Board of Directors

 

The Board of Directors is elected by the Members of the organisation for a two year period with half standing down annually. The Board is ultimately responsible for the governance and performance of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA).

The Board consists of an elected President, a Chairman (these may be the same person), and other Directors. The maximum size of the Board is nine. Persons with disabilities constitute a majority of the board.

All Directors operate in a voluntary capacity. They meet at least once a month and more frequently if needed. In addition, many of them serve on sub-committees of the Board, which look at specific areas of operation or issues of interest.

Download Spinal Cord Injuries Australia's Charter of Board Operations

 

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David Brice – President*

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia President since 2007. Joined the Spinal Cord Injuries Australia's Board in 2005 and past director of the Australian Quadriplegic Association (AQA) 1982 – 1984 David’s early career was with the Australian Public Service in Defence Housing and Dept of Army. After being retired on disability grounds (1977) he took up work for AQA and was there for over 20 years specialising in Advocacy and Administration.

He has personal experience of severe physical disability and many years experience working with and for people with a physical disability, particularly in advocacy. He has been a member of many Government Advisory Committees on disability issues over the past 30 years. He was a director of the Physical Disability Council of Australia in 2004 and President (2002 – 2004) of the Physical Disability Council of NSW and a Committee member from 2000. David is a member of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia’s Governance and Finance Sub-Committee; Members Issues Sub Committee and chairs the Presidents Forum which hears and discusses issues from members and staff across NSW.

David would like to see all people with severe physical disabilities achieve maximum independence with adequate support services in place to support this ideal. He will fight to ensure that Spinal Cord Injuries Australia maintains and, as funds allow, increases its quality services to people with spinal cord injuries. On a Board level, he will fight to ensure that the constitutional requirement that people with spinal cord injuries or similar conditions have a majority on the Board is maintained.

 

Antony Varrall - Vice President*

Joined in 2006. Tony had a motorcycle accident in January 1979, breaking his back leaving him with T5 complete paralysis. Fortunately, he had just completed his first year of teaching at Barrellan Central School to make him a fully qualified Industrial Arts high school teacher. After a year off recuperating, he recommenced teaching at Beacon Hill High School at the start of 1980. In 2002 Beacon Hill High School closed resulting in him moving to Freshwater Senior Campus where he continued full time teaching until he took medical retirement in 2005.

He married Anne in 1983 and subsequently had three boys, Michael, Christopher and Rowan. Tony was manager of his son’s soccer teams in 1994 and 2001. He coached Michael’s team in 1996 with the help of a 15 year old assistant and became club secretary in 1999, a position he held for a further 4 years. He completed the “City to Surf” in 1996 and 1997 without assistance. He was a member of Kuringai Council’s Access Committee from 2000 to 2003.

In 2006, he became an ambassador for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia. Towards the end of 2007, he joined the Board of SCIA and subsequently joined the Governance & Finance Sub-Committee and Member Issues Sub-Committee.

He says he is proud to be a Board member of such a great organisation that is doing so much for the disabled in our community.

 

David Brawn - Chairperson

Joined in 2006. I hold a BSc in Physics and Maths from London University, a MSc in Business Studies from the London Business School and a Diploma (with Order of Merit) for the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. I have worked in Xerox Corporation and Telstra and prior to my retirement from Telstra in 2004, I was CEO of a subsidiary called Telstra eBusiness Pty Ltd. I held executive roles in strategy, marketing and business management in these businesses.

I am a member of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia’s Governance and Finance Sub-Committee, Board Development Sub - Committee and a director and chairman of Sargood Centre Ltd. I am a District Governor Elect for Rotary District 9750 which means I will be District Governor in 2010/11. District 9750 includes 53 Rotary clubs situated in an area from Sydney Harbour in the north to Kiama in the south and out to Camden in the west. There are over 1500 members in the District.

I joined Spinal Cord Injuries Australia to help provide support for people with spinal cord injuries and, as part of this, to add more business expertise to the Board as it met new challenges to expand its activities profitably. I wholeheartedly support the Vision and the Mission of the organisation and expect to continue to support the CEO and his team in realising these.

 

David O'Brien – Director*

Joined Spinal Cord Injuries Australia in 1984 and elected to the Board in 1996.  I have a Bachelor of Business Administration and have worked since 1983. I work for The Audit Office of NSW. My work involves using software to assist in documenting the auditing of government entities. It also requires working with the accounting & auditing standards which helps in my role as a member of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia's Governance and Finance Sub-Committee, (GAF). I became involved with Spinal Cord Injuries Australia after becoming a C5/6 quadriplegic as a result of a rugby union move called “The Flying Wedge” in 1977. Since then, I’ve deteriorated to a complete C4 quadriplegic which meant adjusting again to a new disability level using mouth sticks. I was 19 when I had my accident and I’m now 52.

