High Tea with a Mission

High Tea with a Mission is Wesley Mission Newcastle’s premier fundraising event and is held in the stylish surrounds of the Newcastle City Hall.   

Last year, generous supporters helped Wesley Mission Newcastle provide assistance for the homeless and struggling. We were able to run the 'Oasis', which serves homeless people a meal with dignity. Countless children and young people received the care, counselling and support they desperately needed. Friends such as those who attended the 2010 High Tea with a Mission made it possible for us to touch thousands of people with kindness and compassion.

You can help us help our community.  Without you, we cannot deliver the services we do that are so desperately needed in our community.

High Tea with a Mission will be on May 7. We have a great line-up of speakers this year who will inspire those attending to realise that they, too, can overcome their own personal adversities, engage with their communities and participate fully in life.

Last year Skye Bortoli, the 16-year-old founder of Teens against Whaling, and Naomi Simson, CEO of RedBalloon (and participant in the TV show Secret Millionaire), provided unique insights into overcoming life’s challenges to become more fully involved in their communities.  The message of High Tea with a Mission is, as Skye so brilliantly told us last year, that if we can get off our couches, each of us can bring about positive change in our communities. 

One of our guest speakers this year is Hunter girl Grace MacPherson who, along with a group of other young people, last year walked the Kokoda track as part of a leadership program.  Grace’s story of how the experience changed her outlook on life is nothing less than inspirational. 

Another of our speakers is Shivani Gupta who has overcome many obstacles, including racism, abuse and bullying in the workplace, to achieve her vision.  Shivani was born in India and grew up in Australia. She is an engineer, has an MBA and worked as a senior manager for BHP Billiton before a life-changing trip to Nepal in 2001.  After this transformational trip, she left the corporate world to start her own business helping others become better leaders at work and home. Shivani has a passion for seeing people break through their personal histories to engage more fully in life.