The Management Committee of the One World Centre is responsible for meeting the legal and financial obligations of the organisation, policy development, acting as employer and having overall responsibility for ensuring the organisation meets its objectives. All members of the Committee work on a voluntary basis and are elected each year at the Annual General Meeting of the association.
Joe Courtney – Chairperson
Joe has been involved with the One World Centre ever since his wife Anne was the coordinator way back in 1995. He has been on the management committee for a while now and enjoys keeping the Centre’s social and fundraising activities going. He is a meteorologist specialising in tropical cyclones, and enjoys travelling, though his trips sometimes keep him out of the OWC scene a bit more than he would like. He would also like to spend more time out bush or in the ocean, as well as having a go on the guitar. Joe is keen for the OWC to model good development activities and is proud of the way the Centre has been a beacon for global education in WA for so long now without having the big money. He hopes we can build more community support for the Centre and continue the great work on the ground with teachers to bring global education to all the young kids.
Dr Peter Devereux – Deputy Chairperson
Peter is a part time Research Fellow at Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute advancing the doctorate of sustainable development on the new UN Sustainable Development Goals. Previously he worked in UN Volunteers; the school of Sustainability at Murdoch University; in Nicaragua as a university lecturer and NGO environmental adviser; UN volunteers in Fiji; and Australian Volunteer International’s Perth office. Peter rejoined the OWC management committee in early 2015 and was elected deputy Convenor and was briefly the acting coordinator after the resignation of Jules Jamieson in May 2015. He has also done some OWC professional development sessions when regular OWC global education consultants were unavailable.
Michael Perera (Treasurer)
Michael has worked for over 30 years in the finance field, having worked for publicly listed companies, small to medium enterprises, and not-for -profit organisations. He has extensive experience in management accounting, budgeting, and treasury matters as well as in corporate governance. Michael is also a Board Member of two other not-for-profits and is a member of the Australian Society of CPA’s.
Paddy Cullen (Secretary)
Is a long term OWC supporter and has worked for many years as the Oxfam Campaign Manager in WA. Paddy joined us in 2018 and provides advice on community projects.
Lynne Butler
Lynne took on the role of OWC coordinator in September 2015 after re-joining the Management Committee in April 2015. After many years working in Indigenous education and training in WA, Lynne worked as an International Training and Development advisor and project manager with government departments, local NGOs and international agencies in Timor-Leste and Aceh for over ten years.
Paul Bluett
Paul has been a volunteer with the Centre since 2019, assisting with admin and community events. He has a background in sexual and reproductive health, and community advocacy, and became involved in aid and development issues in Asia through his work with the WA AIDS Council and Family Planning WA.
Avenel Hicks
Avenel Hicks is a retired librarian having worked at ECU and UWA libraries for almost 20 years. She later worked with an overseas volunteer program operating in Developing Countries for six and a half years and since 2018, has been looking after the library at the One World Centre developing the collection and helping other volunteers gain experience in library work.
Christina Nguyen
Christina is one of our newest and youngest members and brings fresh eyes and ideas to our committee and to our organisation. As a final year Anthropology student at Curtin University Christina also brings current research and thinking on global and cultural issues. Her technology talents are also indispensable.
Dr Caroline Marsh
We are extremely pleased that Caroline has returned to the Board in 2024 after several years absence, bringing with her years of academic and global education teaching knowledge and practice.
Dr Sonja Geiger
Dr Sonja Geiger from Murdoch University, Department of Psychology, brings many years of international experience in sustainable development, particularly in the area of environmental psychology. Her particular focus is on the possibilities and limitations of different behavioral change approaches, in a time of escalating ecological crises.
