The RDA - Northern Inland NSW Committee

The Regional Development Australia- Northern Inland Committee's main role through its strategic plan, is to assist with the development and strengthening of the communities within the region.

The communities vary in size from larger regional service centres, through to isolated rural districts with an associated scattered population.

This population pattern does mean there has to be a commitment by all organisations at all levels to adopt local solutions for service delivery, while being conscious of regional responsibilities and economies of scale through the many strategic plans which currently exist, or are under development by commonwealth, state, regional and local organisations.

In addition, many former services which were delivered by Government are now within the administration of the private sector.

One of the Committee's key roles is to assist with assessing the need for certain service delivery through consultation with communities, organisations, businesses and individuals.  This will be done through mechanisms set up under the plan to ensure, where possible, both limited financial and human resources are utilised in an efficient and effective way throughout the region.

A key aspect for the Committee is to take a leadership role in bringing together the vast array of organisations in the region which in many cases have been competing directly for the delivery of many of the services required by individuals and their communities. This will assist in the elimination of duplication and overlap and where a mutual regional boundary exists, adopt a strategy with the adjoining regional committee to assist with interests and issues surrounding the common boundary.

Committee Members

Our Committee Members are:

• Russell Stewart (Chair) - Narrabri Shire LGA
• James Pryor (Deputy Chair) - Armidale Regional LGA
• Charlotte Hoddle - Gunnedah Shire LGA
• David Crough - Tamworth Regional LGA
• Fiona Barden - Walcha LGA
• Les Knox - Narrabri Shire LGA
• Melanie Squires - Inverell Shire LGA
• Murray Amos - Moree Plains Shire LGA

Russell Stewart - Chair

Narrabri
(Narrabri Shire LGA)

Russell was born and raised in Bellata near Narrabri and is the son of a Soldier Settler. He is a self-employed consultant and businessman after many years in Local Government. Russell is a passionate advocate of training and employment pathways that retain our young people in the region and is committed to the economic development of the 12 Local Government Areas in Northern Inland.

Russell has extensive experience across all three levels of government as well as the private sector. He is currently the President of the Narrabri & District Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Narrabri Coal Community Consultancy Committee and a member of the Narrabri Gas Community Consultancy Committee.

Russell lives in Narrabri with his wife Louise and is the proud father of two adult children, Thomas and Ashleigh, who remain in regional Australia working in their professional capacities.

Email: rstewart@rdani.org.au

James Pryor - Deputy Chair

Armidale
(Armidale Regional LGA)

James was born and bred in the Moree Plains of rural NSW with his career beginning in Electrical and Auto-Electrical trades, along with helping the family farm and harvesting. He completed his university studies at UNE, completing a Bachelor of Business & Bachelor of Economics with Honors whilst being 1 of 3 recipients of the coveted New England Award.

James is passionate about business and economic development with a strong background in mentoring and tutoring associated university units through the Economics, Business & Law School, UNE college system as Senior Academic Mentor for Wright College & Village, and with the UNE Oorala Centre helping indigenous students. Privately, James has been involved with UNE as an enumerator for research and lead a market analysis project during his undergraduate. In conjunction to this, he also held similar roles within UNE as Student support team, and College JCR Treasurer.

Outside of university, James was successful in the competitive PwC Summer Vacation Program for the Newcastle Branch with focus towards tax, audit and cloud services. James provided private consultancy services during his Honours year in the field of intensive horticulture for native plant species production.

Email: jpryor@rdani.org.au

Charlotte Hoddle

Gunnedah
(Gunnedah Shire LGA)

Charlotte is a highly motivated leader with a diverse background spanning both the public and private sectors in both Australia and overseas. With extensive experience in various industries, Charlotte brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for driving sustainable economic growth to regional NSW.

Currently managing her family farming business, Gunnible Pastoral Company, specialising in beef cattle and oranges, Charlotte oversees daily operations, including financial management, staff supervision, and overall business operations.

Prior to her current role, she held key positions at Gunnedah Shire Council, where she demonstrated her leadership abilities as Manager of Communications and Cultural Services and Manager of Economic Development. During her tenure, she led and managed various departments, implemented strategic plans, and fostered strong community engagement.

Charlotte's achievements include significant marketing and initiatives to promote investment in Gunnedah Shire, effective crisis communications management, successful delivery of key strategic projects, and securing substantial grant funding for the council.

Charlotte is excited about the opportunity to join the RDA Northern Inland committee to bring her skills and connections to contribute to the sustainable economic growth of our region.

Email: choddle@rdani.org.au

Fiona Barden

Walcha
(Walcha LGA)

Fiona is a passionate advocate for regional NSW, developing her career in business and economic development through owning and operating her own business, working with businesses in conjunction with Non-Government Organisations, and in Local and State government settings.

