I was Editor-in-Chief of NeoNeighbourhood.com, a distilled, discerning guide to the best experiences in cities around the world and online, from its inception in December 2007 to December 2008. It was a great idea that did not survive the GFC. Before that I was Commissioning Editor at Murdoch Books, then an independent publishing company. Books I commissioned and nurtured there include Ursula by Eileen Naseby, Nine Summers by Rina Huber, Monsoon Rains and Icicle Drops by Libby Southwell with Josephine Brouard, A Castle in Tuscany by Sarah Benjamin, Blowing My Own Trumpet by James Morrison and The Honey Spinner by Grace Pundyk.
As Communications Manager at the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency, I oversaw the Comms team and was responsible for all media releases and reports from this federal government authority. I also event-managed the annual awards ceremony attended by 120 CEOs and C-suite execs, including then Minister for Employment Tony Abbott. Previously I was Media Liaison at the NRMA, where I was also served as community and projects co-ordinator with partners including Questacon.
From 1999 to 2002 I was Non-fiction Publisher at Random House, where I was responsible for a range of bestselling and critically acclaimed titles, including A Love for Life by Jane and Glenn McGrath, The Money Club by Beck, Chantiri, Hill and Robinson, Don’t Fence Me In by Wendy McCarthy, Your Mortgage and How to Pay It Off in Five Years by Anita Bell (the top-selling Australian non-fiction book of 2000) and A Dirty Little War by John Martinkus (shortlisted in the 2002 NSW Premier’s Awards).
I ran a book review segment on ABC radio throughout NSW and the ACT on James O’Loghlin’s Evening Show from 2004 to 2007, and presented Summer Evenings on ABC Radio to an estimated national audience of 3.5 million in 1998-99. (Radio is a long-term love; I began my working life producing and presenting programs on ABC Radio Newcastle.)
I was part of the team that started the popular culture magazine Who Weekly (a very different beast back then to its later incarnations). I worked in a variety of roles between 1992 and 1998, from Reporter to Senior Editor and was involved in almost every section of the magazine over the years, including editing the highly successful Who Extra Collector’s Guide stand-alone magazines on Seinfeld and The X-Files. I also promoted the magazine in weekly radio segments.
My pro bono community contributions include four years as President of Corrimal Public School P&C, leading a successful team effort to turn around community perceptions and attract much-needed donations for major improvement projects. When we needed new playground equipment but were, at that point, unable to afford commercial products, I created and designed ‘Story Wheels’, and secured community donations of goods and services to make them a reality. The creation was officially launched by the Lord Mayor of Wollongong, and I provided full open-source plans for other schools to build their own.
