BackTrack Annual Report 2024 by Pressroom Partners

Our Values

BackTrack’s holistic approach to youth work and young people’s wellbeing is based on the Circle of Courage concepts of Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. This methodology is founded on the model from First Nations people in Canada, stating that for people or communities to thrive, they need these four quadrants to be in balance.

The Circle of Courage

BackTrack acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and we pay respect to their cultures and Elders past, present and emerging.

Our Supporters

Straight off the bat we’d like to honour those who make BackTrack’s work possible – our supporters. The funding we receive shows us that the young people we work with are seen and valued by our community, and that doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes is widely respected. Thank you to everyone who has walked alongside BackTrack this year. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Our Staff

As of June 30, 2024, BackTrack had a total of 76 staff. Many are part-time or casual, and more than half are young people employed in BackTrack Works, and still able to access BackTrack’s wraparound wellbeing support. The commitment of our staff really does make BackTrack feel more like a family. This year we began development of a new staff wellbeing framework to ensure we’re looking after all our staff in the same holistic way as we do with young people. Their dedication is the lifeblood of our organisation.

From our Patrons

It gives us great pleasure to again offer a message of support for BackTrack’s Annual Report.

As my term as Governor-General has concluded, 2024 is the last year that we will serve as Patrons of BackTrack. Our support for this remarkable organisation predates my term as Governor-General and began when I was Governor of New South Wales some 8 years ago.

Linda and I are proud of the connections and experiences we have all created together through our time at Government House, from our visit to the BackTrack home, Warrah, in 2021, to the many times we were able to welcome BackTrack young people to Canberra. In particular, I think fondly of the sculptures created by BackTrack young people with artist Adam Humphries as part of the ‘Coming Together, Moving Forward, Standing Tall’ project. These wonderful kangaroo and emu metal sculptures stand tall in the gardens of Government House and will ensure that a piece of BackTrack and the voices of our young people remain in our nation’s capital.

It was heartening this year to view the short update to the 2018 documentary ‘BackTrack Boys’. To see six years on some of the original participants who were in dire circumstances,

and who are now supporting their own children to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, is testament to the profound, intergenerational impact we can have when we are able to break the cycle of disadvantage. BackTrack Founder, Bernie Shakeshaft is to be commended for the legacy he has left in those young men, as are all the staff and supporters who have made this important work possible.

Linda and I hope to continue to be involved in the BackTrack story in some way – to inspire and be inspired by the young people who are supported to turn their lives around. BackTrack’s mission ‘to help as many young people having a hard time as possible’ is a noble one – and one without limit. Long may you continue to pursue it.

General (Retd) the Honourable David Hurley AC CVO DSC & Mrs Linda Hurley

From the Chair

Greg Paramor

I have viewed 2024 as a successful year on many fronts which will be expanded on and explained in the body of this year’s report.

We continually face many and varied challenges which is the essence of why BackTrack exists; solving problems and creating opportunities to improve outcomes for the young people who for many reasons find themselves disadvantaged, and in many ways are isolated from mainstream society. This, unfortunately, will ever be thus, which is why we and others like us can never drop our guard.

One of the evolving areas of success as we head towards 20 years in operation is the number of young people who have passed through our gates, returning to work with us or to proudly show off their success in the form of employment, family and children.

This sense that BackTrack is a permanent place of stability for people to return to is joyous to observe. During this year we have seen our founder Bernie hand over the leadership reigns to Marcus Watson who formally stepped into Bernie’s shoes as CEO in December of 2023.

Bernie continues as our mentor, founder, Director and a key member of our leadership and funding team. He is increasingly being approached to assist with government policy and to mentor other like-minded organisations.

This year also saw the further establishment of the BackTrack Foundation, to assist those wishing to endow us with funds to sustain our operations into the future. This is an impactful avenue, particularly for bequests and other long-term support.

Interested and generous citizens, philanthropic organisations, corporates and other donors continue to make up the vast majority of our funding mix and we send an enormous thank you to these donors for the trust they place in BackTrack and the potential they see in our young people. We see the dividends of that trust every day.

I must close with the greatest thanks to our dedicated staff and of course our hardest workers – the young people themselves, who are accepting our hand and changing their lives with remarkable determination.

