Founder and Board Member

Carolyn Lyons OAM, with her husband in Gulargambone, NSW, manages a beef and cropping property. Her goal is to harvest a crop of outstanding students, nominated by their respective schools for the OAA NSW Youth Community Service Awards and to support, mentor and provide the means to assist in their development.

Carolyn’s previous role as Secretary to the Order of Australia Association for NSW supported this vision which resulted in the development of Young Australian Leaders Ltd.

As a result of her involvement in many varied issues in State regional areas, Carolyn was awarded the Rural Woman of the Year for NSW. Carolyn sought to support, assist, inform and promote communication throughout the State and among government agencies.

These included the Country Care Link, Ross River Virus, Domestic Violence, Aged Care, Transport and Communication, Women in Agriculture, and the Department of Primary Industries.

Deputy Chair

Marie Russell AM is well known in the Western region and across NSW for her services to rural communities. Marie is the owner and manager of ‘Old Budda Station’ at Tilpa on the Darling River. Marie’s continued commitment to NSW rural communities has been recognised on numerous occasions. This commitment has been expressed through a range of organisations that she is a member of and includes rural women and their families, environmental, conservation, mental health and drought assistance.

Some of Marie’s roles include the Deputy Chairperson of Destination NSW Country and Outback, Chairperson of The Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health Community Advisory Committee (representing Rural and Remote Communities) and Director Mount Grenfell Historic Site Management Board (owned by the Ngiyampaa people).

Additionally, Marie is a member of the West Region Nation Parks and Wildlife Service Community Advisory Committee, Essential Energy Community Advocacy Group (representing Remote Communities), the Consumer Reference Group Remote Communities

Treasurer, Sponsorships, Digital Media

As of 2022, James is a second-year student studying a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and Statistics at ANU. In 2019, James received a Youth Community Service Award from the Order of Australia Association (NSW), for contributions to his community.

This involved four years of volunteering with the Social Justice Program at Knox Grammar School running and organizing numerous initiatives with organizations such as Fred Hollows Foundation and The Leukemia Foundation. Additionally, he acted as a teaching assistant both domestically and overseas in both Enngonia and Cambodia.

He is passionate about Climate Justice and is pursuing a career involving ESG Risk Management.

Chair

Helen has broad experience in the education sector - working across the public, private, justice and corporate systems while also working with young people, not for profits and workplace training in the food industry.  Helen is committed to fostering leadership and community involvement within young people, especially by connecting them with organisations, mentors, and community groups to provide opportunities for them to flourish in both their personal and career lives.

Helen also works with multicultural and Aboriginal communities across NSW and is committed to social enterprises that promote respect and open dialogue with all peoples.

Helen currently works at Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga, Sydney, and has worked there for 21 years - as a teacher, Academic Head, within Boarding Programs. At present, Helen is the head of Diversity, Justice and Sustainability at Knox.

Board Member

Martha has been the Executive Director of the Homicide Victims’ Support Group (Aust) Inc. for the past 28 years. The HVSG (Aust) Inc. was set up in 1993 to provide support, counselling and advocacy to family members and friends who have been affected by the homicide of a loved one. Martha is currently the Hon. Secretary of the Order of Australia NSW Branch, She is a member of the NSW State Parole Authority as a representative of the community and victims.

Martha has been involved in the setting up of the Australian Bereavement Network that will provide a coordinated framework and strategy for organisations to work together to promote and provide benevolent relief to bereaved people in need through bereavement services and resources all over Australia. She, in conjunction with students from Macquarie University’s PACE program, NSW Police, Corrective Services NSW and Crime Stoppers, is working on a project called Operation Veritas, an initiative that will introduce Unsolved Playing Cards into prisons in NSW to hopefully help solve unsolved homicides.

Martha is involved in HeartFELT (Families Experiencing Loss and Trauma), a weekly online prayer gathering, HeartFELT is led by Bridget Sakr whose daughter was killed in Oatlands. She is on the board of the Road Trauma Support Group in NSW, a support group for family and friends of someone killed in a criminal act on our roads. Martha is also a member of the Rotary Club of Carlingford and on the committee looking after youth services.

Digital Media

In 2022, Michael began studying a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws double degree at UNSW. Michael was awarded the Order of Australia Association (NSW) Youth Community Service Award in 2021 for his commitment to community service and leadership.

In 2019, Michael completed an internship with DLA Piper, a global law firm. During this time, he explored the current legal framework of child protection laws and law reform, with a particular focus on the current level of Australian privacy laws designed to protect children. Within his school and local community, Michael engaged in community service and leadership through his membership in the St Vincent de Paul Society, coaching junior debating teams, cross country squads and regularly volunteering in initiatives such as Caritas’ ‘Project Compassion’.

Additionally, in 2021 Michael was the Public Speaking Champion for Epping-Eastwood in the Lions Youth of the Year competition where he spoke about the importance of Climate Fiction in shaping public perceptions of key issues surrounding Global Warming. In conjunction with his role as a Vice Captain at Marist College Eastwood, Michael was also the Swimming Captain, Debating Captain and recipient of the Ampol Best All-Rounder Award, Ryde Leadership Award and The Julie Dawson Memorial History Award.

Jim has been a resident of the Southern Highlands since 2001. He has been a teacher, a subject head teacher (History), a Board Liaison Officer, and a high school principal of Tumut High School and Moss Vale High School). He has been a leader of his profession as the elected President of the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council, and Deputy President of the Australia Secondary Principals’ Association. Since retiring, he has been an education consultant, working with the School of Education at UNSW, and liaises with the NSW Digital Education Revolution, and part of the HSC Standards Setting operation for NESA.

He is a director and founding partner of SPICE Education Evaluations. Jim is a member of the Rotary Club of Moss Vale, having joined Rotary in 1990 in Tumut. He is also a director of the Southern Highlands Foundation. In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.