BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Tony Frew

Tony Frew currently holds the position of Research and Policy Manager at The Centre for Volunteering.  He has several tertiary qualifications relevant to this position.  He also has extensive experience as a corporate professional and business owner of enterprises in the technology and manufacturing sectors.  He has held various honorary positions in the NFP and government sectors and is now a member of the Community Consultative Committee of the Insurance Council of Australia.

Vice Chair: Janine Cahill

Janine Cahill is a strategy and futures consultant with expertise in experiential leadership programs and innovative forms of learning. Her company Future Journeys develops Leadership, Futures and Innovation learning programs, futures events and games. She collaborates on projects in the innovation space where futures, business, art and technology converge. Janine is a Sydney-based innovation and foresight consultant with special expertise in developing experiential Innovation Leadership programs and working with deep forms of learning. She has worked in strategy, innovation, organisational change and leadership since 1988.

Treasurer: Mark Wigley

Mark is currently Project Development Manager with Regional Development Australia (RDA) – Sydney, an initiative of the NSW and Australian Governments to work in partnership with local governments to develop Australia’s regions.  Prior to that, Mark worked in the same position with GROW Sydney Area Consultative Committee, an organization with a similar role to RDA.  Mark worked as the Deputy Resident Representative for Norwegian People’s Aid in Tanzania from 1996 to 2006, responsible for projects such as refugee assistance and organizational capacity building.  Prior to this Mark worked with Oxfam Australia in establishing a primary health care program in a war-torn area in Southern Sudan. This program was initially funded through community fundraising and later by the Australian Government.

Living in the Blacktown area, Mark is also the Treasurer for the Parklea Public School P & C Association and Seven Hills Sporting Soccer Club.  With a wife and  two young children and all the extra-curricular activities this implies, Mark is a busy boy!

Secretary: Karen Craigie

Karen Craigie has worked across a broad range of commercial and not-for-profit sectors, both in Australia and the United Kingdom. She is an accomplished communications professional and draws on a diverse background of experience in the entertainment, travel, marketing, PR, environment and community service sectors. Karen has a strong commitment to welfare and human services. She is currently employed with the Child Abuse Prevention Service, works closely with Prosper Children's Villiage in Ghana, and is a Director on the Board of the Infants Home Child and Family Services. Karen has a Master of Communication, Bachelor of Management and Diploma of Community Services Coordination

Irena Liddell

Irena is currently the Executive Officer of the Northside Community Forum Inc. which is a regional peak organisation based in Northern Sydney. She has worked in the community sector for the past 26 years and has held a number of positions in a variety of organisations including the NSW Meals on Wheels Association, the Home Care Service of NSW, and the Northern Sydney Regional HACC Forum among others.  She is passionate about making sure that individuals have access to the information, tools and resources that they need to participate in their community.
Irena has a Degree in Community Management, two great adult children, a fussy cat and she loves to dance, sit in the sun and do crosswords and has been known to play drums (of the African type).

Tony Trimingham

Tony Trimingham started Family Drug Support after receiving many phone calls from families suffering the effects of illicit drugs after he went public about the death of his son Damien from a heroin drug overdose. He has been a counsellor and group leader for 20 years and these skills have helped him assist many families who suffer the impact on their lives of family members who use illicit drugs. In 1998 he was made a founding member of the Australian National Council on Drugs. The appointment was made by the then Prime Minister - Mr John Howard. On Australia Day 1999 he was awarded an Australian Day Medallion by the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia for outstanding achievement in the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm. The awards panel unanimously agreed that his personal commitment and hard work to support families of people with drug problems and to raise the profile of drug issues from a family perspective merited some measure of public acknowledgment of his exceptional achievements.

Marilyn Bourne

Marilyn is a local resident of the Blacktown LGA.  Having worked in senior positions with Australia Post for many years, Marilyn changed career to support people more and make a difference in their lives.  Through Marilyn’s Welfare studies at TAFE she connected with Bridges (then BADFS) in 2003 to undertake a major TAFE/Bridges schools project.  Marilyn went on to become a volunteer for Bridges Community Events, prior to becoming a Board member.

Marilyn is currently employed by St Saviour’s Intensive Support Services (OOHC) Metro West (Anglicare Canberra/ Goulburn) “Strength for Today, Hope for Tomorrow”.

In Marilyn’s own words: “Bridges visions and philosophies are supported by my own values and this is why I shall continue to be committed to Bridges.”

Andrew Perry

Andrew Perry has a passion for the technical and commercial aspects of online interactions, in addition to the legal.  He established the Internet consultancy MixedMedia Consulting in Hong Kong in 1998.

In 2005 he established legal.consult as an innovative law, technology and communications consultancy firm, working to help web innovators reach their full potential, help clients achieve success by leveraging their intellectual property, and develop legal.consult's own technologies to enable effective communication and to generate income online.

Andrew has a particular interest in and commitment to helping communities, whether industry associations, open source development communities, charities, political parties, church groups, educational institutions or corporate organisations, who want to effectively engage with their constituents and business partners.