The committee of the Kate Mullin Association includes:
- Brendan Franzone B Teaching, Grad Dip. Brendan has been involved in Aboriginal Independent Community Schools in Western Australia for over 15 years as a teacher and Literacy Consultant. He is currently the Principal at Wongutha CAPS as well as the Literacy Co-
ordinator and teaches English. - Ron Gorman B. Ed. (Hons), Grad. Dip. Applied Film and Television. Ron is Deputy Director of AISWA and was the organisation’s literacy consultant and projects manager from 2000-
2008. He is a former classroom teacher who taught in Victorian schools in the early 1980s, at Culunga Aboriginal School in Guildford WA in 1983, and at Lance Holt Primary School in Fremantle from 1984- 1991. He was principal of Lance Holt from 1991- 1999. - Ken Mullin B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD. Ken was Kate’s husband and helped her with her indigenous literacy projects. He is a retired management consultant and was previously a company director.
- Don Burnside is an agricultural scientist, with over 40 years’ experience living, working and researching in the WA regions. During this time, he spent lengthy times living in the Wheatbelt, Gascoyne and Goldfields regions. His work in the WA rangelands brought him into contact with Aboriginal people as landholders and land managers. He has also done a number of projects in the Pilbara for mining companies in Aboriginal social and economic development, with some of these projects involving working with Aboriginal people in facilitating educational enhancement projects. He has also worked with Aboriginal communities in preparing social impact assessments associated with potential mining projects. Don was a close friend of the late Kate Mullin, and a great admirer of her work in Aboriginal literacy. He is very keen to see her legacy grow, and her aspirations for improved literacy realised.
- Gareth Parry B Com, MBA. Gareth is a Chartered Accountant with twenty years’ experience in finance and accounting. He began his career by spending seven years in public practice accounting, after which he was employed as the Group Management Accountant at Ertech group for five years. He was General Manager of Finance for Centurion Transport for eight years and is currently CFO of Freight Lines Group.
- Bev Burnside has spent her working life in education at secondary level, commencing as an English teacher in Merredin. Her time spent teaching there, and for many years in Carnarvon and Kalgoorlie – which had significant numbers of Aboriginal students – provided her with insights into the barriers facing improved Aboriginal literacy. Bev has recently retired from her position as Associate Principal at Mount Lawley Senior High School, where she spent the last ten years of her career leading and managing the Middle School. She is now volunteering as a Coordinator in the ReadWriteNow Program, which assists people in the general community to improve their literacy standards. Bev was a neighbour and close friend of the late Kate Mullin, and shared her interests in education and the teaching of Aboriginal literacy. She looks forward to the KMA making a difference in the lifetime prospects of Aboriginal people.
- Dr Graeme Gower Dip Teach, Dip Ed Studies, MEd, PhD. Graeme is a Senior Lecturer at the Edith Cowan Institute for Education Research, Edith Cowan University. He has been involved in Indigenous education for 36 years, 8 years as a primary school teacher and 28 years in higher education. He has contributed actively to state and national policy development in Indigenous education through membership on state and national advisory groups.
- Niki Preston B. Comm. (Acc). Niki has worked at AISWA for several years as a personal assistant supporting AISWA’s executive team. She has previously enjoyed working in a variety of administrative support roles within the private and health sectors. Niki had the pleasure of working with Kate and believes the Kate Mullin Association provides a unique opportunity for members, scholarship/award winners and supporters of Kate’s vision to continue her work and improve the literacy and educational outcomes for Indigenous children.
- Ian Ruddock. Ian is a retired geologist born in Newcastle upon Tyne England. He came to WA in 1970 and spent several years in the mineral exploration industry in WA, Tasmania, and South Australia. In 1975 he became a high school science teacher for 4 years in South Australia. He returned to exploration in 1979 in the Northern Territory and then joined the Geological Survey of Western Australia in 1984. He retired from the Survey in 2011.