Welcome to our end of year Newsletter,

What a year it has been. 2020 has given us a taste of everything - fires, floods and pestilence. Throughout all the ups and downs, we’ve managed to achieve some pretty amazing things for our clients and our community. 

Like many small business owners, I’ve experienced a rollercoaster of emotions this year. In March and April I was wondering where the next project was going to come from. I was also fixated on what type of vegetables I should grow as part of my new sustainable farming gig. I didn’t have the opportunity to sit with these thoughts for very long though. Come May, the projects began trickling back in as clients innovated their approach in the face of our new shared challenges. By June, we were creeping towards being at full capacity once more. Now, things have come back with a roar. Even as the holiday shut-down rapidly approaches, we are still in the midst of a solid flow of projects. It feels good to be able to end this year on a much-needed high note. 

We’ve also pushed ourselves to develop further, even in the face of the challenges of this year. Our Sydney and Melbourne offices have experienced substantial growth, both in projects and staff.  Our Wollongong office work remains steady, and Perth has consolidated in its third year of operation. Similarly, work from Brisbane remains consistent; we envision future uplift in Queensland with our new affiliation with PwC. 

There have been a number of stand-out projects for us during this year. For myself, I think I’m most proud of our audit work on the 420 railway stations and ferry wharves throughout New South Wales. We are now in the fifth month of the project and we can see that the end is in sight. This work will be the first part of the $190 million railway accessibility upgrades to suburban and regional train stations project as part of the stimulus package, launched by the NSW state government. 

Speaking for my partner Nick Morris, the standout project for him was the 2020 World Expo in Dubai. Nick and his team spent countless hours working with the Organising Committee to develop accessibility strategy, communications strategy and operations planning for the Expo. Unfortunately, the event had to be postponed this year due to COVID. The global mega event will now run from October 2021 to March 2022 - we can’t wait to see the outcome of everyone’s hard work on this project. 

Nick and I would like to take this opportunity to send our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all our clients – architects, builders, developers and government agencies. We’ve been provided with amazing opportunities this year from all our clients to do what we do best - to put accessibility at the heart of every design. Regardless of whether it’s a small café or a very large multi-use development, our universal design advice is central to our overall process and successes. It plays a crucial part in our ability to ensure equitable experiences for the cohort of end users with accessibility needs. That’s why we love our job! 

So, from all the team at MGAC, we hope you enjoy the much awaited catch-up with loved ones around the country. We wish you a Merry Christmas and safe journeys through the holiday season.

Happy holiday, David Goding (Director) and Nick Morris (Director)