Very Best Wishes,

Greg Paramor AO

From Bernie & Marcus

Such a big year for BackTrack that you get a note from two of us combined. It’s been a year of steadying this big, oneof-a-kind ship for a long voyage. We’ve always been committed to standing by our young people for the long haul. 2024 was the year we really started to think about how we can wraparound BackTrack itself to make sure we’re here for future generations.

There is no doubt the need for leadership and action from organisations like BackTrack is growing. At least one in five kids are not in school. Mainstream education just doesn’t work for the young people we support and we need to give them alternatives and a sense of belonging. Through our holistic youth work, education program, accommodation, social enterprise, network, farm, and the amazing web of activities going on around BackTrack, we are looking at the big picture and making deep and patient change.

We’ve been focusing on building our backend capability, to ensure that the wraparound support for our young people remains holistic. Finding ways to better support our incredible staff has been a priority.

We were pretty damn proud to share the documentary update ‘Chasing Dreams’ in December which shows some of our older boys now raising up kids of their own. We are lucky enough to be part of these stories every day, and see our young people overcoming serious challenges and looking to the future in a way we can all aspire to. Circle of Courage values underpin circle work every morning, and we have an emerging circle of leaders; older brothers and sisters who can help the younger kids coming through like no-one else. That’s what 18 odd years in the saddle gets you.

At BackTrack we walk alongside the young people who need us the most. We meet them where they’re at and hang in for as long as it takes. We are not afraid to do things differently and live by our values: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, Generosity.

THE STORIES IN THIS REPORT REFLECT THOSE VALUES. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES AND WE WILL ALWAYS TRAVEL TOGETHER.

Bernie Shakeshaft, Founder & Marcus Watson, CEO

A Game of Inches: Key Moments of Change

Doco Update

In December 2023, we released a 25-minute update to the 2018 BackTrack Boys doco. ‘BackTrack: Chasing Dreams’ shows how some of those early boys are travelling now, highlighting the profound intergenerational impact of our work. You can catch it on our new website.

BackTrack Boys Reunion

In June 2024, some of our older BackTrack boys arranged a reunion of past participants. They gathered at Warrah and then headed out to Cubba Cubbah for a camp out. The sense of belonging and camaraderie was palpable. We are dreaming big for future generations of BackTrack kids at our farm and seeing the impacts we can have on that long game.

Growing Our Reach

This year saw us lay the groundwork for the BackTrack Network to expand its reach through mentoring like-minded organisations right across the nation. We’re looking forward to seeing how our BackTrack programs can influence more towns via an updated model involving a new online community we have been preparing to launch.

Lynchie Gets Some Recognition

Our own Matt Lynch (ex Inspector Armidale Police) earned more stripes this year, winning the NSW Regional Volunteer of the Year award for New England and Northern Inland. This is so well deserved after a lifetime of service and decades of volunteering his time and unique expertise to us here at BackTrack. As daily driver, cook, cleaner, mentor and all round favourite Uncle, Matt has changed the game when it comes to how police and young people see each other in Armidale and beyond.

Paws Up On Tour

Our trusty BackTrack pack hit the road again this year, handled by our young people and descending on Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane for the Dog Lovers Festivals, as well as trips to as far as Rockhampton, and right across outback NSW at an array of community events. Our amazing BackTrack young people guided the pack with teamwork, skill and pride in events like the high jump, cattle trialling, dog races, dock dogs competitions and more. Most importantly, the bonding and confidence building of these epic road trips is something that will stay with our kids for life.

BackTrack Programs

BackTrack’s approach is holistic, longterm and focussed on meeting every young person where they’re at.

Our programs and wraparound support have evolved over time to encompass all stages in a young person’s journey – from alternative education, court support, connecting with our dogs, housing, training and employment, to community involvement, peer bonding and mentoring. Profound change takes time. But we tell you what, it’s worth it.

Core Education Warrah Paws Up

Core Education

Young people come to BackTrack disengaged from mainstream education. They crave an environment where they can learn relevant skills without pressure or judgement, while accessing the wraparound support they need to survive and then thrive.

Before we can consider education, we look at the whole young person in front of us and their immediate needs. Housing, safety, connection, legal issues, health, mental health. Our youth work and wellbeing team offer the holistic support and connection that means young people can start to think about what path they want to be on.

In 2024 we had 35 young people through the Core Education program in Armidale, with 3 on School based traineeships

and 10 attaining their Record of School Achievement (RoSA / Year 10 equivalent).

