management committee

Neil Clarke (President)

Neil was elected to the Mission Arts Management Committee as Treasurer at the 2019 Mission Arts AGM. He was subsequently appointed by the Management Committee to the position of President in May 2020. Neil is a (retired) telecommunications systems engineer, with over 40 years' professional experience in a range of project management, consulting and team leadership roles and multimillion-dollar budgets, contributing to the development of the internet in Australia. Along with his wife, Penelope Goward, he moved to idyllic South Mission Beach, from Melbourne, in 2018. His artistic and related interests are photography, astronomy, interior design, and audiovisual engineering. He is not a former mayor from the Cassowary Coast region!

Don Sanderson (Vice-President)

Don is currently a P-3 teacher in a Cassowary Coast state school." He has been teaching and living on the Cassowary Coast since 2015. Prior to his current tenure as a primary school teacher, Don was a lecturer and tutor at QUT between 2004 and 2011, where he completed Master of Education (research), and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. He has had a number of papers published in academic journals and is currently preparing a book manuscript for Routledge, and an entry into Oxford University Press' Encyclopedia on Food and Childhood. In 2014, Don was a volunteer tutor at the Queensland Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT). And the year before he was the Project Leader and Organising Chair, Second Global Conference: 'Making Sense of: Food' Athens, for Inter-disciplinary.net, Oxford. Between 1980 and 1998 Don performed nationally in over 10, 000 children's productions. Additionally, he was involved in Playlab as a writer and historian, performed at La Boîte, and studied music composition. Since 1980, Don has had several plays performed in south-east Queensland and now several little miracles in FNQ!

Irene Braddick (Secretary)

Irene and her husband Martin have lived in the area for 28 years, 15 of them on their
Redclaw Crayfish Farm on East Feluga Road which they developed and farmed. She was secretary for the Crayfish Farmers Association for many years and helped run two conferences in Cairns. Early in the piece, she was President of Tully Netball and played for many years. She worked at the Tully 727 Store for 10 years. She currently volunteers at the Tully Angel Care Opp Shop and Mission Beach Meals on Wheels. She has extensive experience as the secretary of Tully Lions Club for many years and the Zone Chairman for 7 years, as well as the Cabinet Secretary for two Lions District Governors. In amongst all that, she likes caravanning/travelling, gardening, nature walks and watching sport.

Simon Linden (Treasurer)

Simon's professional accomplishments include employment with Peat Marwick Mitchel & Co., Chartered Accountants in Adelaide (now KPMG) and a 23 year career with Tilly Murphy Hughes, a Chartered Accounting practice in Adelaide. He retired as Partner from that practice in 1998 to undertake the role of General Manager of Leconfield Wines, a role he held until his retirement in August 2019.

Following their dream of a tropical 'sea change', Simon and his wife Julie relocated to Mission Beach from Adelaide in 2019 and have become active in several community clubs & organisations. He's an avid sports enthusiast, has been involved in surf lifesaving and kayak racing for many years, and has won various Australian and World Masters Sprint Race Championships. He brings his years of experience and expertise to our local waters as an active patrolling member of Mission Beach SLSC. Simon enjoys photography and playing guitar, though he admits his guitar playing is not up to the same standard as his photography. With children, grandchildren, and other family members hailing from and currently residing around the globe, there is truly a multicultural dynamic to their family.

Barbara Van der Hoek (Assistant Treasurer)

Biography withheld on request.

Brigitte Mackenzie-Wright (General Committee Member)

Brigitte has been fortunate to have had a career that has included diverse experiences across health and education contexts. This has provided her with a lifetime of skills in human resource management, training and development; change facilitation; counselling and support and all things administration. As an executive officer in education her key responsibilities were HR, Facility Management, Finance, Teaching and Learning, and Workplace Health and Safety. Her work has always included working within communities, with committees and work groups. Her last position before happily retiring to the beach was as a Principal Advisor for the FNQ Region working with leaders to develop the leadership capability of their teams to lead strategic agendas.

On a lighter note... she is a great supporter of the importance of the Arts. She dabbles in writing. Loves our area. Has a big, big family and will always want to contribute to our community in some way.

Yoko Yasui (General Committee Member)

Yoko has lived in Mission Beach for the last 23 years. Currently she is the owner/practitioner of yoko @ mission massage therapy clinic and has been practicing for the past 20 years. Her clinic is in the heart of Mission Beach. Previously, she has worked as a photo-journalist and skydiving instructor.

She has always enjoyed been involved in community groups and projects, especially as her son, who is now 22, grew up in Mission Beach. These groups include CRACA, MBSLSC, MB Soccer Club, and Aquatic Centre Committee.

In the past couple of years, she has created a Wellness Directory in CCT (Cassowary Coast Tourism) website and currently is working with the Wellness Weekend Take #2 project which is underway.

She has been part of Mission Art's exhibition hanging team since January this year, and has worked on every hanging including the current one 'Blooming'. She also enjoys participating in art workshops, such as the Back to Basics drawing workshop in July.

Sally Moroney (General Committee Member)

  • Active art practitioner for over 50 years – main forms jewellery, basketry, painting , sculpture.
  • Mission Beach resident since 2004
  • Diploma of Visual Arts (Fine Arts) from Cooloola-Sunshine TAFE
  • Active member of Mission Arts since 2011 Member, Mission Beach Artists previously
  • Life Member Mission Arts and Noosa Gallery Society
  • Conduct regular painting workshops at Mission Arts, (Art from the Heart) and also craft workshops at MA and other venues.
  • Coordinates Threads fibre and textile group, organising regular exhibitions.