Board Level – Summer 2021

Greetings everyone. I hope this post finds you well, safe and loved by those around you.

I would like to acknowledge the Darug and Guringai peoples who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which I live, and I pay my respects to their Ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging.

This is my first blog post as President of ANZ ACBS, an organisation I’ve been so proud to be a part of for the past 15 years and a community where I’ve found friends, like-minded colleagues and daring karaoke partners. The President Blog is an opportunity to provide members with transparency around the Board’s work and to showcase the incredible achievements of our organisation and its members. It is my privilege to continue a tradition started by Eric Morris and proudly continued by Tiffany Rochester and Daniel Simsion.

Board Changes:

Our AGM was held online in November 2020 and I want to thank the work of our secretary Andrew Duirs for organising and conducting such a successful event.

Outgoing President, Daniel Simsion delivered a fantastic address entitled Context and Crime: Exploring Opportunities and Next Steps for our Growing Chapter. I want to acknowledge Daniel’s leadership in his time as ANZ ACBS President. The summer bushfires of 2019/2020 were devastating and followed closely by a global pandemic which suddenly changed the way we worked and lived. Daniel led the Board through these events and changes with steadiness and foresight while personally living through one of the longest lockdowns in the world. Daniel worked tirelessly for the organisation and ANZ ACBS is in a better place because of him. I personally want to thank him for his ongoing generosity and guidance in passing the president baton.

aniel Simsion

Of course, an AGM means a change to the makeup of the Board and we would like to welcome Deborah Hart (Member-At-Large), Toni Hanna (Member-At-Large), Melissa Schellekeins (President-Elect), Lisa Mastin-Purcell (Student Rep), and Elizabeth Maher (New Zealand Representative). All of them bring a wealth of experience, both personally and professionally, and we are thrilled to have them volunteer their time and dedicate their passion to the ANZ ACBS Board.

I’d like to acknowledge the Board members who finished their term late last year. ANZ ACBS is truly blessed with a membership of fabulous people and our outgoing Board members reflect just that.

Jennifer Kemp finished in her role as Member-At-Large. Jennifer brought an enthusiasm and attention to detail that proved invaluable to the workings of the Board. She was an active member of both the Finance Committee and the Webinar Subcommittee and much of the success of the webinar series last year was due to her efforts. We are lucky to have Jennifer continue on the Webinar Subcommittee.

ennifer Kemp

Sarah Mooy also finished in her role as Member-At-Large. Sarah is a passionate proponent of social justice and equity and was highly active in our Action and Advocacy Subcommittee. We are thrilled to have her continue to play a significant role in that group.

Our Student Representative, Claire Turner also finished her term on the Board.Claire was a strong voice for both Student and New Zealand issues and was instrumental in organising the Dunedin Skills Intensive. When Covid-19 hit in 2020 she also ran a weekly online mindfulness session with Hayley Quinn providing comfort and focus for many members during the height of the pandemic.

Nathan Phillips finished in his role as New Zealand representative. Nathan was a strong voice for New Zealand and cultural diversity and outlined how to conduct our meeting (hui) from a Maori approach.

We also had to say goodbye to Tiffany Rochester. Tiff had been on the board for 5 years and has become such an integral part of the ANZ ACBS community that is difficult to pay full tribute to her vast contribution. As President she worked tirelessly to move our organisation forward, implementing membership reform that will benefit ANZ ACBS for many years. As Past President, her extensive organisational knowledge and grace provided a steadying light which we all benefitted from. She will be sorely missed.