This is an amazing achievement for our crew and a mark of the commitment of our teacher and the broader team to give every kid the opportunity to learn their way.

Young people have worked one-on-one to individual learning plans, and as of this year, they’ve had access to “The COW,” our very own Classroom On Wheels which means they can engage in curriculum aligned education from the workshop, the paddock and the dam in a classroom that comes to them. This has had a major impact on engagement and progress.

In late 2023, our teacher also started working with young people to help them plan, draft, edit and design their own story books that are then taken out for reading on our Paws Up School Outreach visits.

Training & Extracurricular

Kids have had access to hands-on vocational training across agriculture and farming, horticulture and natural resource management, dog training, metalwork, woodwork, and mechanics, with accredited training delivered in partnership with local Registered Training Organisations.

They’re also engaged with a full program of activities like dog care, basketball and community sports, boxing, art, podcasting and music production, cooking and barista skills, driving lessons, community jobs and much more. Weekends are no exception, with regular camps, events and excursions to keep everyone connected and learning life skills.

Getting Kids on The Road

The day you get your Learner’s permit is an important milestone for all young people. At BackTrack it’s a real rite of passage, because of both the confidence boost and the literacy required to get there. And it’s often a true team effort, with our teacher working one-on-one on literacy, our social enterprise leaders providing flexibility, our youth work and wellbeing team providing holistic support, and our amazing volunteers offering driving lessons to help young people build up their hours on the road.

This year, 7 BackTrack young people obtained their Learner’s permit, which has life-changing impact on their independence, their confidence and their employment and life prospects. Congratulations drivers!

“THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF LEARNING, AND THEY WILL LEARN. WE’VE JUST GOT TO MAKE THE SITUATION RIGHT FOR THEM... THEN THEY CAN GET OUT IN THE WORLD AND BE THE MASTER OF THEIR OWN DESTINY.”

- NIC, LEAD TEACHER

Warrah

A Safe Place to Stay

We know that young people can’t access the services they need or engage in education and training if they don’t have a safe and stable place to call home. We provide that, and a supportive family atmosphere at our main home, Warrah.

Warrah includes a house for fully supervised living and four tiny homes for young people to build a rental history and take the next step towards independent living. We hold regular BackTrack family dinners, camp outs and excursions to build connection, belonging and resilience.

Our around-the-clock youth workers offer the support and supervision needed to thrive in a genuine home environment, where young people develop positive relationships with peers and adults, learn how to cook, clean, and manage a household, and set themselves up for down the track.

In 2024 Warrah provided a home for 14 young people.

8 in the main home and 6 in the tiny homes.

In addition, 8 young people have been provided with emergency or respite accommodation throughout the year.

3000+ nights accommodation provided.

Paws Up

The BackTrack Pack

We can’t overstate the importance of the BackTrack pack in all our work. Dogs have been at the heart of what BackTrack does from the very beginning.

Our Paws Up program ensures they are an integral part of every day and young people are given the opportunity to connect with the dogs wherever they are. Our dogs are top class athletes and the very best of youth workers all rolled into one. Everyone belongs to the pack no matter what stage they are at in their journey with BackTrack. And everyone has a dog at their side. The non-threatening and non-judgmental presence of a dog can have a powerful impact for young people in educational, trauma recovery and social impact settings.

As well as our big interstate road trips to the Dog Lovers Festivals, the Paws Up pack have enjoyed regular dog jump events and cattle trials across the region this year. The learning is constant with regular dog handling and training sessions with world class trainers and daily mentorship from our Paws Up Coordinator.

The Schools Outreach program saw BackTrack young people and dogs giving back to the community by visiting 5 remote Primary Schools in the region to read with younger children throughout the school year. This increases literacy and wellbeing among our own kids and those we visit and as mentioned earlier, this year our kids had some of their very own books under their arms. We also reintroduced visits to aged care facilities as part of outreach this year – always a special time for everyone involved.

This program touches on all four quadrants of our Circle of Courage.

THE SENSE OF CONNECTION OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE PACK IS PALPABLE, AND POWERFUL.

BackTrack Works

Our Social Enterprise

BackTrack’s social enterprise, BackTrack Works, was established in 2018 to help young people build practical experience in real-life work environments while accessing BackTrack’s flexible, wraparound support.

