Dubbo Professionals Network helping residents build new friendships

The group was established as a way for young professionals in Dubbo to grow their social circle and their contacts.

However, president Daniel Hillard said one of the first changes he made was to drop ‘young’ from the name. The regular attendees at the monthly drinks or dinner were aged from their early 20s to their 40s, Mr Hillard said.

Membership fees have also gone.

“We didn’t want all these hurdles. We didn’t want membership fees. All you have to do is go to the page, join up and if you see something you want to go to that’s great,” Mr Hillard said.

“The core has always been drinks on the first Friday night, at various pubs around town, and dinner on the third Tuesdays of every month. We try and get to various places around Dubbo so when someone comes along and joins in they get a good cross section of Dubbo and what to enjoy.”

While the Facebook page has about 1000 followers, Mr Hillard said generally between 10 to 15 people show up for the events.

The president said he wanted the Dubbo Professionals Network to be a place where people could start to make connections in Dubbo.

He said the majority of people who got involved with the DPN might only be in Dubbo for two or three years before they moved away. The organisation gave them the opportunity to increase their social circle.

“For me personally, moving to Dubbo I was asking work colleagues ‘how can I make friends?’ because I didn’t know anybody here and they pointed me in the direction of the Dubbo Professionals Network. And I now have friends here where if I moved or they moved we’d stay in contact… Sometimes colleagues aren’t willing to go out on a Friday evening so this is a way to let off some steam,” he said.

The DPN have made it easy for new people looking to join. Mr Hillard said new people would be paired up with a peer who would introduce them to other members of the group and join them on outings like the Friday night drinks.

The DPN holds drinks on the first Friday of the month and dinner on the third Tuesday in various places in Dubbo. Information on the events can be found on the Dubbo Professional Network Facebook page.