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Management Committee News

Friends of the Koala AGM

Friends of the Koala are pleased to announce the new management committee for this financial year who were appointed at the AGM held in December.

Thank you to everyone who attended in person and online! It was great to review and celebrate all the amazing things we achieved during the 2023-2024 financial year as a team.

Before we introduce our new Management Committee we would like to thank the outgoing Management Committee, whose members have worked incredibly hard throughout the year: Aliison Kelly (President), Rhonda James (Vice-President), Secretary (Vicky Meyer), Treasurer (Susannah Keogh), and general committee members Paul White, Ela Foster and Christine Hahn. Thank you so much!

Sadly there were some farewells but hopefully none of them will be strangers to Friends of the Koala! Lorraine Vass has stepped down from her position of Patron of Friends of the Koala after seven years, prior to that Lorraine served as President for fifteen years. We hope to stay in touch and she has promised she will be around. Lorraine has been instrumental in raising awareness about the challenges that koalas face and building Friends of the Koala to what it is today. She has worked tirelessly and we will miss her very much.

We also farewelled Aliison Kelly who is leaving the Management Committee after ten years, two of those in the role of President and prior to that she was the Vice President and Secretary. Aliison is especially proud of her time working with Ros Irwin on launching and coordinating the Regional Koala Group – a forum for organisations involved in koala conservation in the Northern Rivers. We will miss not only her passion for koalas but her kindness and support of fellow volunteers.

Farewell to Lorraine Vass as Patron and Aliison Kelly as President of FOK and our 2025 Vice-President: Rhonda James
Left to right – Rhonda James, Aliison Kelly and Lorraine Vass

Our AGM offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on our achievements, challenges, growth and learnings throughout the past year. If you haven’t yet done so, please read our Annual Report, it is a great way to learn more about all the different teams, people and projects at Friends of the Koala and the impact we have together.

We also acknowledged and, in some cases, awarded volunteers for their huge efforts in koala conservation. Congratulations to:

Maria Matthes on her Tree of Fame Award and;
Kim Lewis, Rhonda James, Aliison Kelly, Graham Jordan and Katrina Jeffery on becoming Honorary Life Members!

Special thanks to all of our incredible volunteers who are the heart and soul of the organisation!

Without further adieu, we invite you to welcome our new Management Committee and support our mission going forward into 2025!

  • President: Mark Ambrose
  • Vice-President: Rhonda James
  • Secretary: Vicki Meyer
  • Treasurer: Lielette Calleja

General Committee Members:

  • Lisa Castleman
  • Michael Cockerill
  • Ela Foster
  • Graeme Hawley
  • Susannah Keogh
  • Chloe Simpson
  • Roxanne Zybenko-Keane
Friends of the Koala 2025 Management Committee
From left to right: Ela Foster, Rhonda James, Lisa Castleman, Michael Cockerill, Graeme Hawley & Mark Ambrose

We would also like to congratulate our outgoing General Manager, Silva Everaers on the birth of her new baby – mum and baby are both doing well! Thank you to Silva for your leadership and dedication to Friends of the Koala. From grant writing and relationship building to hands-on efforts in growing the organisation, her contributions have been nothing short of remarkable.

Silva at the Friends of the Koala AGM
Graham Jordan and Silva Everaers

Whilst Silva is on maternity leave, we have a new General Manager Nina Ayalon. Nina joins us with over twenty years of experience as an operations, project and general manager and fifteen years experience as a wildlife rescue volunteer across five countries including Australia. She has also previously managed a wildlife rescue centre in Israel for eight years. We are excited to have Nina onboard and warmly welcome her to the team!

Left to right, Mark Ambrose President, Silva Everaers and Nina Ayalon

Please stay tuned for updates as we take on another year in koala conservation and if you would like to join our next AGM or take on a more active role why not become a member?

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