BackTrack Works delivers commercial services and community projects across agriculture, construction, fabrication, disaster recovery and asset maintenance. We provide accredited training, traineeships and employment opportunities to young people who need the technical qualifications, soft skills, and networks to find and keep a job.

Our Works participants also connect with and give back to the community through disaster recovery and resilience projects as well as regular community jobs.

Last year we embedded a permanent BackTrack operation in Tenterfield, and these young people are now out on Works crews regularly.

In 2024 we have employed 37 young people to deliver over 20 contracts across the region. That’s over 26,000 hours of employment offered to our most at-risk kids.

We do everything from pig traps for Local Land Services, fencing for disaster recovery and bespoke dog boxes designed and manufactured by our young people, to fire pits for installation across National Parks, roadside clean ups for Armidale Regional Council and regular home maintenance for social housing with our key ongoing partner at Homes North.

We’re so proud to report that 5 of our Works crew have moved onto external employment this year. We love to keep them but we also love to see them spread their wings – like Luke and Boss, below.

Luke - Still wearing his BackTrack shirt at his new job.

We had a bunch of new girls on crews and in the Shed in 2024

Training Outcomes

In 2024 4 young people completed their Traineeships in Rural Operations, with 8 others continuing their studies.

9 of our Core young people completed their White Card. Enabling them to begin transitioning into employment in BackTrack Works.

Accredited training was delivered by our RTO partners, with over 100 outcomes achieved in:

First Aid, Defensive Driving, Excavator, Skid Steer & Roller Operations, Fire Extinguisher Training, Operating and Maintaining a Chainsaw, Small Motor Maintenance, Working Safely at Heights + more.

Tenterfield crew

Cubba Cubbah

A farm to call our own

At the end of 2022, BackTrack was gifted a working farm by two incredibly generous donors. This is a place our extended family can feel a sense of belonging for generations to come.

Cubba Cubbah has shifted BackTrack’s thinking, from year on year, to generation on generation, giving our young people a place to work and undertake farming, recreational and training activities. We also have long-term plans for land and habitat regeneration in play.

The farm is already proving to be the ultimate training ground for our young people who are regularly engaged in learning onsite, gaining insight into agricultural life. In time, it will also provide new accommodation options and further accredited training and paid work opportunities for our young people well into the future.

2024 has seen some amazing developments at Cubba Cubbah, including the completion of an ecological survey with Bush Heritage Australia to inform our long-term planning.

Additionally, we have engaged with BackTrack’s First Nations young people to ensure we have a cultural and youth voice informing all aspects of our work on the farm.

Thanks to the incredible support of our donors, we have been able to:

Install extensive water infrastructure.

Lay 6km of boundary and internal fencing.

Develop accommodation options including two donated cabins and a complete renovation of the existing farmhouse.

Build a 4 bay machinery shed and a state of the art cattle crush and yard, designed and built inhouse by our BackTrack Works crew at the Shed.

CUBBA CUBBAH IS COMING TO LIFE IN 2024.

BackTrack Network

Supporting like-minded organisations.

A key component of growing our reach and impact has been creating a space for sharing learnings and supporting other like-minded organisations doing similar work in their own communities. This peer-to-peer group is called the BackTrack Network, which we lead with ongoing mentoring, gatherings and regular meetings.

In 2024, we’ve been preparing for an evolution of the BackTrack Network, with the development of an online community that will help us support and connect with a much larger pool of organisations and individuals across the country. At the same time, we have been further developing our Impact Measurement Framework so that it will work well for this broader Network. In time we expect this will provide us all with impactful collective data on the power of our life-changing work.

Youth Work Development Program

We have also been working hard to codify the BackTrack Youth Work methodology so that we can share it across the Network via a nationally accredited course. A pilot has been carried out and we expect this to go live to Network members next year.

FLATTRACK, MOREE

DOWN THE TRACK, LAKE CARGELLIGO

RUFFTRACK, HAWKESBURY

BACKTRACK, TENTERFIELD

EMERGE, TOOWOOMBA / CALOUNDRA

SHORETRACK, MACKSVILLE

BACKTRACK, ARMIDALE

LEADERLIFE, DUBBO

Case Studies

Meet Jimmy

In the years before BackTrack, 15-year-old Jimmy wasn’t that into school. He still turned up, but didn’t go to lessons and wasn’t interested in what went on in the classroom’s four walls. He was also getting into trouble with the law and spending idle time going down the wrong path.

