2023 – 2024 Management Committee & Office Admin Support Team

2023-2024 Executive Committee

  • President – Frank Ondrus
  • Secretary – Kerry Kruger
  • Treasurer – Miriam Sharp

2023-2024 Office Admin Support Team

  • Ordinary members who fulfil administration support roles as:
    • Office Manager – Frank Ondrus
    • Newsletter Editor* – Nina Stick
    • Website Administrator* – Yaoyao Jiang
    • Media officer*  –  Jason Dingley
    • Membership Officer – (Office Manager)
    • Volunteer Coordinator* – (Office Manager)
    • Social Media Administrator* – Charmaine Turnbull
      • Facebook/LinkedIn* – Charmaine Turnbull 
      • Twitter/Instagram* – Liam Carroll
    • Admin assistants*(i.e., researchers, office assistants, etc.) – Anna Kula, Nisha Wajid, Cassandra Adofo-Kissi, Jigna Ghosh, Samy Leyton, Maggie Ng, Andrew Nicholson, Mazibar Rahman, Nadean Kelly and Amanda Ainley 

* – These positions can be undertaken remotely by phone and email communication.

 

Anna Kula-Kaczmarski

Researcher (QLD)

Anna moved to Queensland from New Zealand in April 2021 and started volunteering with HOPE in the same year. She has a medical background in Radiation Therapy with a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Health. Previously, Anna worked as an Advisor at the Ministry of Health of New Zealand and has volunteered for humanitarian not-for-profit groups on a casual basis.

Anna has always been keen on exploring her own ‘backyard’, first in NZ and now in Queensland. She is passionate about protecting the natural landscape and its inhabitants. In recent years Anna has worked on reducing her household’s carbon footprint, planting a bee, bird and butterfly friendly garden, conserving water by using tank rainwater, installing solar panels and learning more about local environmental issues.

Anna is currently a stay at home mother to her two children and is enjoying writing and learning about local environmental champions and their conservation efforts in Australia.

Frank Ondrus

President and Office Manager (QLD)

Frank first heard about Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc. in the early1990s and he was immediately drawn to its Charter of advancing ‘environmental stewardship’ on both a personal level and as a community.

Upon moving to Toowoomba, Qld in 1993, he set up a local branch of HOPE to share its philosophy and to encourage greater advocacy for sustainable living.

Over the next decade or so, Frank was able to spread the message of HOPE and Its Charter throughout Queensland – building a strong network of members and supporters.

In 2007, Frank and his local team took steps to formally establish HOPE nationally as an Incorporated Association. 15 years later, Frank is still passionate about safeguarding our environment and helping HOPE achieve its goals!

On a personal note, Frank’s leisure pursuits include listening to music, watching AFL footy matches, gardening, going for walks with his wife Mary; and RESTING, when time permits!

 

 

Jason Dingley

Media Officer (VIC)

Jason was originally from the UK and he moved to Australia in 2011. His background is in the biological and environmental sciences (BSc. Joint Honours Biochemistry and Marine Biology; MSc. Environmental Management).

Currently, Jason is working at Federation University in Berwick as a Facilities Officer and he is the President of the Lions Club of Pakenham (another community-based, volunteer organisation). At HOPE, he assists with media activities and writing newsletter articles.

Jason joined HOPE because he is very interested in environmental issues. He wanted to make a contribution towards environmental matters as well as develop skills and knowledge that could be of use elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

Kerry Kruger

Secretary

Kerry has been a member of HOPE for so many years she cannot recall when she joined. She usually fulfils the role of general helper. Currently Kerry is the Secretary, taking minutes at meetings and do whatever Frank asks of her. She has a fairly eclectic background in the education industry so she has a raft of skills that she can use for HOPE from helping to maintain the website, to compiling booklets and pamphlets, and creating art for small projects. And, of course, writing and editing letters, minutes, and other proposals. She is also adept at using Word, Excel, Acrobat, and programs like InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator etc.

Kerry enjoys being part of HOPE. She likes the central tenet of HOPE, which is think globally, act locally. It acknowledges that “the earth is what we all have in common, and that for each of us the link between the earth (or nature) and we human beings should not be broken. The environment is the one thing we all share.”

There is so little that individuals can do when it comes to the big ideas of “sustainability”, “environmental degradation” and so on. But she likes the idea that if she does all that she can in her little patch to be a faithful steward, she can help save this land for future generations. And she is optimistic. She believes that thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. The whole issue of climate change and global warming gives her hope because if it is the result of human activity, then it means humans can change the outcome. That probably means changing peoples’ mindset on many things and for Kerry, that is summed up by something she read about the proper use of science not being to conquer nature but to live in it.

Kerry is retired from the workforce now. She spent the best part of 40 years trying to work out what job she wanted to be when she grew up and it turns out the job, she likes best is being retired. But she likes helping people and that was the most consistent trait in all her varied jobs while working for the bank to pay off the mortgage.

When Kerry is not doing things for HOPE, she enjoys trying new recipes, improving on old ones, sipping red wines (any wines actually), re-reading loved books, watching World Movies, and gardening. Her favourite quote about the garden is from Audrey Hepburn: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

 

Callum Fisher

HOPE Researcher Qld

Callum was born in Brisbane and raised in rural Queensland for the majority of his life. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Criminology from the University of Queensland, as well as a Post-Graduate Degree in Public Policy from Queensland University of Technology. His background in policy, justice, and government allows him to engage in environmental issues from a policymaking perspective.

Callum had been engaged in local environmental activity through personal life in rural farming towns, witnessing the struggle between the agricultural industry and environmental practices. He is interested in the promotion of a circular economy, government intervention, and socially responsible labour.

Callum volunteers with a handful of other organisations including an independent school focused on holistic education and community values. He also writes independent research papers in the field of Australian policy and industrial relations