Our Patrons

Dr Sally Murphy – Author, poet and educator

Sally Murphy fell in love with books and poetry as a child, and decided that she would never stop reading and writing. She has managed to turn this love of the written word into a career as a children’s author, poet and academic.

With over 50 books published, including award winning verse novels Pearl Verses the World and Worse Things, Sally completed  Doctoral Studies in creative writing with her topic  being Belonging In and For Children’s Poetry. She also uses her love of children’s literature in her work at Curtin University, where she lecturers in literacy and education.

Having previously been a judge for the  Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards she is delighted to continue her connection by becoming a Patron.

www.sallymurphy.com.au

Heather Ewart – Journalist and presenter

Starting as a cadet at the ABC in 1977, Heather Ewart went on to become one of the national public broadcaster’s most accomplished presenters, most recently as host of Back Roads.

She broke down many barriers as a woman in the industry as one of the ABC’s first female foreign correspondents and one of few women reporting on federal politics in the 1980s during the Fraser and Hawke eras.

As a foreign correspondent based in London, Washington DC and then Brussels, Ewart covered major international news events including the first Gulf War, the Waco siege in Texas, the election of US President Bill Clinton, tensions in the Balkans and Europe’s transition to the euro in Europe. 

In Australia, she covered many federal election campaigns as Chief Political Correspondent for ABC radio news and current affairs, Political Editor, National Affairs Correspondent and fill-in host for 7.30 and presenter of World at Noon.

Ewart was co-executive producer and presenter on a three-part ABC TV documentary on the history of the National Party in 2014. It was the catalyst for Back Roads, which launched the following year. Born and raised in the country, Ewart’s ambition was to create a program that helped bridge the gap between the country and the city and showcase a slice of country life that she loved as a child growing up on a farm in central Victoria.

Ewart’s many other career highlights include winning the 2007 Gold Quill, the Melbourne Press Club’s top award, for coverage of melanoma victim Claire Oliver, who later died. Claire blamed her use of solariums and Ewart’s reports on 7.30 resulted in the changing of laws to ban solariums. Her other acclaimed work included her extensive coverage of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires for 7.30 in 2009.

She was on the Walkley Board and a judge of excellence in journalism for six years and authored best-selling book The Great Aussie Road Trip.

This year, Heather was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Melbourne Press Club. She is also on the board of the Mental Health Foundation of Australia.

The Honourable Mark Vaile – Whitehaven Coal Chair

As Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the National party from 2005 to 2007, Mark established an extensive network of contacts throughout Australia and East Asia, his focus at home was with regional Australia and particularly northern NSW. As one of Australia’s longest serving Trade Ministers from 1999 through until 2006 Mark lead negotiations resulting in Free Trade Agreements with the United States of America, Singapore and Thailand as well as launching negotiations with China, Japan and ASEAN.

Importantly, early in his ministerial career as Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Mark was instrumental in the establishment of the ARTC which operates the Hunter Valley rail network.

Mark brings significant experience as a company director having been chairman of Aston Resources and CBD Energy Limited, and is currently an independent director on boards of Virgin Australia Limited and Servcorp Limited which are listed on the ASX. Mark is also Director of Stamfordland Corp which is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange and a Director Trustee of HostPlus Superfund and Chairman of Palisade Regional Infrastructure Fund.