Over the last 32 years there have been significant improvements, both medically and with technology, that have tremendous benefits for people who sustain a spinal injury. I’m determined to maintain the independence of the disabled and that they continue to be the primary source for anything that will affect them, especially the spinal injured. It’s crucial that well intentioned able bodied people do not make decisions on behalf of the disabled without their input. I look forward to a cure for spinal injuries in the near future and further technology developments and discoveries that will benefit the disabled. I feel the opportunities for the spinal injured will especially focus on education and employment which are so important to one’s quality of life and self esteem.

 

Margaret Noonan - Director

Joined in 2007. Margaret worked for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia as the Community Relations Manager and is experienced in advocacy and community service provision in the disability sector. During her time at Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, she was also involved in strategic and business planning, negotiations with government for funding contracts and in building relationships with other service providers and PEAK bodies. Prior to that, Margaret worked in the corporate sector and was involved in service development, mergers, policy development and commercial contracts.

Margaret originally came onto the Board as an Invited Director in 2007, and became a member-elected director at the end of 2009. She is involved in the Board Development Sub - Committee. Her goals are to use her community service and corporate experience to enable Spinal Cord Injuries Australia to continue its’ strong history of advocacy. Margaret also has a keen interest for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia to develop new services that will enable people to increase their enjoyment and participation in everyday activities in their local community.

 

Brad O'Hara - Director

Brad is currently employed with NRMA Motoring & Services and heads up the Community Engagement and Member Motoring portfolios. Brad has worked across a number of disciplines in his 16 years with NRMA including Sales & Marketing, Automotive Technical, Corporate Affairs and Business 2 Business channels.

He is currently responsible for Sponsorships, Events, Community Relations and NRMA’s motoring advocacy programs, including the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) – Australia’s Best Cars Program, New Vehicle Evaluation Program and motoring related content on NRMA's corporate website. Prior to NRMA Motoring & Services, Brad held a variety of technical roles with Ansett Airlines, in particular, Brad’s understanding of issues relating to transport and transport infrastructure for people with spinal cord injury will help place Spinal Cord Injuries Australia in a strong position when lobbying relevant statutory and government bodies on behalf of members. His current position exposes him to diverse community groups, and this has helped him understand the unique challenges that these groups face and how corporates and the not for profit sector can work together successfully to deliver on common goals.

Brad is passionate about helping in the community, having developed strategies and implemented volunteering programs at NRMA and acted as a volunteer himself for a number of charities and not for profits. He is also keen to explore new uses of technology to educate, engage and drive positive change in community attitudes towards people with spinal cord injury. He currently sites on the RTA’s Driver Reviver Committee and is a recipient of the Government of New South Wales medal for community service, is a Member of the Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers and an Associate of Automotive Engineers.

Brad will use his corporate knowledge and experience to strongly advocate for people with spinal cord injury so that they too can gain the independence and quality of life that others enjoy.

 

Michele Adair - Director

Michele has a passion for equity and social justice. An early career in marketing led to the establishment of a consulting business that specialised in business development and performance management. Although Michele’s clients included government departments, corporates and professional service firms, the community sector has always been her first priority.

After 19 years of consulting Michele made the transition to senior management positions at Mission Australia, The Smith Family, and Alzheimer’s Australia. She has been with NPS since 2009.

Joining the team at Spinal Cord Injuries Australia means Michele’s extensive program and community development experience will be focused on the needs – and rights – of people with spinal cord injuries. From service delivery to advocacy and policy development, evaluation and partnerships, Michele has professional and deep personal commitment to the Spinal Cord Injuries Australiavision and mission.

 

Richard Klinger - Director*

Joined the Board from 1997 – 2005 then from 2007. Richard was the Chairman of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (AQA) from 1998 – 2001; and was Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (AQA) President from 1999 – 2000; and a member of the Community housing Advisory Committee from 2000 – 2001. He is a member of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia's Governance and Finance Sub-Committee and a past director and Chairman of Collaroy Rehabilitation Monitoring Service (CRMS).

Richard’s background is in the civil construction engineering field and his present occupation is Managing Director of equibuilt, a Building Services Company.

 

* Denotes a person with a disability