TRCA boasts the services of a dedicated volunteer Board of Management who are very much aware of the community’s needs on all issues of quality
respite care. Furthermore, TRCA is fortunate to employ a committed and pro-active management
and coordination team.
Now we’d like you to meet them...
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Ann Aitken
Chairperson Board Of Management
As the TRCA Chairperson, Ann has maintained an active role within TRCA since the late 1990’s and draws her vast experiences in respite care from her nursing background, her own personal experiences with her children and from Mark, her teacher husband.
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Originally from Cooktown, Ann compliments her TRCA services with her equally demanding role as Director of Nursing at the Atherton Base Hospital and is currently progressing through a PhD to further enhance her many care giving talents within the nursing profession and TRCA.
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Board Vice-President – Leeandra Norman
We are very happy to announce and welcome Leeandra Norman to our Board of Management. Following the commencement of Diane Clarke as an employee and her resignation as a Board Member, Leeandra expressed her interest and was recently elected to the vacant Vice-President's position.
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Leeandra has a lot of experience in serving on non-profit Board of Management Committees and also brings with her the skills and experience developed as the mother of a child with a disability. Husband Scott, Leeandra, daughter Gaby and son Gareth are pictured to the right.
Leeandra is a Teacher and Chef and has agreed to assist with the creation of a Tableland Respite Care Recipe Book during 2012.
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James Gegg
Service Manager
Taking on the demanding role as TRCA’s Service Manager necessitates the need for James to draw on his vast experiences derived from a history in administration, sales, purchasing and management positions in both retail and wholesale industries, and more recently not-for-profit employment programs throughout our Northern districts. |
| James, his wife Jeanette and three children are North Queenslanders and James uses whatever non-working time he has to concentrate on his family whilst still enjoying a motorbike ride and camping trips with the family. James is also a volunteer member of the Atherton S.E.S and Barrine Masonic Lodge. |
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Diane Clark
Coordinator
Diane Clarke commenced her paid employment on Monday 12 th Dec 2011. Having been a board member of TRCA since May 2010, Diane is now focused on her Coordinator role in which her goal is to contribute to improving the lives of people with a disability.
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Born and raised in NSW, Diane has lived in North Qld for over 25 years with her Husband and two children. In 2008 Diane commenced as a Job co-ordinator with a local Disability Employment Service. Here she strived for people with a disability to be included in their community, through employment. |
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John Klye
TRCA Secretary
John’s role as the TRCA secretary commenced in 2002 after working in an administrative role with the Australian Army’s transport division. On retiring from the army John, Kathy and their family chose Malanda as their new home and quickly established their current IT operation in the community providing valuable assistance along with sales of computer equipment. |
| Both John and Kathy desired to give something back to the community and it was the invitation to the board of TRCA which gave John the opportunity to help where needed. |
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Ursula Valverde-Neff
TRCA Treasurer
Ursula, originally a social worker from Switzerland, has been a Tableland’s resident since 2004 where she lives with her family at their crayfish farm. Ursula has a strong background in financial matters and is currently the treasurer for TRCA as well as a board member. Ursula also divides her responsibilities by working part time as a community visitor for the Commission of Children, Young People and Child Guardian.
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| Ursula opted to become an integral part of TRCA after previously working on site as a support worker and seeing firsthand how TRCA is both an innovative and caring organisation. |
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Renate Pramstaller
Coordinator
Renate was born in Vienna and is a coordinator with the TRCA team and values the support TRCA give to families. Knowing that life is a challenge for everybody Renate uses her experience to change the challenge into success and put smiles back on people’s faces.
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| Renate worked in various positions in the field of Advertising for more than 18 years before moving to Australia in 1995 for a sea change where she found her calling at TRCA. Renate attributes the success of TRCA and her continuance in this important work to the team’s dedication and fluency in helping other people. |
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Debbie Lowrie
Coordinator
Debbie is a local North Queenslander who is originally from Townsville and is committed to working with people living with a disability and their families, working towards a future where people with a disability have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life in their community. Debbie, originally started her career as a nurse, moving to the disability field in 1985 where she took on many different roles, such as assisting people living with a disability to pursue their interest in sports and recreation.
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Debbie has experience working with indigenous people with a disability on Palm Island, assisting them to learn and develop skills that were particular to their Island Life such as wheelchair accessible boat fishing trips and didgeridoo workshops
Debbie’s role at TRCA is to coordinate the Respite for Older Parent Carer Program which is a vital respite service that helps families plan for the future. This move has been a progressive and enlightening step for Debbie who has met many wonderful and inspiring people including people living with a disability, their families and others working in the disability field. At the forefront of Debbie’s mind is the will to always work hard to make a difference in other people’s lives and to help people with a disability live a quality life and for all to recognise that they are valued members of the community. |
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Mark Aitken
FLEXI Coordinator
Born and raised in Cairns, Mark has always had his heart in the tropics. He left Cairns to study teaching in Brisbane and has taught throughout the State and was appointed as Deputy Principal in Cooktown the same year his wife Ann and he welcomed their first child, Toby.
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Toby and his twin brother Luke were born premature, and as a result Toby is blind and lives with other disabilities. Mark and Ann also have two young daughters, Mellory and Amelia. The family moved to the Atherton Tablelands in 1994 enabling Toby to attend the Special Education Units in Atherton. Mark served as an administrator in most schools across the Tablelands and is now looking forward to a new direction with TRCA as the Coordinator for Flexi Respite Care.
Toby has been a service user of the flexi care service for most of the time the family has been on the Tablelands and it is this experience that Mark will bring to his new role. Striving for effective service delivery to enable families to have quality ‘time out' will be at the centre of his focus.
When asked about his interests, Mark said that although he and his wife Ann initially resisted the cries of “we want a horsie” from Mellory and Amelia, he has since joined their equine pursuits and has become a riding member of the local pony club and currently serving as Club President.
Toby has also been introduced to riding through Riding for the Disabled Association and enjoys the smell and touch of the horses at home as well. |
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Monica Garland
Service User Representative
Originally from South East Queensland, Monica relocated to the Tablelands with her family in 2002 where she completed her schooling at Atherton State High School.
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Growing up as a youth who also lives with a disability, Monica enjoyed the services and support on offer from TRCA and once she graduated high school was invited to join the board as a service user representative. This role enables Monica to speak with perspective for other service users who may not be able to do so themselves.
Monica is cognisant with the information technology industry and enjoys working with people and teaching them vital skills with the attitude that people living with a disability can achieve great things and live fulfilling lives.
Flexi Coordinator
Our Flexi Program Coordinator has been with the TRCA family for more than 2 years, and is an integral part of the organisation. With a resume that predominantly features working with children, families, and people that live with a disability, she has brought a wealth of knowledge to the TRCA family.
This Coordinator feels fortunate to be in a position where she can support the needs of others and, drawing on her history in the field, can further help the growth of the support umbrella at TRCA.
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Elizabeth Saunders
Board Member
Elizabeth, known to most people as “Betty”, has been on the Board of Management for a number of years. Betty has three children, one of whom, Andy, lives with a disability. Andy’s wellbeing and future is the reason Betty is so committed to TRCA. Betty and her husband were among the first families who helped get the original operations of Bethany off the ground in Atherton.
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Betty worked as a nurse until ending her career in 1996 to look after Andy fulltime, and her husband Len, whose health was beginning to fail. Len passed away in 1999.
Today Betty continues to care for Andy and in addition to her Board membership at TRCA is also active in the local community in other ways (including making the BEST Peppermint Slice you can imagine for local SES members!). |
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