AACC NEWS AND EVENTS 

AUGUST 2025

AACC President

Dawn Lillington

Hello AACC Members and Friends,

We’re excited to share some big news with our community! The Australian Gala has officially launched, and we can’t wait to celebrate the 50th Golden Anniversary at the Westin St. Francisco San Francisco on February 21, 2025. To mark this milestone, we’d love to hear from past attendees, please share your favourite Gala memories with us by sending photos and video content to Mel. It will be wonderful to look back together as we look forward to an unforgettable evening.

We’re also delighted to welcome our new Board Members – Sharmaine Ramasamy, Steve Wheen, Hanna Peltonen, and Shaun McAlpine – who bring fresh energy and ideas to the team. And a huge welcome to our new Business Member – Odin Mortgage and Tax – we’re excited to partner with you and deliver value to your companies.

A special thank you goes to Mark Fulcher of Beacon Consult, who generously spent time with the full board this month. Together we dedicated hours to honing our strategy for the next five years, shaping our vision and reaffirming our commitment to supporting our members. There are some great things on the horizon!

It’s also been fantastic to see so many of you at recent Aussie Happy Hour and our coffee meet-up. We’re thrilled to share that we’ll be partnering with the British American Business Council on three upcoming events that promise to be both fun and full of opportunities to connect.

There’s a lot to look forward to, we can’t wait to see you at one of these gatherings soon!

Cheers,

Dawn

On behalf of the AACC Board

SAVE THE DATE

UPCOMING EVENTS

HOLEY MOLEY HAPPY HOUR

Join the AACC and the British-American Business Council (BABC) for a fun evening of networking, and a little friendly competition!

REGISTER

📅 Thursday, September 11

🕔 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm

📍 Holey Moley Golf Club

1096 S Van Ness Ave, San Francisco 

CLASH FOR THE ASHES

Get ready for some friendly rivalry as Team Australia takes on Team England in a local version of the historic Ashes series!

REGISTER

📅 Saturday, September 13

🕔 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

📍 Piper Park, Larkspur 

THE AUSTRALIAN BATTERY INNOVATION DELEGATION

AACC members are invited to join CSIRO and Austrade for a light reception with the Australian Batteries Delegation.

REGISTER

📅 Thursday, October 2

🕔 5:30 - 7:30 pm

📍 Withers San Francisco

909 Montgomery St

RECENT EVENTS

JULY HAPPY HOUR | WITHERS SAN FRANCISCO

JULY COFFEE MEET UP | BLUESTONE LANE SOMA

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

LATEST NEWS FROM AACC MEMBERS

US LOAN ACCESS MIGHT TIGHTEN FOR AUSSIE EXPATS

New U.S. legislation (H.R. 2966) may soon restrict access to SBA loans for non-citizens, including Australians on E-2, L-1, or H-1B visas. If passed, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents will qualify—potentially limiting funding options for expat business owners. Now’s the time to review your visa status, ownership structure, and explore alternative finance. For tailored guidance, speak with the expat specialists at Atlas Wealth Group.

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

2025 AFL GRAND FINAL WATCH PARTY

📅 Friday, September 26

🕔 6:30 pm

📍 Buzzworks, 365 11th St, San Francisco

BUY TICKETS

The Golden Gate Australian Football League is once again teaming up with BuzzWorks to bring you the most fair-dinkum AFL Grand Final watch party in the Bay area! 

WELCOME NEW MEMBER

SMALL BUSINESS

'MATES RATES' OFFERS FOR AACC MEMBERS

One of the perks of being an AACC member is having access to special offers. Log in to the member portal to access the full Mates Rates offering.

💶 50% off initial 2 hour fit meeting with Arete Wealth Strategists, valued at $250. Contact Ashley Murphy to redeem.


🍷 15% off select Penfolds products with offer code AACCmates.


🤝 Free consultation with Spott, Lucey & Wall, valued at $900. Contact Tyler Dixon to redeem.

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