Management of the Foundation

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Foundation consists of local community and business leaders, representatives of James Cook University and the Tropical Population Health Unit, Qld Health.

Mr. Graham Koch (Chairman)

graham.jpg Graham has been involved in the Financial Services Industry since 1974 and in that time has gained significant experience through his association with such companies as Westpac, Suncorp, AXA and MLC.

Graham has been a Rotarian since 1981 and in that time has been a member of three Rotary clubs.

Married to Janet with four children and now several grandchildren, he has also served on scouting and school committees. 



Contact Details:
KIB Insurance
PO Box 12117
Cairns QLD 4870
Phone: (07) 40337366   Fax: (07) 40337388
Email: graham@kibgroup.com.au


Dr. Kevin Freele

k_freele.jpgKevin is the Executive Director of the Cairns Integrated Mental Health Service.  He came to Australia in 1978 from the USA where he gained qualification in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work.  Before coming to Cairns, he worked in a variety of mental health management positions, including as the Area Director of a large Western Sydney Mental Health Service.

 



Contact Details:

Qld Health
PO Box 1103
Cairns QLD 4870
Phone: (07) 4050 3600  Fax: (07) 4031 1440
Email: kevin_freele@health.qld.gov.au


Assoc Prof. Dr Komla Tsey

komla_tsey.jpg Komla Tsey is Associate Professor and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellow at James Cook University’s School of Indigenous Australian Studies and School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in Cairns. He has extensive research expertise in the areas of the social determinants of health and wellbeing; empowerment, community development and participatory action research as strategies in designing complex community health programs that intervene at different levels of people's lives; traditional healing systems; and program planning and evaluation. Since 2001 Komla has been lead investigator in a 10-year collaborative research program examining the contribution that concepts of empowerment and control can make towards understanding and addressing the social determinants of Indigenous Australian health and wellbeing.  A major outcome is that several health and human service organisations are taking up and integrating the empowerment concepts and strategies into their core programs.


Contact Details:
P O Box 1103
Cairns Qld 4870
Phone (07) 40421257 
Email: komla.tsey@jcu.edu.au


Mrs Dulcie Bird (Executive Officer)

dulice_bird.jpg Dulcie Bird was born in Cairns, Queensland and is a member of one of north Queensland's best known families who have operated the family owned tin mine and the family's extensive business holdings accumulated over 100 years on the Tablelands and Cairns. She is well known within North Queensland's mining, farming and grazing industries. As a local, she is well aware of many of the problems which are relevant to living in Far North Queensland.

Dulcie has always involved herself in community work, and is well regarded for her help with children with disabilities, The Victorian League for Commonwealth Friendship, and her services to Cairns junior tennis and junior cricket.

Dulcie has a Bachelor of Social Science (with a major in Sociology and French), from James Cook University. For outstanding scholastic achievement and excellence, she has been granted membership in the Golden Key National Honour Society.

Her working career has spanned 18 years with the Far North Queensland Electricity Board, where she was Manager - Office Services. She then joined Queensland Health as the Record Administrator for the Peninsula and Torres Strait Regional Health Authority, followed by a period at the University of Queensland, Department of Social and Preventative Medicine, Cairns. She has been critical in setting up the University of Queensland, Cairns Branch, in coordinating with both Brisbane and Townsville and in directing the expansion of the unit's premises to accommodate the increasing numbers of project officers.

She now holds the position of Executive Officer of the Dr Edward Koch Foundation.

Dulcie, who has overseen the wonderful charitable work of the Dr Edward Koch Foundation since its inception, received recognition for her outstanding work in year 2004, by being honoured with an Australia Day Award for her services to art and the Koch Foundation.

Contact Details:
Dulcie Bird
The Dr Edward Koch Foundation
PO Box 2964
Cairns Qld 4870
Phone: (07) 4031 0145  Fax: (07) 4031 0744
E-mail: dulcie.bird@kochfoundation.org.au


Mrs Lauren Bruce

l_bruce.jpgLauren was born in Cairns and attended James Cook University where she graduated as a Certified Practicing Accountant. She is currently working as the Management Accountant at Cairns Regional Council.






Mr Warren Entsch

w_entsch.jpgMr Warren Entsch was born in Babinda, Queensland and served in the Royal Australian Air Force 1969-78. He was a maintenance fitter and welder, real estate agent, farmer and grazier and company director before entering politics.

He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1996 – 2007, representing the Division of Leichhardt, Queensland. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources 1998-2001 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources from 2001-2006. Post politics Warren sits as a Director on the Board of the CEC Group, is Chair of the Australian Rainforest Foundation.


The Research Sub-Committee


The Foundation has also selected members for our Research Sub-committee. These members will be calling for submissions for research proposals; appointing appropriate assessment panels and supervising research carried out by the Foundation.


Adjunct Professor Ernest Hunter

Regional Psychiatrist, Qld Health

Contact Details:
Ernest Hunter
Queensland Health
PO Box 1103 CAIRNS QLD 4870
Phone: (07) 4050 3670
Fax: (07) 4051 4322
Email:ernest_hunter@health.qld.gov.au



Dr. Scott Ritchie, Senior Research Fellow, JCU

Medical Entomologist, Tropical Population Health Unit, Cairns, Qld Health

Contact Details:
Tropical Population Health Unit,
Queensland Health
PO Box 1103 CAIRNS QLD 4870
Tel (Work): (07) 40503619
Fax: (07) 40311 440
E-mail: scott_ritchie@health.qld.gov.au


Dr Jamie Seymour

Lecturer, School of Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns

Contact Details:
James Cook University
Telephone: (07) 4042 1229
Fax: (07) 4042 1284
Email: jamie.seymour@jcu.edu.au


Prof Robyn McDermott 

Pro Vice Chancellor, University of South Australia, vice president of Division of Health Sciences, Professor of Public Health Medicine at James Cook University, President, Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Medical Epidemiologist for Queensland Health North Queensland Health Zone.  Chair of the Research and Workforce Development Committee of the Queensland Public Health Forum.

Contact details:
Division of Health Sciences
City East Campus
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide SA 5001
Telephone: (08) 8302 2511
Fax: (08) 8302 2690
Email: campuscentral.cityeast@unisa.edu.au


Assoc Prof Komla Tsey

Associate Professor and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University School of Indigenous Australian Studies and School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Contact Details:
James Cook University
Cairns  Qld 4870
Phone (07) 4052 4157
Email: komla.tsey@jcu.edu.au