Click on any of the below names to view biographies.
Founding Patron
Board Members
The Board meets monthly to organise and oversee the Greatconnections programme.
One of the aims of Greatconnections is to keep overheads as low as possible.
Biographies
Lynne Landy
Lynne Landy, Founding Patron of Greatconnections, was born and educated in the U.K. Following six years working in the textile industry in New York as the Fashion/Fabric Coordinator for Eastman Chemical (the Fibres Division of Eastman Kodak), a job offer brought her to Australia and she promptly met and married her husband John and produced two children, Matthew and Alison, in rapid succession.
After a few years at home, Lynne switched hats and worked as a journalist, firstly for the Herald & Weekly Times, then with Home Beautiful magazine, and for ten years as Melbourne Editor for Australian Country Style magazine. When John was appointed as Governor of Victoria in 2000, Lynne resigned from her full time job to concentrate on being Wife of the Governor, an equally demanding role.
Their time at Government House behind them, new challenges beckon and it was the unusual overview of the community occasioned by recent experiences that was partly the reason that Lynne started the Greatconnections organisation.
"I don't believe in retirement', she says” Rather a change of direction. There is a huge need in the community for the gathered wisdom and business experience of older people - and it's vital to keep the brain cells moving as we get older."
Thus Greatconnections was born.
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Sandie de Wolf AM
Chief Executive Officer, Berry Street
Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Diploma of Social Studies, Master of Social Work, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, Fellow Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Sandie’s career in the child and family welfare field commenced in the early 1970’s with the Department of Human Services, where she worked as a case worker and then in senior positions in management and policy development.
In 1994, Sandie was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Berry Street, now the largest independent child and family welfare organisation in Victoria, providing services across the State, employing over 500 staff and with an annual turnover of over $34 million.
Currently, Sandie Chairs Families Australia, a national body set up to advise the Federal Government on family policy. She is a member of the Victorian Child Death Review Committee, the Victorian Government’s Children’s Council, the DHS/VCOSS Human Services Partnership Implementation Committee and Secretary of the Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia (CAFWAA).
In 2001, Sandie was awarded Life Membership of the Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria and the Vida Goldstein Award for Women in the Professions – Welfare. In 2004, Sandie was awarded a Harvard Club of Australia Fellowship to attend Harvard Business School in the US to undertake the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management course and in 2006 she became an accredited partnership broker through the Partnership Brokers Accreditation Scheme course in Canada.
In all her roles, Sandie has always demonstrated a strong commitment to working together and a passion for improving life opportunities and choices for children, young people and families.
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Des Bethke OAM
Des Bethke is the founder and Principal Consultant of Hunt & Hunt Consulting – a boutique consultancy that is well known for its high quality project management services. Des' distinguished career in the local government sector has spanned more than 30 years, including roles as an advisor to the Minister for Local Government, CEO of the City of Melbourne and Commissioner and Administrator of the City of Camberwell, following the sacking of the Council some years ago.
Through his consultancy, Des continues to play an important role in local government. His business interests are primarily centred on organisational changes in terms of processes, systems, structures, and enhancement of human resource capacities. He is also Chair of the Ringwood Transit City Community Reference Group and Chair of the State Sports Centre Trust Community Consultative Committee.
A former AFL footballer with South Melbourne, Des was born in a small rural town in western Victoria into a family of six. Des says that his early childhood instilled in him a true sense of community and the concept of self help and sharing. "It was a very rural upbringing and in those close-knit communities, there's an incredible closeness and teamwork – a commitment to helping other people out."
In 1996 Des was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to local government and the community.
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Stephen Hopley
Born in 1944 in Leeton NSW, Stephen has spent approximately 50% of his life in country Victoria and NSW.
Having initially trained as a Pharmacist, he converted to Financial Planning and in 1984 joined Macquarie Bank where he worked in the distribution of their Managed Investment products and was a technical expert in Financial Planning and Superannuation.
In 2002, he was technical adviser to the AICD in their submission to the Senate Select Committee on Superannuation and in 2003 he retired as a Division Director of Macquarie Bank’s Financial Services Group.
Stephen is a Life Member of the Apex Club of Stanhope and District (Vic) and has served on the Boards of many philanthropic organisations involving health, regional community and education issues. He served as a Board Member of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund (Melbourne) - (Largest United Way in Australia) - and is currently on the Board of Education Foundation Australia Pty Ltd.
His interests include travel within Australia and overseas, sport (currently in road cycling - especially long distant rides over 7 or more days at a time), and education. He is currently assisting a Physiotherapist build a Registered Training Organisation with a focus on ongoing Quality Control.
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Rosi Lever
Rosi Lever graduated from Melbourne University with a Diploma of Social Studies and a Bachelor of Social Work, working first in Aboriginal Affairs and moving then to Guys Hospital in London.
These experiences sparked a life long commitment to two particular interests; working with vulnerable children and with indigenous families and communities.
Returning to Melbourne, Rosi set up one of Victoria’s first Homemaker services in country Victoria, and was subsequently appointed to establish a range of state-wide programs including family support and women’s refuges.
She has worked in the Victorian Government Departments of Health, Labour and Community services.
Rosi was one of the first women in the Victorian public service to combine raising children with senior executive positions, and the challenges she experienced in the early 80’s, juggling a busy career with the care of two small children turned into an idea for a book, and then a business.
She has published two child care handbooks, a number of research studies, appeared on radio and TV as a social commentator, and run a successful Work/ Family consultancy.
Rosi was the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Children’s Protection Society from 1999-2005.
She is now Director of Just Ideas, a consultancy established to assist organizations to design, develop and introduce creative policy and service innovations.
She is currently on the Council of RMIT University, and has also been a board member of the Peter McCallum Hospital and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
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Rob Milne
Rob Milne is Chairman of Hooker Cockram Projects, and a board member of The Macfarlane Burnet Institute. He was born in Melbourne, educated at Wesley and Melbourne University, is married to Roz, and has a son and daughter, both of whom live in Melbourne. He was formerly President of The Athenaeum Club and is an honorary advisor to The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. When not involved in any of the above he indulges his passions for travel, golf and skiing.
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Kimina Lyall
Kimina Lyall is currently the Group Executive for Corporate Development at Australian Unity and is responsible for group strategy, public affairs, corporate communications, group marketing, sponsorships and community engagement. As Australian Unity is a company with business operations in healthcare, financial services, aged care and retirement living, this portfolio of responsibilities is designed to equip her with a strong mix of skills that she can volunteer with in the not for profit sector upon her retirement (which is hopefully not too many decades away!).
Before joining Australian Unity Kimina spent almost 15 years as a journalist, including a period as Southeast Asia correspondent for The Australian. Her experiences during that posting led to the publication of her first book, Out of the Blue - Facing the Tsunami. She is now a member of the not for profit Dart Foundation, which aims to support journalists who are exposed to trauma through their work.
Prior to her study and work as a journalist Kimina spent time in the community sector including working in youth housing and on policy issues concerning young women and care and protection issues. Kimina has also been involved in volunteering at several community radio stations in Melbourne.
Kimina is honoured to be part of GreatConnections and its growing army of great people!
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