From the President and CEO
Board of Directors
berry street victoria annual report 2006 page 5
we
never stop caring
BSV is most fortunate to have such a committed, expert and
professional Board.
The extraordinary and courageous women who founded Berry
Street Victoria in Melbourne in 1877 would probably have mixed
feelings about the society we live in today.
They would no doubt be proud to know that Berry Street has evolved so effectively that it is able to assist the 6,000 Victorian children,
young people and families who need our help each year, and they would welcome the fact that we work across metropolitan, regional
and rural Victoria.
However they would also no doubt be astounded and saddened by the fact that the incidence of child abuse and neglect in our
developed society continues to grow - in Victoria alone there were 38,000 such notifications last year - and they would be amazed by
and proud of the range of complex services which their foundling agency now provides to children and their families in their recovery
from the horrendous traumas associated with family violence, child abuse and neglect.
As this agency heads toward its 130th year of operation in 2007, we reflect constantly on the foresight of those founding women and
the people who supported them. We are continually reminded of the duty we bear as the current custodians of their vision and their
unstinting commitment to children and to the key principle which drove them, as it still drives us - that a child in need of our care is
never turned away, no matter how difficult the situation becomes.
Given the scale of our work in 2006, our 128th Annual Report can only provide a brief snapshot of what we do. We hope you enjoy it,
learn from it and hopefully are inspired by it.
But this document cannot fully reflect the courage, the commitment and the pure hard work put in by our 450 staff and 280 volunteer
foster carers - day after day after day.
Neither can it adequately recognise the devotion and expertise of our Board of Directors and expert advisers and their countless hours
of volunteered time. They know who they are, and we thank them all most sincerely.
And neither does it thank appropriately our financial supporters - our wonderful donors, fundraisers, corporate partners, philanthropic
foundations, community groups, Governments and Government departments and agencies – who support us because they believe in
what we are doing for the children of Victoria.
We simply trust that through our ongoing relationships with you all, you understand clearly how much you mean to us and how much
we value your contribution.
Mary Clark
President
Sandie de Wolf
Chief Executive Officer
Mary Clark. BA(Journalism). Public Relations and Media Consultant.
An expert is crisis management and public relations, Mary joined
the Board in 1997. She was elected President in 2004 and Chairs
our Marketing Development Committee.
Dr Neil Coventry. MBBS, FRAWZCP, Cert. Child Psychiatry Training.
Director Austin Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
Neil is recognised for his expertise in, and commitment to, children
and adolescents who have suffered abuse. Joining the Board in
2003, Neil chairs our Clinical and Program Advisory Group.
Mithran Doraisamy. BSc, MBA, ACA.
Partner, Business Advisory Services, Ernst and Young.
Mithran has extensive experience in advising business on financial,
strategic and business development issues. Mithran joined the Board
in 2004 and is a member of our Marketing Development Committee.
Gerard Dalbosco. B.Comm, M.App.Fin., ACA, ASIA.
National Managing Partner, Transaction Advisory Services,
Ernst & Young.
Gerard’s financial management, investment knowledge and
strategic advice are of great assistance. Gerard joined the Board in
2001 and is a member of our Investment and Finance Committees.
Laurinda Gardner. BA(Hons). Deputy Secretary, Strategic
Management, Department of Treasury and Finance.
Laurinda contributes her extensive experience in human resources
management, strategic planning and change management. She
joined the Board in 2000 and chaired our Risk Management
Group, Strategic Planning Reference Group and Information
Management Group.
David Green. BA Dip. Soc. Stud, MA(Hons), PSM.
Associate Professor, School of Social Work, La Trobe University.
With a distinguished background in social work and public welfare,
David challenges BSV and the sector to better use public policy
to help solve problems in our complex world. A member of our
Practice Policy Committee, Clinical and Program Advisory Group
and Risk Management Group, David joined the Board in 2002.
Russ Incoll. BE Dip. Ed. Consultant.
As Vice President of BSV, Russ brings his passion for excellent
human resources practice and his considerable business skills.
He joined the Board in 1999 and chairs our Investment and
Finance Committees.
Kate Jenkins. BA(Hons), LLB(Hons).
Partner, Employee Relations, Freehills.
Kate is a Partner at Freehills’ Employee Relations Group and is
recognised throughout Australia for her expertise in all employment
related matters. Having joined the Board in 2001, Kate is also valued
for her inquiring mind. She chairs our Education Advisory Committee.
Janine Kirk. AM – B.Ec. Executive Director, Committee for Melbourne.
The Board celebrated Janine’s 10 years of service to BSV this
year. Janine’s considerable senior management experience, in
both the public and private sectors, and her extensive networks,
have played a major role in BSV’s growth over the last decade.
Janine is currently Vice President and member of our Marketing
Development Committee.
Peter Koren. B.Bus, AANA. Managing Director, Oceanis Australia.
Peter’s extensive experience in advertising and marketing, both in
Australia and overseas, provided a new dimension to the Board.
Having joined the Board in 2002, he is a member of our Marketing
Development Committee.
Bill Noonan. OAM. Victorian Branch Secretary,
Transport Workers’