I’m on the OzGreen board and I’ve been with OzGREEN for over ten years now because I believe in the power of OzGREEN’s programs to change the world one leader at a time. 

When I was in year 10, I was sitting in geography class and it was term 4 and people were mucking about, chucking paper, just really not not taking it all that seriously. And when I looked down at my textbook, I realised that what we were learning about that lesson was about Laos and what was happening after the war. And there was this paragraph that talked about this young girl, our age, that was having to walk through a minefield leftover from the war, just to get to school everyday. 

And I stopped and thought, what would that young woman think of us, sitting in that classroom taking our education for granted? And these uncomfortable feelings really stayed with me for a while and I thought, what more could I do? What could I do to really take advantage of the opportunities I have, and make a difference in the world?

In 2008, I had the first of three lightbulb moments. 

The first was representing Australia at the Youth Summit prior to the G8 delegation in Hokkaido, Japan. Where young people from across the Asia-Pacific were brought together to discuss climate change. And it made me realise that the environment doesn’t have borders. And neither should we in our hearts and minds, as we face the future. 

The second of my lightbulb moments came in 2009, when OzGREEN launched its’ Youth Leading the World program. I was so astounded that I found, again, that great opportunity to connect with people across regions, across countries. And come together to face the future. 

I was so excited that instead of going to schoolies that year, I went and trained as a facilitator and led one of the pilot programs for Sydney. I was so impressed with Sue and her team in cultivating leadership and giving young people such great opportunities. 

Youth Leading the World is just one of the many programs that OzGREEN offers. But it's made such a difference in my life. 

The third of my lightbulb moments came in 2012, when I ran for the local government election. I was fortunate that on September 8th, 2012, I got elected. I served for five years and in particular, the passion that OzGREEN cultivated in me for the environment, saw me through being chair of the eco-straegic reference group which oversaw the environment issues of four lagoons, nine beaches and 11,000 hectares of bushland. 

I wouldn’t be where I am today without OzGREEN and this continues in my work today with the National Carbon Bank of Australia where I look at reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency upgrades from homes to businesses, large and small. It’s incredible work to do across NSW and across Australia. 

I really encourage you all to support OzGreen. The thirty years that we’ve had and the thirty years to come! I can’t wait to see what there is coming forward!”