Participants
Peter Buckler
Peter is the Manager of the Reconnect and Step-Up Programs at Colony 47 in Hobart. He is passionate about identifying and responding to contemporary issues and developing early intervention service responses specific to the local community context through evidence based practice. This is complemented by his love of creativity, uniqueness, diversity and innovation. Peter parallels a Strengths Based Approach to his leadership role which is solution focused and person centered.
Rosemary Cann
Rosemary Cann is a pākehā actor, writer, and musician. She has toured professionally in children’s shows and has participated in numerous writing residencies. She was a recipient of a 2023 Arts Tasmania Artist Residency, the 2022 recipient of the Erin Thomas Playwriting Fund and the Salamanca Arts Centre 2023 Emergence Program. Rosemary works at the Theatre Royal as Project Manager: Creative Learning and Participation, providing an opportunity to contribute to her priorities; new local work, accessible theatre, championing young people and education through the arts.
Michael Casey
Michael is a passionate community member, who has been volunteering in his community for over 10 years. He works with a variety of community organisations and groups, in the hopes of building a better future for all in his community. You will regularly find him doing various roles, following his mantra of see a need fill a need.
Natasha Cox
Natasha joined the community services sector in 2020, and has identified that supporting young people is her passion. Natasha believes that all young people have the right to be safe, supported and safely and affordably housed to ensure they are on the right track to a happy, healthy and exciting pathway to adulthood. Natasha believes in the capabilities and strengths of young people.
Jannah Digby
Jannah is the North West Manager at KEEN Partners, where she excels in leadership, mentoring and team development. She plays a key role in connecting local West Coast residents with mining opportunities, supporting them in trade qualifications. Jannah also collaborates on succession planning initiatives with local schools and has been instrumental in establishing KEEN Partners' presence on the North West Coast. She has a natural talent for supporting and empowering individuals to attain their career and training objectives.
Daniela Dorney
Daniela is a proud committee member of Wood Craft Guild Tasmania where she serves as their newsletter editor. Daniela is a mental health occupational therapist and arts therapist with a focus on providing humanistic therapy for trauma survivors. She has been working for the Tasmanian Department of Health for the past 4 years and is currently helping people in acute suicidal distress at Peacock House in Hobart. Daniela has just opened her own online private practice and hopes to bring arts therapy to the greater community.
Ruby Finlen
Ruby is an accomplished fundraising and project management professional with a global perspective. With over nine years of experience working for non-profit organisations, she thrives in a setting where she can connect organisations, individuals, projects, and partners with each other and with the resources they need to achieve their ambitious goals. Now living in Tasmania, Ruby works at the Hobart Women's Shelter, in a role that she loves, and is focused on securing funding for the development of housing for women and children.
Eric Gooi
Eric currently serves as the Co-Vice Chair and Secretary of Thrive Group Tasmania Inc, a Tasmanian NFP organisation dedicated to nurturing families and strengthening Tasmanian communities through the delivery of high-quality education and care services for children aged 0 to 13. Passionate about empowerment and promoting diversity and inclusion, Eric drives positive change through collaborative efforts. His leadership narrative is rooted in a profound dedication to service, fostering meaningful connections and inspiring others to realise their full potential.
Georgia Hardy
Georgia is a passionate advocate for the health and wellbeing of Tasmania's most vulnerable young people. Believing young people should feel empowered in their choices, Georgia supports them to achieve this through offering practical support, knowledge and advice through her positions as Youth Health Fund Manager and Youth Health Worker at The Link Youth Health Service. Beyond work, Georgia enjoys spending time with her family and is mother to two beautiful children.
Kerryn James
As Assistant Manager at Warrane Mornington Neighbourhood Centre, Kerryn is passionate about connecting people to their community and fostering a sense of belonging for all who access the neighbourhood house. She is committed to working with the community to ensure their voices are heard, valued, and supported. A social worker by qualification, Kerryn is a strong advocate for community wellbeing, resilience, and empowerment.
