Management Committee

PATRON

Dorothy Hoddinott AO

Dorothy Hoddinott was principal of Holroyd High School 1995-2018, where one in every two students had been in Australia less than three years and some 60% of all students were of refugee background. She has long been a strong advocate for the human rights of children and young people, particularly young refugees and asylum seekers. Dorothy was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008 and was the 2014 Australian Human Rights Medalist. She was a Fellow of Senate of the University of Sydney 2010-2017 and has been a Pro-Chancellor of the University since 2015.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Kathie Herbert

Chairperson

Kathie is is a life long social justice activist and advocate with broad networks Australia wide. She has been involved in grass roots campaigns organising against the Vietnam War, Nuclear Disarmament, Climate Change Action, Aboriginal Rights, Anti- Apartheid Movement ,conservation and environmental protection, Public Education and Women’s Liberation among others and a member of many organisations fighting for social change, including The Moratorium Movement, Student Underground, NSW Parents and Citizens Federation, Search Foundation, The Greens, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Rural Australians for Refugees.

Judy Lynch

Deputy Chairperson

Member of Community Visitors Sub Committee

Member of Finance Committee

Now retired, Judy Lynch worked for many years in the electorate offices of both Federal and State Members of Parliament. As well, she has extensive experience as a high school English teacher.

In her work for local politicians, Judy was required to liaise with and coordinate action between government departments, community groups and constituents. Developing strong working relationships with local organisations was a key feature of her role.

Laurie Brackenreg

Treasurer

Laurie has a lifetime experience of financial management in large corporate companies in the Electronics, Food and Printing industries, thence non profit charities including HopeStreet Kings Cross (7 years) , voluntary organisations including state treasurer for Girls Brigade NSW and finance manager and board member of the Sydney Street Choir. He has a strong commitment to social justice and his family has developed strong connections to a refugee who visits for holiday breaks through the Home Among the Gum Trees project.

Bachelor of Business -Accounting 1979.

Jane McQueen

Secretary

Jane has over 35 years experience in health and community sectors of government and non-government agencies.

She has held a number of management, operational and capacity-building roles in community health, women’s health and indigenous health. Jane has been involved in inter-professional, clinical supervision and communication training for health staff, and has taught undergraduate and masters social work courses at university, and community services at TAFE.

Eva Trcka

Assistant Treasurer

Eva has lived in Australia for two decades having grown up in Canada after immigrating from the Czech Republic.   She understands the need for compassion and connection.   Eva’s background is accounting, she has more than twenty years working in this area.   She has also trained as a teacher’s aide and ran a taxi business in the mountains.

Roger Grealy 

Committee member

Coordinates Cars for Refugees program

Event Co-ordinator 

Roger has been a high school science teacher, an organiser of fund raisers for various causes,
an environmental advocate and a  trade union activist.
He has been involved in election campaigns for forty plus years as an independent for local ,
state and federal elections.
He has been a visitor to refugees in Villawood Detention Centre and to refugees living in the
community since 2013

Julie Martin

Committee Member

Julie has lived on Dharug and Gundungurra country in the Blue Mountains for more than 25 years. Originally trained as a clinical psychologist she worked for many years with NSW Health. In that position she undertook public health research with a focus on Sydney’s culturally diverse western suburbs. Widely travelled, Julie thrives on cultural diversity. She is a committed feminist and has served on the Board of the Blue Mountains Womens’ Health and Resource Centre for some years. Julie has a particular interest in the impact of trauma on people’s lives and human resilience in the face of adversity. She is active in resourcing the work of BMRSG community Visitors in supporting refugees. As well she brings to her role, sound knowledge of governance requirements in regard to operating a charity.

Zac Quinn

Committee Member 

Zac is the founder and co-owner of RoseyRavelston Books, a social enterprise bookshop giving 50% of profits to charities supporting refugees & asylum seekers, based in Hazelbrook. He is also a founding board member and former Treasurer of refugee charity Amiculus: The Humble Friend Project and previously worked in the finance industry for 10 years and as a Coffee Buyer for Australian specialty coffee roasters for 5 years.

In early 2013, Zac spent six months working on Manus Island, PNG as a Support Worker & Project Manager, helping people indefinitely locked up without charge within the Australian Government-operated Offshore Detention Centre.
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Senthilpavai Kasiannan

Committee Member

Finance sub-committee

Senthil works in Public Service in the Blue Mountains. Since moving to Sydney, she was briefly exposed to refugee issues while helping translate subtitles for the Refugee Film Festival.

She works primarily in the area of Cultural Heritage Management. She has worked in advocacy for cultural heritage in India.

Since living in the Blue Mountains, she has been a member of BMRSG, actively participating in visiting refugees and people seeking asylum using her language skills

Barbara Barnard

Committee Member

Barbara has worked with migrants and refugees for over 30 years, initially teaching English and later in management roles in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Program. She ran a consultancy company for 8 years, specialising in developing training resources for a variety of industries and writing tenders/submissions. 

Barbara is keenly aware of the barriers faced by refugees, particularly those related to language, education and employment. Read More

Jill Gillespie

Committee Member

Jill Gillespie has worked in a range of education and social support programs since her arrival in Australia in the late 70s.

While working in adult literacy education, she was Secretary and then Chair of the NSW Adult Literacy Council (as it was known at the time), NSW rep on the executive of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy and was a founding member of the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Action Coalition. She was the Coordinator of the Adult Literacy Information Office from 1988 until 1992, which included International Literacy Year activities in 1990. Read More

Pat Rayner

Social Media Coordinator

Committee Member

Pat has set up and managed social media platforms for a number of community social justice groups for over 20 years.  She has been involved with BMRSG for over 15 years and has a wide knowledge of refugee issues across the sector and at the local level.   Pat has attended a number of Conferences and has a broad network of people who work in peak bodies and in community groups.

Dr. Hal Ginges

Public Officer

Solicitor and Barrister Dr Ginges is a criminal defence lawyer who has devoted many years to defending and representing people who are often on the margins of society.

He is the Principal Lawyer in a respected local legal firm.

He cannot abide cruelty to animals or humans and is passionate about advocating for just and compassionate treatment of refugees and prisoners.

Member of the Law Society of NSW
B.A. (Hons) M.A. LIB. (Crim Law) PhD