Peter Barber
Since becoming a Community Gardener in November 2017, I have developed a deep understanding of the Farm’s raison d’être and I love and support what it has done in and for the community over the past forty years. I have also developed a close relationship with many of the Farm’s staff which has been mutually beneficial and personally rewarding.
The current crisis will present ongoing challenges for the Farm and I would like to offer my knowledge, skills and expertise to assist in addressing them. These include extensive experience in strategic planning, organisation development and transformation, human resource management and communication. I held a senior executive position in a global company, have owned and operated my own business and retain an extensive network in the business community.
Over the past three years I have worked with a small number community members to improve garden plots, develop gardening skills and have helped people connect with others where they may otherwise be isolated. During the current situation I have worked alongside a small group of community gardeners to ensure the plots are in good shape when people return.
Andrew S Chan
I live in Clifton Hill and have been visiting the farm for a number of years with my young child and have been actively volunteering over the past 18 months. I recently joined the Farm’s Committee of Management (CoM) to fill a casual vacancy having attended CoM meetings in 2019/20. During the day I am a partner at a commercial law firm. I am standing for Office Bearer and CoM roles.I am passionate about the farm and its objectives in particular ensuring accessibility of the Farm’s programs and activities to members of the Yarra community and beyond, especially those with young families and those experiencing disadvantage. I particularly value the open beautiful green space of the Farm as a local resident (with no backyard) and a toddler and I hope that it will continue to be a haven for local residents and visitors alike.This year has been one of immense change and challengesand I hope to continue to contribute to the Farm and to the continued improvement in the Farms facilities, activities and programmes that occur behind the gate to help theFarm reach its full potential.
Nina Collins
It has been a privilege to represent our community on the Committee of Management for the last two years, and I would be thrilled to serve for another term. I am nominating as Vice President as I wish to continue my work in guiding the committee to stay true to the values of the farm while focusing on a strategy which is inclusive, innovative and future focused. The work we do now not only builds the resilience of our community and the farm itself to weather the climate and social challenges of the future, but as custodians of crown land, and active participants in the Urban Farming & Regenerative Agriculture movement, we can raise the benchmark for best practice more broadly.
I have been visiting the farm since the 1980s, now regularly bringing my own children down too. I have worked in Yarra for over a decade and developed excellent community networks that I bring to the farm. Over the last two years my focus has been on building the Committee’s governance skills, fostering an inclusive approach amongst Committee members, succession planning for future resilience and in supporting the General Manager by providing a sounding board for ideas and an interest in staff welfare.
Rephael Lankri
I would like to become a Committee of Management General Member because I believe the Farm is a place that inspires learning, connection to land,and is an organisation that encourages meaningful change in our community. Living locally, I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to visitthe Farm many times both as a child and adult, and to me it is a place that links back to the past and visions for the future. I am interested in exploring how truly sustainable local food systems can be established, and how to build resilience in our food economy.I see the Farm as an important part of this story in Melbourne. For the past 2 years I have worked at the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Aboriginal Corporation. I initially worked as part of theevents department and now am a Project Officer with the Narrap Unit, the Natural Resource Management department of the Corporation. As a non-indigenous man, I feel very fortunate to work alongside Traditional Owners managing and caring for Country. In this role I have worked with the CCF on a few projects, including the First Nations Garden, the Community Program revegetation project, and the nursery study tour. Prior to my time with Wurundjeri, I worked with an Indigenous Ranger organisation in Cooktown, Far North Queensland. Through these two positionsI have developed capability inprojectand budget management, grant writing and liaising with a variety of stakeholders. I am keen to support the Farm as it progresses into the future
Lachlan Turner
I am the current President (past 4 yrs), previous Treasurer (2 yrs) and COM member (8 yrs in total). I seek a final term at COM (10 yr limit). I live locally in Abbotsford and my family including two children (3 and 6) have enjoyed the farm for over a decade.
The farm is an amazing place, and I seek in a final term to ensure that the farm keeps improving and that I pass on my experience to a new COM. The farm is many things to many people, but central to the farm is its mission – to enrich the lives of people of disadvantage.
Vocationally, I am a finance professional with a background in banking, major accounting firms and I have spent the last nine years at Linfox Logistics managing all matters financial and commercial within different operating business units. I seek to use my experience to help guide the farm to make good decisions. The farm is a self-sustaining business and needs to make smart decisions to ensure it remains sustainable and can achieve its mission into the future. This is especially pertinent in these unprecedented times where COVID has and will continue to have a significant impact the farm’s diverse revenue streams and financial viability.
Jessica West
Jessica is a mother of two young kids living locally in Alphington, whose family have loved visiting and exploring the Collingwood Children’s Farm over the years. She is a risk and audit professional working with diverse stakeholders across Asia Pacific to help identify and manage risks effectively in organisations. With this, she has significant exposure working in an advisory capacity to improve business processes and identify control improvements, which create improved governance structures.
Growing up in Geelong and being part of an engaged and supportive community, a key passion for Jessica is to help foster similar community engagement and close networks for people within her own and neighbouring communities.
Jessica sees an opportunity to be able to bring to the table skills around managing risks and implementing controls to the Farm, but also a real enthusiasm for how the Farm can continue to provide opportunities to people experiencing adversity. Particularly, how community and connection to nature can be a real support during these challenging times we face. Having been an observer on the Committee of Management across this year, Jessica is hugely excited about the inspiring plans that lie ahead for the Farm, and she would really enjoy the opportunity to be a part of the Farm’s journey ahead.
Dr. Chris Williams
I am a great believer in the mission and work of the Collingwood Children’s Farm. I love the Farm and its landscape and feel that I have the skills and experience to help the Farm at a strategiclevel. I have been very involved with the Farm for the last two years as a consultant. I completed a major evaluation and report on the Farm’s future directions for its landscape and vegetation in early 2020 which is currently being used to guide future development at CCF. I now provide advice on the rollout of the report on a voluntary basis. In July I bought and donated new horticultural tools to the Farm for its new market garden. I live in Alphington and have recently joined the CFF Community Garden. I teach, research and consult in urban horticulture, specialising in urban agriculture, based at the Burnley Campus of the University of Melbourne in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. I have been a strong advocate for urban agriculture in the City of Yarra for many years and currently sit on Council’s Environmental Advisory Committee. There is an historic connection between Burnley and CCF and I have been working to connect horticulture students to CCF through internships and work placements. I also worked for many years in nature conservation, including PhD research with a Landcare farming community in rural New South Wales
Evan Zly
I live close to the farm and have spent the past 2 years volunteering on the CCF CoM helping increase the capabilities of the farm with an IT strategy for new systems building the foundations for the future growth for products, services, staff and governance. I have 10 years experience in IT/Marketing for small to enterprise businesses, an MBA and passionate about human rights and privacy. I complement the farm’s CoM to oversee the appropirate technology and marketing strategy is suitable to improve the customer experience, and make the staff’s life easier. I would like to continue to support the farm through the CoM to keep the farm growing with strong technology foundations.