Committee Members

Mal Peters - Chair

Beef and Sheep Farming - Ashford

 

Mal operates a 13,500 acre beef and sheep property near Ashford in northern NSW.

He is currently a director of the Rural Assistance Authority, Agricultural Health Australia and the Border Rivers/Gwydir catchment management Authority.

He is a life member of the Australian Farm Institute and NSW Farmers Association of which he is a former President.

He is a member of the agricultural Ministers advisory council

He is a former director of the National Farmers Federation

In 2007 he was a member of an expert panel dedicated to look at the impacts of drought on farmers and rural communities for the Department of agriculture and fisheries Australian Government.

He conducted an inquiry into Hurlstone agriculture high school for the Department of Education and training state Government in 2008.

He is currently chairing a ministerial oversight committee conducting a study into the impacts of mining and gas production in the Namoi catchment for NSW Industry and investment Minerals division

He writes a monthly column for the Land newspaper

Mal is a passionate defender of rural Australia working to grow opportunities while retaining the current services and way of life

 

mpeters@rdani.org.au

Herman Beyersdorf - Deputy Chair

Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of New England and Councillor of Armidale Dumaresq Council - Armidale

 

Dr Herman Beyersdorf has a BA Honours and PhD from UNE, and was a member of the academic staff from 1977 to 2008 (Associate Professor of German). He was President of the UNE Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) from 1992-2002, and an elected academic staff member on the University Council from 1993-1996 and 2000-2008. He was Head of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics from 2004-2007.

 

Herman has been a Councillor on Armidale Dumaresq Council continuously since 1991, and has served on many committees, including being currently the Chair of Council’s Economic Development Committee. Herman is also on the Board of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) and on the Board of Arts North West.

 

Herman was appointed as Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia – Northern Inland in June 2010.

 

He is married and has four children.

 

hbeyersdorf@rdani.org.au

Charles McCarthy

Self employed Accountancy and management consultant - Tamworth

A fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants, an associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and an associate fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

cmccarthy@rdani.org.au

Colleen Fuller

Councillor on Gunnedah Shire Council - Gunnedah

 

Councillor Colleen Fuller was elected to Gunnedah Shire Council in March 2004 and was elected as Deputy Mayor in 2008. Cr Fuller serves on a number of Council Committees: Environment and Development (Chair), Crime Prevention (Chair), Finance Committee, Australia Day, as well as Council’s delegate for the Association of Mining Related Councils (Executive Member). Councillor Fuller was recently appointed as the ALGWA Country Vice President and was 2010 Women of the Year Top Ten Finalist.

 

Councillor Fuller holds the position of Chair of the Namoi Community Conservation Advisory Committee, Chair of Namoi Local Government Group, member of the new Joint Ministerial Advisory Council of Local Government for Women (JMAC), Year of Women in Local Government (YoWiLG) Project Steering Committee member, Northern Inland Regional Development (NIRD) member and New England Regional Advisory Council member.

 

Councillor Fuller's commitment to the welfare of Gunnedah and its residents is demonstrated by her contribution to Committees such as the Children Crime Commission, Gunnedah Mental Health Suicide Prevention Committee, Gunnedah Rural Fire Brigade, President of the Grandparent Committee, Meals on Wheels (Chair), Justice of the Peace, Day View Club member, Village Homes Committee, Challenge Disability Services member, National President of the Miners Support Group Australia, local President of Gunnedah Miners Support Group, Gunnedah Hospital Advisory Board (Chair), Namoi Conservation Consultative Committee (Chair), Northern Inland Regional Development Board member, Domestic Violence (Chair), Child Protection Committee, Gunnedah Zonta Club President and Gunnedah Retired Mine Workers member.

 

"Its important to me that our local environment is protected and above all that our local water supply and quality is secured”. Councillor Fuller also supports children youth issues including Kids with Cancer and Camp Quality. “I am very passionate about being able to help those that are less fortunate in our community to live happier and healthier lives”. I have great love for our older people and they should be looked after loved and cared for – no one should be alone with all the services Gunnedah is able to provide. We are a very lucky town to have such a great Community Services.

cfuller@rdani.org.au

Heather Ranclaud

Community Services Officer and Commercial Beef and Egg Farming - Willow Tree
 

Heather operates a mixed farm with her family at Willow Tree producing commercial beef cattle and eggs. In addition to agricultural production, Heather has an interest in environmental issues and renewable energy.