He first heard of BackTrack through his family and started in our Core program, doing schoolwork and some local community jobs. He found his calling when he visited BackTrack Works’ supervisor Jase in the Shed and started working once a week with him, learning the tricks of the trade. The alternative to traditional education stuck.

From there, Jimmy became one of our ‘Transition Crew’ – the young people we are supporting and scaffolding to be able to start working with BackTrack Works. By mid-2024, Jimmy found himself employed with us full time. Over the years, he’s had some stints at our home, Warrah, when times were tough and he’s been able to tap into our various programs as needed. He’s a great example of the support our wraparound programs can provide.

Today, Jimmy has embraced the opportunity to learn welding and he’s a natural when it comes to applying his hand to new projects. With this new skillset, he is currently building cattle yards for the BackTrack farm, adding mesh to dog kennels, and tackling the cattle grids. While he’s still learning the BackTrack Works way, his mastery of new skills has seen him gain confidence preferring the Shed to the classroom.

Jimmy is now completing a TAFE course in Engineering and Fabrication and hoping to begin a welding apprenticeship next year, just like our older role model Brett. He’s made some good mates and BackTrack has given him a sense of belonging and purpose.

JIMMY SAYS HE’S MOST PROUD OF THE FIREPIT HE MADE AT TAFE. WE’RE SUPER PROUD ABOUT IT TOO, MATE.

Loretta officially came to BackTrack quite late in life, but her links go right back to our early days. Her story shows the depth of our involvement in young people’s lives across generations, as so many of our older young people now raise families of their own with our support.

Loretta dropped out of school at 16. She says she wasn’t a bad kid and was into pretty normal teenage things, but her living situation hadn’t always been stable – she’d been in out-of-home care as a kid and, like many of BackTrack’s young people, had her past to grapple with.

Before she got involved with BackTrack, Loretta had applied for a number of jobs in the Armidale community but felt she wasn’t getting anywhere, and it was impacting all aspects of her life.

Loretta’s partner, Steph, is one of our original BackTrack boys. Some 18 years on, he is still engaged with BackTrack, now 30 years old and stepping up into leadership roles

Meet Loretta

“BACKTRACK GIVES EVERYONE A GO.”

within our social enterprise. Knowing that BackTrack could potentially help Loretta find employment, Steph put her in touch with one of our youth workers and she started doing some casual work as part of our major contract with Homes North - mowing lawns and tidying flats in public housing.

It only took a few months for Loretta to become a valued part of the BackTrack Works team and a regular in the fabrication Shed. She’s now learning welding and making cattle grids and pig traps among other things. She’s also at TAFE getting a qualification in Engineering & Fabrication.

At BackTrack, Loretta has met people she gets along with, is part of a community she can belong to, and is happy to have a job and an income that helps her stay stable.

When asked about her time here she says, “BackTrack gives everyone a go.”

We’re so glad to have you and your little family as part of the BackTrack crew Loretta.

Financials & Funding

These financial statements cover BackTrack Youth Works and our social enterprise entity, BackTrack Works.

As in prior years, philanthropic organisations, corporates, and other key donors continue to make up most of our funding mix, comprising around 85% of our consolidated revenue. This includes the donations to enable us to enhance our Cubba Cubbah property through the installation of extensive water infrastructure, sheds and fencing, as well as on site cabins and the renovation of the main house.

In 2023/24 we continued to deliver on some Government grants to support BackTrack young people. The YESIP grant continued to facilitate accredited training of our young people in BackTrack Works and the Safer Communities Grant to Youth Works allowed us to continue to support other organisations in the BackTrack Network.

Our BackTrack Works social enterprise earned self-generated income of $889,000 during the year, including work performed at

our Cubbah property. While BackTrack Works recorded a breakeven result for the year, this is based on philanthropic funding and support from BackTrack Youth Works to ensure we continue to be able to provide the wraparound support required for the cohort of young people employed in Works.

The remarkable generosity of BackTrack donors has again enabled us to achieve our goal of retaining 12 months earnings this financial year to ensure the longevity of our work. We believe that striving for this goal each year is necessary to ensure the medium and long-term future of BackTrack and to ensure that we can be here for the young people who rely on us for the long haul.

As reported last year, in June 2023 we established the BackTrack Foundation Fund and around $300,000 has been added to the Foundation in the 2024 financial year.

