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The Mittagundi Council are a group of passionate volunteers, working to ensure that Mittagundi keeps on providing programs well into the future.
What we do
It's the Council's role to uphold the aims of Mittagundi. These are set out in Mittagundi's Constitution. The Council's major role is to employ the Director and take care of safety, fundraising, community events plus much more.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Opportunity to join the Mittagundi Council
Mittagundi is seeking expression of interest from people interested in joining it’s board (the Mittagundi Council).
The Council is seeking general board members and also people with particular skills in Fundraising and Governance.
A passion in Outdoor Education for young people is essential.
Please forward your expression of interest to Mike (Chair Person) chair@mittagundi.org.au for info.
Mike Heffernan
Chairperson
Joined Council: 2002
I first came into contact with Mittagundi as a young fella in 1986. 10 years later in 1996 I was a Co-Director for 3 years. What an incredible experience, that has changed my life for the better. After leaving Mittagundi as a Director I joined the Council somewhere between in 2002 and quickly became the Chair! I still couldn’t get enough of the place. Finally I decided that I should let someone else have a go and resigned the Chair role, however I am back again now! I have been an Outdoor Education teacher and worked for rafting companies, however now I am a MICA Paramedic living in Bairnsdale
Joe Seccull
Treasurer
Joined Council: 2015
Joe is a Partner at Perta Thomson Partners, an accounting practice with bases in Melbourne & Northern Victoria and is a qualified CPA. He is passionate about assisting with the growth and success of small to medium businesses and is also a lover of everything outdoors.
The combination of these two has bought him to this position and after being introduced to the organisation by a friend he agreed to take on the position of honorary treasurer and is looking forward to working with the rest of the council to steer the organisation into its next, and hopefully most successful yet, phase of operation.
Kevin McGennan
Kev started his teaching life at Traralgon High School in 1976 where he was first introduced to the wonders of the Victorian high country. This started a life of bushwalking and cross country skiing which still continues. In 1982 he arrived at Wangaratta High School, started teaching outdoor education in 1987, discovered Mittagundi and joined the council shortly after. He told his year 10’s that if they didn’t go to Mittagundi they would fail year 10 and be expelled from the school. The rest, as they say, is history.
Richard Alder
Councillor
Richard (Dick) Alder has been involved with Mittagundi since joining the staff for the first Summer courses that were run from Glen Valley in 1977/78, subsequently joining the Council in the 1980’s (nobody can remember exactly when). Dick has a background in public land management, forestry and firefighting and was Chair of the Council for a period during the 1990’s . He has always been keen on all sorts of outdoor activities and just enjoying the bush, having been introduced at an early age, mainly through the Scouting movement. He remains passionate about the role of the outdoors in educating, influencing and developing young people and increasing awareness about the environment and the need for environmental stewardship. He says his main role is now as Mittagundi’s corporate memory.
Formal qualifications : Dip.For.(Cres) B.For.Sc (Hons)(Melb)
David Evans
Dave turned up at Mittagundi one day knowing nothing about the place and applied for a job. He says it became the beginning of the rest of his life. Now a teacher of Outdoor Education in Geelong, with teenage children who are developing their own love for Mittagundi, Dave felt the time was right to become more involved again and joined the council early in 2024. Impressed with how Mittagundi has managed to negotiate significant social change in the community, Dave is committed to helping Mittagundi continue to flourish while still providing life-changing experiences for young people for generations to come.
David Jones
David has a love of the outdoors and engaging with young people in a variety of educational and outdoor activities and is fortunate to be able to combine this with his current role as Co-ordinator of Samoan Service Learning for the Anglican Schools Commission, a partnership with All Saints Anglican School, Apia, Samoa. David has worked at Cathedral College Wangaratta and Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop Campus near Mansfield. Were he has worked as the school chaplain and teacher of Geography & Outdoor Education. As well as this he has been involved in the pastoral care and student wellbeing. David has also taken students on several adventurous trips to the Himalayas in Nepal and has been involves and worked at Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre in 2022. He is married to Pam, and they have three adult children, six grandchildren, living in Bendigo with Jess the Border. They love travel, good coffee, and fine wines.
Aly Nichol
Aly Nichol began her Mittagundi journey in 2002 via Mittagundi festivals and so was very keen to be a young person in 2007-2009. This experience changed the way she understood respectful relationships, the natural environment and recreating in nature and helped guide her future. After completing an undergrad in park management, Aly returned to Mittagundi and was a leader in 2014.
Aly now lives in East Gippsland and has spent the last 10 years working in various natural resource management roles, as well as raising Hazel, running a business with Paul, and walking the dogs.
Jess Kruske
I first came across Mittagundi as a young person in 2005 and from the first moment I arrived, I adored the place and all the people that made it so special. I’ve been a passionate Outdoor Education teacher for a little over 10 years now, working in the Northern Territory (where I grew up), Victoria and even taking school groups to different countries overseas. But there’s one place I love the most and being so grateful for the path that Mittagundi help set me on, I hope I can begin to give back to the place that gave me so much.
Sue Chamberlain-Ward
Joined Council 2024
Sue was introduced to Mittagundi through a colleague, when Mittagundi was looking for a council member with expertise in HR and people management.
Sue is a skilled, experienced and passionate HR executive, having held many HR leadership and executive positions in both medium and large not-for-profit and commercial organisations. Sue is currently the Executive Manager of People & Culture for Gowrie Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation in the early childhood education and care sector. She loves working in an organisation contributing to the lives of young children, their families and the early childhood sector, so Mittagundi is a great fit for Sue as she can support our work making a difference to the lives of young people.
Sue is a keen trail runner and hiker, so enjoys being outdoors and in nature. Sue is looking forward to learning more about farming and environmental sustainability, and bringing her HR skills and expertise, as well as a fresh perspective to the work of Mittagundi.
Formal qualifications: B.Arts, B. Comm., GAICD
Anna Winneke
Although growing up on a cattle station just 2 valleys away, I wasn’t introduced to Mittagundi until into my uni years… the warmth of the place struck me instantly and I became a serial vollie throughout my 20’s. I gained an entire friendship network (and even a husband!) so you could say my life was shaped by the place!! Both of our kids have now been affected by Mittagundi’s magnetic pull, as young people, volunteers and 2023 staff!
After leaving secondary teaching some 20 years ago, Mat and I ran an earth building business with a focus on recycled materials, and now I am co-owner of a large salvage yard in Castlemaine offering plenty of owner-builder support. Suffice to say I’m fairly comfortable with old buildings!
Our whole family have enjoyed providing whatever service we can be over the years… and joining council is a natural extension of that for me!
Amos Fuller
My name is Amos Fuller otherwise known as Mossie. I first found MITTAGUNDI in 2006 as a young person. It carved the path of my life that I’m still on today. I volunteered many times before making my dream come true and becoming staff in 2018. After that I joined the council and became staff liaison!!
I later returned in 2022 for another 12months of staff and many more beautiful experiences.
These days you’ll find me in the home town of Wangaratta, always with one foot in the door at Mittagundi, my home away from home.
