At its Annual General Meeting held on 2 December, a new Board Member, Gwilym Conran was elected and we bid farewell to three treasured, long term Board Members and committed Variety supporters; Don Brooker, Mandy Prindiville and Kathy Ziatas.
Variety WA Chief Barker, Jay Wakefield expressed his gratitude to the outgoing Board Members: “I would like to acknowledge the enormous contributions of Kathy Ziatas, Mandy Prindiville and Don Brooker over the years. All of them were extremely high calibre contributors to not only the stewardship of Variety WA but to the fundraising, events and grant streams of the organisation. I am deeply grateful for their expertise and guidance and I am thrilled to welcome another very accomplished individual, Gwilym Conran to the Board team.”
Gwilym will serve a two-year term and brings extensive corporate management experience in multiple sectors including oil and gas, construction, and government. Gwilym is President of the Cornelia de Lange Association Australasia and shows a commitment to the disability community through roles on the Disability Advisory Committee in the NT, the Disability and Inclusion Reference Group for the City of Wanneroo, and as a board member at Joondalup Education Support Centre School.
In addition to his professional expertise, Gwilym brings personal experience to the Board as a parent of a son living with disability. His combined lived experience and corporate insight drive his dedication to fostering meaningful change and inclusivity in the community.
Outgoing Board Member, Mandy joined Variety 17 years ago, her long commitment to helping children in need started with a fundraiser and she went on to join the Variety 4WD Adventure event as a participant in the first ever all-girl car in 2007.
The 4WD Adventure has been running in WA since 1996 and Mandy participated in 14 consecutive 4WD adventures. She has raised more $2.5 million for Variety during that time through a commendable range of fundraising efforts. During her tenure with Variety Mandy project managed the Variety Golf Day, the Ball, high teas, lunches, bowling functions and 4WD training days.
Mandy has served two terms on the Variety Board and has offered untold support and dedication to improving the lives of children in WA. She continues to provide events support and will be a member of the 2025 Event Committee.
Don has completed his final term on the Variety WA Board having long been a passionate Variety supporter. A chance newspaper advert sent Don on his first Bash in 1997, driving a Humber Super Snipe. Since then, he has participated in all Variety motoring events including 19 Bashes, 12 Motorbike Runs, 12 4WD Adventures, 11 Creative Car Cruises, Geraldton 4WD Getaways, Variety Splashes and the Ruby Road Trip of 2021. He was also a major sponsor of the 4WD Adventure for a number of years and a supporting supplier for the Variety of Choice Home Lottery.
Don has also served a term on the Variety National Board, where he proudly represented the charity from 2014-2018. He has now completed two terms on the Variety WA Board and has volunteered on many Variety committees over the years.
Don has made a huge contribution to fundraising for kids in need and his leadership on the Board has assisted in organisational improvements in fundraising and events. Don continues to support Variety in many ways including through his passion for events and he will continue putting the fun in fundraising as a member of the Motoring Events Committee in 2025.
Highly regarded as one of WA’s top Speech Pathologists, Kathy has been a member of the Variety WA Kids Support Committee since 2013. As the Chair of Kid Support Kathy brought her specialist knowledge and expertise to the Board and contributed to improving the lives of thousands of children during her time as a Board Member. Kathy will continue her involvement with Variety as a member of the Kid Support Committee.