Joanna Jolly
Whoever said “never judge a book by its cover”, must’ve had Joanna in mind. Joanna is a passionate community advocate, an author of children’s books, published poet, SES volunteer, and transformational coach. A lived experience advocate, Jo recognises the pain in silence – she now uses her understanding to support others in their journey.
Ann Lehmann-Kuit
Ann Lehmann-Kuit is a registered music therapist, event coordinator, musician, lecturer and mum. For 16 years Ann has coordinated KidsFest Shellharbour, a week-long free childrens festival in NSW. Ann moved to Tassie in 2023, and is building a strawbale passive solar house and sauna in Fingal. Ann is passionate about giving people of all ages opportunities to ignite their expressive confidence and connect through music making and community.
Mieke Matimba
Mieke is a solicitor at Hobart Community Legal Service and works across different practice areas including criminal, civil and employment law. Mieke is concerned by growing inequality in our community and how trauma, education, underemployment and housing insecurity impact social mobility and people’s experiences interacting with the legal system. Mieke is interested in strengthening the social safety net, so the basic needs of all Tasmanians are promised into the future.
Elizabeth Nye
Liz works in Community Services at West Tamar Council, where her passion lies in nurturing connections between community, service providers, and organisations. Through her efforts in developing projects, organising events, and facilitating activities, she aims to foster social bonds and empower the local community. She enjoys strengthening the community's capacity by collaborating with various groups to explore opportunities and enhance the relationship between the community and the council.
Geraldine O'Connor
Following a long career in Local Government, Geraldine moved to the Centre for Local Government at UTS in Sydney. Here she worked as the course coordinator supporting local government staff to attain recognised qualifications that reflected their experience and knowledge. She is now applying her experience to the community sector participating in community organisations. She was the volunteer coordinator at the St Marys Tip Shop for three years and is currently secretary of the With One Voice BOD community choir and a volunteer at St Marys Online Centre.
Bree Piscitelli
Since 2020, Bree has dedicated herself to her role as an lymphoedema and laser therapist at the Tasmanian Lymphoedema and Laser Therapy Centre in St Mary's. She firmly believes in the correlation between vibrant communities and individual well-being. With a keen interest in innovative and progressive perspectives, psychology, wellness, and expressive arts, Bree demonstrates a profound passion for health and diversity, reflecting her broad range of personal interests.
Jayla Sainty
Jayla is a passionate about promoting the bond between animals and people, and in protecting this bond. She is an advocate for people with companion animals experiencing hardship, and in advocating for improvements and change within the community and health services to better support people with companion animals. Jayla is also a proud Palawa women and is passionate about supporting young people in connecting to culture and land.
Sushant Sedhai
Sushant is from Nepal and has been living in Australia for more than eight years. He has been working in the community sector for more than four years, with a focus on working with young people and mentoring them. Currently, he works for Glenorchy City Council in community development. Sushant loves to work with residents, community groups and organisations to build a connected, healthy and safe community.
Catherine Watson
Catherine is a mum of 5 who loves raising her children. Her other life passion is working with the community. She has had varied jobs and roles over her lifetime before settling into community development. This journey started in a volunteer role at a local community house which developed through mentoring and training to an adminsration/project officer position. Catherine aspires to continual learning, growing and evolving to benefit herself and her community.
Emma Wilson
Emma is a Creative Producer for film and television. She has worked in the Tasmanian screen sector since 2012, on commercials, short and feature films, TV and web series. Emma is passionate about mentoring and is excited to be volunteering with the Beacon Foundation and the Raise Foundation. She is currently in the process of setting up a not-for-profit organisation for Tasmanian creatives, to help create a pathway into the sector.
Sandra Woods
As an Administrative Assistant at Tasman Council, Sandra is deeply entrenched in the heartbeat of the Tasman community. With a passion for fostering unity and connection, Sandra strives to bridge gaps and cultivate lasting relationships that pave the way for a future defined by success and prosperity. In every interaction and undertaking, Sandra is guided by a vision of a vibrant and inclusive Tasman. She is honoured to play a role in shaping a brighter tomorrow for the community.