 

She has qualifications including a Bachelor of Nursing Degree, Certificate IV in Youth Work and a
Rural Entrepreneurship Certificate (Orange Campus of Sydney University). Working part-time as a community services officer in local government provides her with an opportunity to engage with a range of community groups and implement community development initiatives. Current membership includes Upper Mooki Landcare, Northern Inland Council for the Environment, Liverpool Plains Shire Council Friends of the Royal Theatre and Sister City Committees.

 

Heather has previous experience as a Board member of the Namoi CMA and Northern Inland Regional Development Board.

hranclaud@rdani.org.au

John Christensen

Inverell

jchristensen@rdani.org.au

Meryl Dillon

Partner, KP & ML Dillon - Moree

Deputy Chair, Ministerial Advisory Council on Regional Development, Mrs Dillon currently holds positions with a variety of other community organisations, including the Northern Plains Advisory Committee of NPWS and the Moree Family Day Care Service Inc.

mdillon@rdani.org.au

Les Parsons

Managing Director, Arlington Pty Ltd - Inverell

Mr Parsons owns and operates Olives of Beaulieu and is a Director of Gwydir Olives Pty Ltd. He has 15 years experience in tourism development in NSW and served as Chairman of several tourism organisations. He was the Chairman of the Inverell Regional Business Enterprise for 8 years and is the Chairman of the Enterprise Resource Investment Centre, Inverell, a project management group.

lparsons@rdani.org.au

Mary Hollingworth

Beef Cattle Farming at "Woolamba" - Deepwater

Married for 28 years and mother to three adult children who have all been university graduates and now pursuing their indiviual careers. The family has a beef cattle enterprise involving all the family.

Neil Argent

Associate Professor in Geography, University of New England - Armidale

Dr Neil Argent is Associate Professor in Geography in the Division of Geography and Planning at the University of New England, Armidale. Prior to joining the Division in 1996, Neil worked as a self-employed grazier and shearer in South Australia.

He has stayed somewhat true to these roots in his academic work, researching and teaching in the fields of regional development and rural social, economic and demographic change. He is currently working on three closely related projects: the degree of economic and social interactions between farming units and their local towns and communities; the drivers of amenity-led in-migration into rural communties and its impacts on local socio-economic composition and planning systems; and the causes of rural youth out-migration and the potential for return migration amongst this cohort.

Through his active teaching and research roles within the New England Tablelands/North West Inland region, he has an excellent understanding of the many and various economic, social and environmental opportunities available within the region, as well as the potential and real threats to these future development opportunities. He has a detailed appreciation of the social, population and economic geography of the Tablelands, in addition to the key environmental factors which act as potential opportunities for, or constraints on, future balanced development.

nargent@rdani.org.au

Ray Tait

District Manager in the New England Sector of the Ambulance Service of New South Wales - Tamworth

 

Currently District Manager in the New England Sector of the Ambulance Service of New South Wales and a Support Paramedic with 36 years of service. Ambulance Rescue Officer for 28 years.

 

Flight Paramedic with the Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service.

 

Councillor on the Tamworth Regional Council since September 2008. Chair, Crime Prevention Committee, Chair, Waste Services Committee. Member, Liquor Licensing Committee.

 

Previous Councillor on Tamworth City Council 2000-2004.

rtait@rdani.org.au

Scott McLachlan

Director, Operations - Primary and Community Networks, Hunter New England Health - Tamworth

Scott McLachlan is Director, Operations - Primary and Community Networks, Hunter New England Health and is responsible for directing and managing the eight clusters across Hunter New England, which include 33 hospitals and MPS's, 62 community health services, area-wide Drug & Alcohol Service , Oral Health, Aged Care & Rehabilitation and involved in developing some of the Area Clinical Networks. Scott is based in Tamworth.

smclachlan@rdani.org.au