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Illawarra Shoalhaven

ISJO Board

ISJO Board

Chair, Cr Gordon Bradbery AM

Lord Mayor Cr Gordon Bradbery AM came to Wollongong City Council from a strong background in the community having been Chaplain to NSW Police, Rural Fire Service, RSL Padre and Administrator of Wollongong Mission of the Uniting Church and Minister of the Church on the Mall from 1996-2011.  For his services to the community he received a Medal [OAM] of the Order of Australia in the General Division.

On 26 January 2018 Clr Bradbery was made a Member [AM] in the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to local government, to the community of the Illawarra, to the mining industry and to the Uniting Church in Australia.

For 15 years he was Chairperson of Lifeline South Coast, a board member of Unanderra Care Services (aged care service).  He also served as an advocate for homeless and mental health services.

Cr Bradbery has been Lord Mayor of the City of Wollongong since September 2011.  He was formerly Chair of the Southern Councils Group and became the inaugural Chair of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation in 2018.

Cr Bradbery was again elected as Chairperson of the ISJO Board at the 25 February 2022 Meeting of the Board.

Cr Neil Reilly has represented the Kiama community as a councillor since 2008 and, following the 2021 Local Government Elections, was elected Mayor of the Municipality.

Cr Reilly’s qualifications are in marketing, international relations and local government.  His career focused on advertising and marketing and he also served with the Australian Defence Force.

Now retired, Cr Reilly regards being a councillor as his job.  He sees his role in the community as an exceptional opportunity to work in the best place on earth with the best people and to contribute to the well-being of both.

He considers that Council should be seeking outcomes that give us shared benefits and impose shared responsibilities.

Deputy Chair, Cr Neil Reilly

Cr Chris Homer was elected Mayor of the City of Shellharbour at the 2021 Local Government Elections. Cr Homer considers that it is an honour to represent the residents of Shellharbour as the new Mayor.  He has stated that he will bring a fresh wave of leadership to this role, fostering a culture that is non-partisan, inclusive and equitable to all Wards in the Shellharbour Local Government Area.

Born and raised in Shellharbour, Cr Homer attended Shellharbour Primary School and then Warilla High School, the first school in Australia to introduce surfing as a sport.  As a competitive and free surfer, he has gained an appreciation for our local coastline and natural environment.  This appreciated led to his involvement in the successful “Save Killalea” environmental campaign.

Cr Homer is currently the Deputy Chair of National Surfing Reserves, a Board Director of Surfrider Foundation Australia and has been a Committee Member of the Save Killalea Alliance since 2006.  Previously he served as Deputy Chair of the Killalea State Park Trust and has been on the Flood Risk Management and Coastal Management Advisory Committees for Shellharbour City Council.

Cr Homer works in the finance industry as a Mortgage Broker and has qualifications in Nutritional Medicine, Fitness and Recreation.  He is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

His vision is for the city to evolve and he is passionate about inspiring progressive and proactive service delivery which is focused on public interest first and foremost.

Cr Chris Homer

Cr Amanda Findley

Cr Amanda Findley moved to the South Coast during the late 1990s and started her family.  Never one to sit still for long, she undertook distance education in Natural Resource Management and Horticulture while raising her children.  This blended well with her country life as she helped establish the family farm while contract working for National Parks.

Always keen for a new challenge, Cr Findley joined Council in 2010 as a Councillor for Ward 3 and meanwhile commenced a Bachelor of Education.  Cr Findley enjoys being a high school teacher when time permits.

She was re-elected as Mayor of the City of Shoalhaven at the 2021 Local Government elections.

Cr David Brown is a longstanding councillor on Wollongong City Council having first been elected to that role in 2002.  He has also served as Deputy Lord Mayor.

 

Cr Brown works as a media consultant and editor.  He was re-elected as delegate to the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation following his re-election as a councillor in the 2021 Local Government Elections.

Cr David Brown

Cr Kellie Marsh

Cr Kellie Marsh was elected as a Councillor for Ward A in the City of Shoalhaven at the 2021 Local Government Elections and was elected again at the by-election for Ward A held on 30 July 2022.

Following the 2021 Elections, Cr Marsh was elected Deputy Mayor and Delegate to the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation Board.

Cr Draisma

Cr Imogen Draisma

Cr Imogen Draisma was elected to Kiama Municipal Council at the 2021 Local Government Elections and subsequently was elected by Council as a Delegate to the ISJO Board.

 

Cr Draisma has lived in the Kiama area since a young age, attending Kiama and Minnamurra public schools. 

 

Cr Draisma completed her education at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts and is currently completing a double degree, Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Wollongong. 

 

During her university studies, Cr Draisma was a studnet activist with a particular interest in student safety on campus, directing her attention to ensure that the pandemic-impacted university provides the services and supports that the student community needs. 

 

Cr Draisma has worked for members of the NSW and Australian parliaments. 

 

Cr Christen was elected to Shoalhaven City Council at the 2021 Local Government Elections as a Councillor for Ward 2.  Following the elections Cr Christen was elected Deputy Mayor of the City of Shoalhaven and Delegate to the ISJO Board.

 

Cr Christen believes in community, and supporting each other. He has volunteered in crisis and suicide counselling, been a buddy to those with mental health challenges and is a volunteer in the Rural Fire Service and community groups.

 

His work career means that he has experience in managing projects, budgets and people and understand that to get things done we need to work together as teams.

He has always been involved in agriculture and has a love of the land and farming to produce the food and fibre we all need every day. 

 

He has had the privilege to engage with indigenous Australians and learn from them about environmental management and would like to see our land, rivers, forests and coasts sustainably used and protected for our and future generations.

Cr Evan Christen

Non-voting Board Delegates

As at December 2023 the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Joint Organisation’s non-voting Delegates are:

Jane Stroud

Chief Executive Officer, Kiama Municipal Council

Michael Archer

Chief Executive Officer, Shellharbour City Council

Stephen Dunshea

Chief Executive Officer, Shoalhaven City Council

Greg Doyle

General Manager, Wollongong City Council

Anthony Body

Regional Director, Illawarra Shoalhaven Region, Department of Regional NSW