Lindy Hume - (Chair) Co-opt member
John Shumack - (Deputy Chair) Council delegate - Snowy River
Penny Bonnell - (Secretary/Public Officer) Co-opt member
Brad Spalding - (Treasurer) Co-opt member
Cr Liz Seckold - Council delegate - Bega Valley
Sue Haslingden - Council delegate - Bombala
Craig Mitchell - Council delegate - Cooma-Monaro
Fergus Thomson - Council delegate - Eurobodalla
Bettina Richter - Co-opt member
Catherine Andrews - Co-opt member
Lindy Hume
Lindy Hume is one of Australia's leading directors and artistic directors, acknowledged internationally for her diverse repertoire and for progressive artistic leadership of several Australian arts organisations. Her appointment in 2008 as Festival Director of Sydney Festival 2010-2012 follows her term as Artistic Director of Perth International Arts Festival from 2004 to 2007.
After leaving school at 15 to become a dancer, Lindy worked through a variety of roles from assistant director and choreographer to director. On completing a Graduate Diploma in Arts Administration at the University of South Australia she became the first Artistic Director of West Australian Opera from 1993 to 1996, moving on to lead the Victoria State Opera until the 1997 merger of the VSO and the (then) Australian Opera. She then became the Artistic Director of OzOpera, the Melbourne-based touring and development arm of Opera Australia, until 2001.
Lindy has created more than fifty major opera productions in Australia for companies including Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera and State Opera of South Australia, including
Batavia which won both the Helpmann and Green Room Awards for Best Production (Opera) and Best Director. Numerous international productions for companies including Houston Grand Opera, Theater St Gallen Switzerland, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Aldeburgh Festival, Music-theatre Transparant Belgium and Handel Festspiele Halle. Recent projects include Rigoletto for Houston Grand Opera and Fledermaus for Opera Australia.
Lindy Hume is a recent recipient of an Australia Council Theatre Board Fellowship, and in 2007 was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Western Australia in recognition of her contribution to the cultural life of Western Australia. She serves on the South East Arts Region board, the Australia Council’s Major Performing Arts Board, the Regional Arts NSW Board and is a member of the Global Foundation’s Advisory Council.
Bettina Richter
Bettina Richter is a freelance media specialist, event manager and producer and has worked in the media for over 10 years and has worked in all facets of the arts since she can remember. From 1998-2006 she worked at the ABC in Sydney as a producer and researcher working on documentaries, arts and factual programs including
Dynasties,
Compass,
Dimensions with George Negus and
Sunday Afternoon with Andrea Stretton. Bettina has also written, directed and produced radio documentaries for Radio National’s
Life Matters,
Hindsight and
Street Stories including 1 hour feature
An A-Z of My Grandmother and the 30 minute feature
Ocean Rd which featured her own compositions.
Bettina has a Masters in Writing (UTS) and has written for online arts journal Arts Hub and has written plays and screenplays. She has taught drama to young people at Marian St Theatre for Young People and given educational talks at various institutions. Bettina was the researcher and production manager on Bruce Petty’s AFI-winning documentary, Global Haywire. Bettina now directs 2 companies – Miss Bettina Media, which specialises in public relations, communications and event strategy in the arts; and Wish Bone Films – a film production company on the far south coast of NSW whose first film
AQUA tells the story of the Great Barrier Reef – the chronicle of a world in peril. In 2009
AQUA (Preview Edition) screened at Parliament House and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark.
Brad Spalding
Penny Bonnell
Penny Bonnell is a qualified and awarded arts manger with over 30 years experience in the development and management of a wide variety of arts organisations in both Australia and New Zealand. Since 2000, as a consultant operating her own business, PGB and Associates, her clients have included Gorman House Arts Centre, Muse Magazine and AIATSIS in Canberra and the Mika Haka Contemporary Pacific Dance Co and other arts organisations in New Zealand.
She was the founding Director of the Uxbridge Arts Centre in Auckland that has established a reputation for excellence over the past 30 years. The Centre offers classes in all art forms to all ages and has an extensive exhibition and concert program as well as, during her time there, a resident Children’s Theatre, Youth Theatre and Childcare Centre.
Penny is experienced in developing both the visual and performing arts. Her most recent achievements whilst on the SEAR staff, include spearheading the development of The Mechanics’ Institute, Moruya as the sole Council operated arts venue in Eurobodalla and the initiation of the ‘Going Public Program’ of exhibitions, performances and film. She contributed to the initiation of the ‘River of Art Festival, Moruya by introducing touring programs and artist and creative industry development workshops to the community based program. She also made a significant contribution to the development of the Basil Sellers Art Prize.
Skilled in Strategic Planning, Penny made a significant contribution to SEAR’s facilitation of the Eurobodalla Shire Cultural Plan that won the LGSA Cultural Award for the Best Local Government Cultural Plan NSW, 2007. She has extensive experience in working with local government, government agencies and funding bodies. She brings considerable skills in audience development, marketing and sponsorship development to her work in the arts.
