Our Mission
Mentor Mates is committed to providing a supportive environment for individuals with disabilities to connect with others and improve their well-being. Our mission is to empower individuals to live meaningful and fulfilling lives by providing access to resources, support, and opportunities for growth.
Our Approach
ALIGNING INTERESTS AND PERSONALITIES:
We delve deep into the interests, hobbies, and personalities of both our staff and participants. This helps in creating matches based on common ground, facilitating a more natural and enjoyable support experience.
BUILDING TRUST AND COMFORT
By pairing participants with staff members who share similar interests and understandings, we foster a sense of trust and comfort, crucial for a successful support journey.
EXPERTISE TAILORED TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS:
Our customers deserve the highest level of support, and we work tirelessly to maintain those standards. When you choose to work with our team, know that you are consistently choosing quality and excellence.
DYNAMIC AND RESPONSIVE ACTION:
As goals evolve and new needs emerge, our matching process adapts. We are committed to continually assessing and fine-tuning our matches to ensure the highest quality of support.
PATRICK PEARDON - CEO
Patrick Peardon’s journey is one of resilience, hard-earned lessons, and finding true purpose through personal struggles. His professional career started in construction, where he spent nine years working as a carpenter and site foreman, managing large teams on major projects. But despite his success, Patrick always felt a disconnect—like he wasn’t using his natural skills to their fullest. Coupled with mental health battles and depression, he knew deep down that construction wasn’t his true calling.
Seeking a change, Patrick ventured into entrepreneurship at 24, launching Batloc, a lockable tool box designed to prevent theft on construction sites. Despite pouring his heart, soul, and $150,000 into the product, life threw him some tough blows. He lost his mother to cancer, went through a painful breakup, and faced the challenges of launching a business during a global pandemic. While the product showed promise, with 200 units sold, it ultimately couldn’t sustain itself. Financially and emotionally drained, Patrick walked away from Batloc, feeling like a failure.
But that wasn’t the end of his entrepreneurial spirit. Determined to make an impact, he co-founded Pop Up Parties, a live music event company. Once again, just as the business began to gain momentum, the pandemic struck, forcing them to pivot to live streaming events. Despite the adaptation, Patrick found himself burnt out after three years of pushing through constant setbacks and canceled events.
In the wake of these failures, Patrick found himself at rock bottom—deep in debt, out of work, and searching for his purpose. That’s when an unexpected opportunity in the disability support industry changed everything. A request to make one of his festivals accessible for people with disabilities opened Patrick’s eyes to a new world. Shortly after, he began working in disability support, and for the first time in years, he felt truly aligned with his purpose.
Working with people, especially those living with disabilities, ignited a passion in Patrick that he hadn’t experienced before. It was more than a job—it was a calling. He quickly realized that his true strength lay in helping others overcome their challenges and find meaning in their lives. This passion led him to co-found Mentor Mates with his best friend, Jackson Tidswell, creating a service that empowers both participants and staff to become the best version of themselves.
Through his failures and setbacks, Patrick found his true purpose in helping others. Today, Mentor Mates is built on that foundation—providing personalized support and fostering genuine relationships, all while ensuring that the staff are just as valued and supported as the participants. Patrick’s story is a testament to resilience, learning from failure, and the power of finding purpose through helping others.
You can hear more about Patrick, his story and what he stands for in his appearance on the Ability Matters program broadcast on VOX FM (Illawarra Community radio station 106.9FM) on Tuesday 17 September 2024. Ability Matters is brought to you by My Home Living Care, a NDIS registered Disability support organisation.
JACKSON TIDSWELL - CFO
Jackson Tidswell’s career started with a solid foundation in finance, graduating from the University of Wollongong with a degree in Finance, majoring in Economics. He jumped straight into the industry as an investment analyst, quickly climbing the ranks in a local firm. His hard work paid off when he eventually took over the business, taking on a more client-facing role where he began advising families on their investments and tax structures.
Jackson’s career took an unexpected turn when one of his clients came to him with a unique challenge—her son had a disability, and she was deeply concerned about his future after she and her husband passed away. This led Jackson down a path of financial planning and investment management for clients living with disabilities, an area where he discovered a new sense of purpose. He solved the problem for his client and soon found himself working with more families facing similar concerns. It was during this time that Jackson realized he could merge his passion for finance with helping people in meaningful ways.
In 2023, Jackson’s best friend since they were 13, Patrick Peardon, approached him with a new opportunity: to help run and support Mentor Mates, a disability support service that Patrick had co-founded. For Jackson, this was a dream come true—a chance to work closely with his best friend while using his business acumen to make a real difference.
Today, Jackson continues to support Patrick in running Mentor Mates, ensuring the business operates smoothly while allowing Patrick to focus on client care. He also remains committed to his finance business, where he specializes in working with families with disabilities, providing them peace of mind by setting up their financial future.
If you want to know more about Jackson, you can find him speaking extensively with Bec and Tony from Ability Matters on the Ability Matters podcast which originally aired on VOX FM (Illawarra Community radio station 106.9FM) on Tuesday 8 October 2024. Ability Matters is brought to you by My Home Living Care, a NDIS registered Disability support organisation.
THALIA FERNANDEZ - SERVICE LEADER
Thalia Fernandez is the new Service Leader at Mentor Mates, bringing both professional expertise and a deeply personal drive to her work. Her journey into the support space began from a place of profound loss - at just 17, she lost her brother unexpectedly at the age of 27. This life-altering experience gave her a powerful sense of purpose and a heartfelt understanding of how fleeting and precious life is. It’s this perspective that fuels her passion for intentional living, meaningful connections, and supporting others to embrace every opportunity.
With over five years of experience in the mental health and disability field, Thalia has worked as both a mental health worker and team leader in the Campbelltown community. Her work has been grounded in compassion, leadership, and a commitment to empowering others.
Thalia also shares a strong connection with the South Coast community. She’s always admired the people, the environment, and the unique sense of belonging it offers - making it all the more special to now be serving the region through her role at Mentor Mates.
Thalia has worked through her own challenges, and these experiences have shaped her strong commitment to supporting others in a genuine and compassionate way. She values connection, understanding, and creating safe spaces for people on their own journeys.
Outside of work, Thalia enjoys playing football for her local club, watching the NRL - especially when the Wests Tigers are playing, camping along the South Coast beaches, and travelling overseas exploring different cultures.
