between 7 and 13 years of age from Berry, Nowra, and Shoalhaven Heads Public Schools took place in the Official Record Attempt.
In January 2019, Guinness World Records confirmed SEL’s Official Record Attempt for the Largest Kidditch Tournament was successful. With the Acting Minister of Sports NSW, the formal acknowledgement of this World first achievement took place at the Speaker’s Garden, Parliament House, Sydney, on 23 October 2019. Also in attendance was the Premier of NSW.
In May 2019, SEL launched the inaugural Kidditch World Cup Tournament, which was held on 22 November 2019, in the BerryPOP Shire of Berry Potter at Berry Cool Estate, Coolangatta, NSW. The inaugural Kidditch World Cup Tournament Champions are Bomaderry Public School.
Charity Achievement Highlights
On 13th August, 2018, SEL’s application to be a Charitable Fundraising Authority was approved, CFN/24973, and following which, Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival Events and activities commenced, raising funds for a Shoalhaven Family Facility.
In June 2019, SEL started raising funds for the Shack Shoalhaven Superheroes River Retreat, now the Superheroes Community Care River Retreat on River Road, Shoalhaven Heads NSW, to provide short-stay accommodation for families with chronically ill kids and/or families requiring benevolent assistance.
On 11 September, 2020, SEL registered Superheroes Community Care (SCC) as a business name.
SCC was established in October 2020 specifically to receive the ongoing fundraising and donation proceeds from SEL’s Shoalhaven Superheroes Festival (SSF) events and activities, including the Master & Miss Brix Buy a “Superheroes” Brick (fictional) donation campaign, and arrange distribution in accordance with SEL’s promoted charitable object cause(s).
As part of SEL’s evolving fundraising activities, SEL is changing its legal structure to being a Charity, Public Benevolent Institution with Deductible Gifts Recipient status (Application with new SEL constitution submitted to ASIC and ACNC in November 2020).
In April/May 2021, SEL plans to hold the Superheroes Community Care River Retreat (River Retreat) Official Launch, and the commencement of respite accommodation stays for families with chronically ill kids and/or families requiring benevolent assistance. Ideally, at the same time, SEL/SCC hope to announce its new legal structure as a Charity, Public Benevolent Institution with Deductible Gift Recipient status for SEL’s fundraising and donations proceeds.
100% of SEL/SCC fundraising and donations proceeds will continue to go into the promoted charitable object being the River Retreat cause. SEL/SSF will absorb the fundraising events, marketing, promotion, and administration costs, so that 100% of monies raised goes to the River Retreat cause.
With the introduction of SCC, SEL will be able to umbrella and uniformly brand its future charity strategy.
The SSF events have previously helped raise funds for other charities, and other community organisations including Ronald McDonald House Charities for a potential Shoalhaven RMHC Family Facility at Nowra District Memorial Hospital, Kookaburra Kids, Nurses on Wheels, Flagstaff Group, Saving Chloe Saxby, Community Gateway, and PCYC Shoalhaven.
To date, SEL has raised over $125,000.00 for charities and community causes.
Our Amazing Shoalhaven Superheroes Volunteer Teams
From day one, “Putting Lots of Smiles on Lots of Dials”, Celebrating Pop Culture Fun, and “Giving Back to the Community” have been central to the ethos and volunteer work of SEL.
SEL has two volunteer teams now – one focusing on the fundraising events and activities of SSF called the Capital Team, and the River Retreat Team for the maintenance and operation of the River Road property. The establishment of the volunteers Shoalhaven Superheroes River Retreat Team has already attracted new volunteers with different experiences and skills, including healthcare. The two teams consist of some 20 volunteers, mainly from the Bomaderry, Nowra, Coolangatta, and Shoalhaven Heads areas.
The role of the Shoalhaven Superheroes volunteers also extends to the respite renovation, cleaning services, and fundraising for the River Retreat.
SEL and out Shoalhaven Superheroes volunteers are very grateful for the fantastic support of our Patrons, Major Festival Sponsors, Business Sponsors, Community Partners, and Preferred Service Suppliers. Our patrons and a current list of sponsors can be found on our Sponsors & Patrons page. Some of these relationships have been ongoing since SSF’s establishment in 2015.
We are Shoalhaven Superheroes – we welcome your support!