After a successful career managing economic development and destination marketing for the City of Coffs Harbour, Fiona and her artist husband moved to the New England area in 2023. Falling in love with the region, its natural beauty, artistic charm and myriad of opportunities, Fiona is excited to use her learned skills and experiences to work with both her local community of Walcha and the broader region, focused around business support and economic development. Her work experiences are matched with her academic skills in stakeholder management, financial planning, strategic planning and analysis, and innovation.

Email: fbarden@rdani.org.au

David Crough

Tamworth
(Tamworth Regional LGA)

David has extensive experience working across the region and is currently based in Tamworth. He is the nbn Local Manager for Hunter New England and has previously held regional leadership roles with Essential Energy and Telstra.

Passionate about regional growth, David brings business insights, engagement expertise, and a strong understanding of critical infrastructure in telecommunications and energy.

He is a member of the Business NSW New England North West Regional Advisory Council, a Director at Tamworth Community College, and has previously served as Director and Treasurer of the Tamworth Business Chamber.

David holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Commerce), and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He is committed to driving regional growth and fostering strong partnerships.

Email: dcrough@rdani.org.au

Les Knox

Narrabri
(Narrabri Shire LGA)

Les has a rich history of working with Indigenous peoples to increase community engagement. His experience includes work in the fields of employment, education, sports, and recreation for Federal, State and Territory Governments.

Key achievements in Les’ career include:

• Development of an Indigenous Employment Strategy and running a cross-cultural awareness training for staff with the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation. His work in this area led to seventeen Aboriginal people employed by the department, exceeding the KPI of two.
• Travelling to remote communities to deliver and promote NSW Department of Employment, Education and Training programs, including ASSPA, VEGAS and Abstudy.
• Coordinating and running sports development programs in remote communities throughout Central Australia for the NT Department of Sport and Recreation. Also, providing information to communities on available programs for developing sports activities. Through this role, he introduced soccer and cricket to all the communities in Central Australia, where neither were played previously.
• Development of Narrabri Shire Council’s Social Policy, Recreation Policy, and tourism initiatives as a Community Development Officer.
• Establishment of a business to help the unemployed obtain their driver's licence to increase job opportunities. This initiative was an overwhelming success, with 100% of participants achieving their driver’s licence.
• Creation of initiatives to develop a closer working relationship between Aboriginal people and the NSW Rural Fire Service as a Support Officer. He encouraged thirty-six Aboriginal people to become RFS volunteers across Moree, Gunnedah and Ballina through this role.

Les’ achievements and contribution to the community he has worked with have been recognised with a meeting with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, Former PM Bob Hawke and Australian cricketer Ian Chappell and by being a baton relay runner in Gunnedah for the Commonwealth Games.

Email: lknox@rdani.org.au

Melanie Squires

Inverell
(Inverell Shire LGA)

Melanie Squires was born and raised in Inverell, grounding her in the local communities, economy and challenges of the Northern Inland region. With a decade of experience in adult and vocational education, regional workforce development and community engagement, she now leads Community College Northern Inland as Chief Executive Officer. 

Melanie is driven by a strong belief in place-based development. She actively collaborates with local governments, industry stakeholders, training providers and community organisations to co-design initiatives that strengthen skills pathways, promote digital inclusion, and support local employment. She is particularly focused on ensuring that rural people have access to learning opportunities that let them live, learn and work locally without needing to relocate.

As a Committee Member of RDA Northern Inland, Melanie brings her frontline insight into education, workforce barriers and service delivery in remote areas. With her lived regional experience and sector expertise, she is a strong voice for inclusive growth in the Northern Inland.

Email: msquires@rdani.org.au

Murray Amos

Moree
(Moree Plains Shire LGA)

Murray has lived in Gunnedah, Armidale and is currently a long-term resident of Moree. Murray is an experienced development professional having worked for 20 years in planning, project management and community development within the New England /North West region of NSW. With formal qualifications in urban & regional planning and social development, Murray has successfully led initiatives that balance economic growth, infrastructure planning and community betterment. His expertise spans land development, flood risk management, statutory planning, and stakeholder engagement, underpinned by a strong commitment to improving regional communities.

Murray has delivered significant projects such as the Moree Special Activation Precinct (SAP) Land Development Strategy, the Moree Plains Local Housing Strategy and developed innovative frameworks for balancing developer incentives and sustainable utility funding. Murray has driven operational improvements, including a 40% reduction in development application processing times at Moree Plains Shire Council, and secured grant funding for housing initiatives. His leadership has extended to managing the delivery of Moree SAP Stage 1 infrastructure works and land development, and cultural projects such as the Mehi River Aboriginal Art Legacy Project.

Email: mamos@rdani.org.au