The wide scope of Penny’s cultural development practice includes working with Maori, Pacific and other cultural groups as well as communities with special needs and in projects addressing social issues. She was contracted by NZ Race Relations Office to deliver “Our Face”, a theatre project aimed at addressing cultural differences within South Auckland High School students. Most recently she introduced Arts Access programs in Eurobodalla and managed a major exhibition by Aboriginal Artists for Eurobodalla Shire Council. Throughout her career Penny has worked with voluntary groups and has trained volunteers in policy development, strategic and business planning, marketing and sponsorship development.
Penny has represented contemporary visual artists in New Zealand, successfully selling their works in the Hong Kong and South East Asia Corporate Market and continues to advise individual artists in south east NSW. An experienced event manager, Penny has been responsible for numerous successful events e.g. Manukau City Council’s Millennium Event 2000 and Waderbirds NZ– Odyssey of the Wetlands – an international arts/science/ environment/education project.
Qualification: Arts Management Diploma, Auckland
Award: New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal for services to the arts and the community
Catherine Andrews
Catherine Andrews is Managing Director of a National Consulting company providing professional support services to the public sector. She has held this role for 5 years. Prior to managing her own company, Catherine had 30 years experience working at senior levels in recreation, culture and major events across the public sector and the tertiary sector.
Catherine’s experience has included;
• the establishment of philanthropic organisations in the arts, the
community and the tertiary sector (CAPO* GreaterGood* UC Foundation)
• Key roles in senior management for major events such as: the X11 Commonwealth Games, the National Festival of Australian Theatre, The World Cup Games, the National University Games, UC 20th Anniversary
• Ten years as Deputy General Manager for the Canberra Theatre Trust (Multi venue Performing Arts Centre)
• Five years as General Manager of a University Union with 200 staff and 6 business streams
• Four years as inaugural Executive Director of a University Foundation
• Key client roles for major constructions in the cultural sector and the University commercial sector
• Director and Board Member roles have included
- The ACT Arts Council - Musica Viva
- Canberra Symphony Orchestra
- Reid Residents Association (President)
- Capital Arts Patrons Organisation (Founding Board member) CAPO*
- World Cup Games 1985
- 1995 Australian University Games (Director)
- GreaterGood (Founding Committee and Board member), The Capital Region Community Organisation*
- The University of Canberra Foundation (Founding Executive Director)
- Canberra Arts Marketing
Catherine’s professional and personal interests and involvements are focussed around community development in the cultural sector, developing sustainable models for cultural activity, supporting and mentoring cultural practitioners, and enhancing the awareness of the importance of the public sector as a fundamental organisation for change and creativity in social structures. Catherine has studied Fine Arts at the ANU, holds an A.MUS.A, is a graduate and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has a Diploma in Government and is an accredited HR practitioner, MRSCA. Personal interests include: equestrian, cultural, travel, photography, business development, community development and philanthropy.
Liz Seckold
Liz Seckold has a background in teaching and has had along term interest in performance and alternative” films. She taught drama in secondary schools in ACT and NSW and was a keen member of an award winning amateur theatre for children in Canberra. Her specialist skills relate to education, training and research. As a councilor she is aware of political processes and advocacy.
Liz Seckold arrived in Australia as ‘ten pound Pom’ in 1955 aged 12 years. She has lived in the Bega Valley area for nearly 30 years and during this time taught at Bega High School for 25 years. Liz has five children/step-children who have all left home. Her youngest child Ellie is currently Australia’s Commonwealth Youth Representative.
Liz was appointed as the first Head Teacher Welfare in NSW. This entailed setting up welfare programs plus looking after the welfare of over 1000 adolescents, on top of her teaching load in English, History, French and Exploring Early Childhood (for senior students). She was awarded an Excellence Service Award NSW for ‘outstanding contribution to public education and training’ in 2004.
Liz ran the Student Representative Council for which she received the Regional Award of Leadership. She is currently on the following committees: South East Arts, Cultural Planning Committee, On Track, Bega Valley Suicide Prevention Action Network, South East Regional Academy of Sport.
Sue Haslingden
Sue Haslingden has joined the Board of South East Arts as a Councillor representing Bombala Council. Sue is newly elected to her Local Government position and is extremely delighted to have been nominated to represent her community on this Board.
Sue inherited her interest in the arts from a grandfather who was a war artist in WW1, a father who was passionate about photography as a young man and turned the family bathroom into a dark room and a brother who is a graphic designer excelling in illustration and screen printing designs from the Irish Book of Kells. During her school years, her art was included in regional tours and she topped her year in technical drawing. One career move included advertising; working as an sales executive. Her photography has brought its rewards, receiving the 'Faces of Agricutlure' award in a NSW Farmers competition.
Sue has been an Executive Councillor with NSW Farmers and represented members interests on the Conservation and Resource Management Committee as well as the Business, Economic and Trade Committee while being Chair or holding an Executive role with the Bombala/Delegate Branch/District Council of NSWF (ongoing). Landcare has also held a special interest and Sue held a position on the Executive of Snowy River Interstate Landcare for over ten years. These experiences have contributed to a recent Advanced Diploma in Agriculture Business.
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