BackTrack Youth Works Revenue

Donations and philanthropic grants: 6351

Government grants: 71

Other, inc cattle sales: 276

Consolidated Revenue

Donations and philanthropic grants: 6925

Government grants: 456

Goods and Services revenue: 351

Other, inc cattle sales: 377

BackTrack Works Revenue

Donations and philanthropic grants: 910

Government grants: 193

Goods and Services revenue: 1180

BackTrack Youth Works Ltd

ABN: 66 612 831 919

Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

Statement of Financial Position For the Year Ended 30 June 2024

As At 30 June 2024

BackTrack Works Ltd

ABN: 52 626 763 068

Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

For the Year Ended 30 June 2024

Statement of Financial Position

As At 30 June 2024

Our Leadership

Marcus Watson CEO

Marcus Watson began as CEO of BackTrack in December 2023 but has been in key Executive Management roles with us for many years. With a diverse background spanning engineering and construction industries and community sector work, Marcus brings a wealth of experience as a senior leader in the field of youth training initiatives, employment, and social entrepreneurship. He spearheaded the BackTrack Network and established our social enterprise, BackTrack Works.

Greg Paramor AO Board Chair

An active and supportive Board Chair, Greg brings extensive experience from his many other directorates, notably as Board Chair for Leftfield Investments, Inclusive Housing Australia and Leftfield Capital Group, as a Board member for the Sydney Swans and Sydney Swans Foundation and as a Non-Executive Director for Charter Hall Group and Eureka Group Holdings. Greg’s career spans over 45 years in real estate and funds management.

Bernie Shakeshaft BackTrack Founder & Director

As the founder of BackTrack, Bernie’s exceptional work and innovation was recognised at the 2020 Australian of the Year Awards, where he was named as Local Hero. He has dedicated a lifetime to his passion for helping wild dogs and wild kids, using and sharing lessons learnt from Aboriginal men and old school stockment in remote communities. He compounded those learnings on a Churchill scholarship before returning to Australia to build an organisation that gives the most at-risk kids a new life journey.

Philip Jarvis Director

A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Philip came to Australia after serving eight years as an officer in the British Army. Married with two children and presiding across family-owned beef and sheep-grazing properties in New England, Philip is also the Managing Director of Direct Agriculture, a specialist agricultural investment advisor, facilitating investments in farmland and agribusiness for financial institutions and family offices.

Stephen Ferguson Director

Steve served as Chief Financial Officer at BackTrack until 2023 and subsequently joined our board in January 2024. Steve has extensive experience in financial auditing and assurance having retired from professional services firm EY (Ernst & Young) as a Senior Partner in 2018. He holds various board positions and responsibilities for risk and audit across commercial and nonprofit organisations, including as Chair of Bank Australia. He is also a non-executive director of QBE Group and Chairs their audit committee

Janine Wood Director

Following 40 years of executive commercial experience in the global media and advertising sector, at both a trade and consumer level, Janine was lead for Community Engagement at the Sydney Invictus Games (2018). Janine values and supports not-for-profits, having held board positions including Young Achievement Australia, Trans-Tasman Netball League (ANZ Championship), and UnLtd (Undoing Youth Disadvantage for Good).

Rob Blain Director

Rob has more than 40 years of real estate experience, including property and asset management, strategic development, cross border activity and capital markets in Australia and across Asia. Based in Hong Kong for 20 years, Rob transitioned to the role of Executive Chair, CBRE Asia-Pacific and continued as a member of the Global Operating Committee, before returning to Australia. Rob is a Fellow of the Australian Property Institute and Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Zoë Robinson Director

With a law degree and a Masters of Human Rights, Zoë was appointed as the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People in 2021. She previously worked as a solicitor, for Deloitte in internal strategy and was the CEO of the NSW Peak Body for Youth Homelessness. Zoë firmly believes that children and young people should be given every opportunity to succeed and to choose what that means to them.

Patrick Cooke Director

Patrick Cooke has a Masters of Natural Science from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous Community Management and Development and first Class Honours in Indigenous Research through Curtin University. Patrick is one of the founders and Managing Director of the Mona Aboriginal Corporation which currently works with Indigenous youth engagement programs and employment and training outcomes throughout Queensland and Northern Territory. Patrick is a proud Gungalida man from the gulf region in Northern Australia.