Our Team

Chris Hemsworth (Our Patron)

To many, he is known for his roles in movies such as Thor, The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman and Red Dawn, but to us at the Australian Childhood Foundation, Chris Hemsworth’s most appreciated role is that of committed and proud patron.

Despite his hectic filming schedule, Chris is determined to shine a spotlight onto an issue that remains difficult for many to talk about.

“Child abuse is Australia’s biggest social problem,” says Chris.

“I was lucky enough to grow up in a loving, supportive household, but my parents have been social workers for more than 20 years, and from them I know the lasting damage that abuse and neglect can cause. The trauma of abuse stays with children long after the threat has left them, unless they are helped to heal.

“I am also very appreciative of the work the Foundation does to prevent abuse before it has a chance to occur. Knowledge, information and connectedness are such powerful weapons in the fight against abuse, and the more we make ourselves aware of the issue of child abuse, the better we can support vulnerable children and their families within our community and keep them safe from harm.”

Last year, Chris helped launch the exciting new partnership that has been forged between the Australian Childhood Foundation and fashion house Gucci. In a video made to honour the occasion, Chris said: “I am a very proud supporter of the Foundation’s work to help children to recover from the devastating impact of abuse and neglect.The work they do quite literally has the power to transform lives…

“Now through their extraordinary and generous support, Gucci is helping to ensure that the Australian Childhood Foundation is better able to continue their important work with children around the country…
“They have shown that they believe in the work of the Australian Childhood Foundation. Their commitment has highlighted that like us, they also believe in the right of all children to laugh, play, dream, imagine, and to hope.”

Matty Johnson

Australia’s beloved bachelor Matty Johnson is lucky to have found love and a successful media career, but above anything else he is a self-confessed mummy’s boy. It is this strong bond, his close relationship with his sister and his beloved role as an uncle, that drives Matty to champion the cause of children who are not lucky enough to have the fantastic familial support network he grew up with.

Matty says: “The older I get, the more I appreciate the impact my happy and healthy childhood has had on my life so far. Every child deserves that. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved and have adults in their lives they can trust. The Australian Childhood Foundation has been at the forefront of defending children in Australia for years and it is a privilege to do what I can to further their cause.”

Clint Newton

We are thrilled to announce and welcome Clint Newton, the Chair and General President of the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) as the newest ambassador to join the Foundation.

As a White Ribbon ambassador, Clint has been highly vocal throughout his sporting career serving as an empowered voice. He spent a long time leading the charge against domestic violence in Australia, and now is being the change he wants to see for children who suffer abuse.

“Our responsibility as parents and as a society is to not only look after our own children but all children and keep them safe from abuse, violence and neglect,” he says.

Clint encourages the importance for men to undertake a role of responsibility and leadership and he utilises his standing within the game to help drive social change and awareness. As a committed family man with a young daughter of his own, Clint is motivated to be a positive influence in his community and is honoured to be associated with the Foundation.

Born in the United States and raised in Australia, Clint has played for the Newcastle Knights, Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. Clint represented the United States in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, helping the team progress to the quarter-finals in their first world cup experience.

“Honesty, respect and equality are all part of the rugby league ethos and with these values, players can be a positive asset in society and influence change,” he says “As a community we can help raise awareness, spread the message and continue to make sure that not another child will miss out on their childhood.”

Liam Hemsworth

With movies such as romantic drama The Last Song, the smash hit The Hunger Games, the action extravaganza The Expendables 2 and the new Australian classic The Dressmaker under his belt, Australian actor Liam Hemsworth is tasting the kind of success other actors only dream about.

But despite the glitter and attention that goes hand-in-hand with a successful Hollywood career, Liam remains grounded by the safe, loving childhood he enjoyed with his two brothers, Luke and Chris.

This gives him a strong appreciation for the work the Australian Childhood Foundation is doing to help children reclaim the childhoods that have been stolen from them by the trauma of abuse, family violence and neglect. It is why he is proud to be an ambassador for the Foundation to draw attention to the issue of child abuse in this country.

“I have the best parents you can have,” says Liam. “They have worked in child protection for twenty years and have only ever given me encouragement and support, and I always felt safe and loved. The world is a scary enough place as it is for children.

“It is important that home should always be a safe place for them. If they don’t have that, if they grow up unsafe and uncared for, that causes so much harm. I want the best for the next generations, because they are the future.”

Eric And Rebecca Bana

“For many of us, Australia is a wonderful place to live. But when almost 40,000 of our children are not able to sleep in their own beds at night because it’s so incredibly unsafe for them to do so, and when there is one report of abuse almost every two minutes, we know that as a nation we need a shift in priorities,” say Eric and Rebecca Bana.

“Ensuring the safety of our children should be first and foremost in our collective minds. We cannot continue to pretend that the unthinkable is happening somewhere else, and that it’s someone else’s problem. It is happening right here, right now, to children in our own communities right across Australia,” say our patrons, Eric and Rebecca Bana.

“Too many children in this country have their lives shattered by the devastating impact of abuse and neglect. The innocence of childhood, the joy of exploring, learning and discovering is taken from them by relationships that are destructive and unsafe.

“The Australian Childhood Foundation works at the coal face to make these children safe again, and to help them find in themselves each part of them that was lost to fear, pain, betrayal and harm. The Foundation approaches the issue of child abuse and neglect from every angle; through a suite of programs ranging from counselling, through to support of carers, to education, public awareness and prevention. Its approach is practical and successful, because it is based on a considerable depth and breadth of knowledge, combined with a level of commitment and focus that makes the Foundation a leader in its field.

“We sincerely hope that you will support the Australian Childhood Foundation in its work. We hope the issue of child abuse, family violence and neglect will be at last taken seriously in Australia so that all children will know what it means to be safe and loved, and part of a community that cares deeply about them and has their very best interests at heart always.”

Eric and Rebecca became Patrons of the Australian Childhood Foundation in 2008. As parents, they both passionately believe in the right of all children to a safe and loving childhood. For five years up to and including 2011, the Australian Childhood Foundation was the fortunate beneficiary of Eat Street, a fundraising initiative of the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins. In the first few years, Eric was kind enough to donate props from his films for auction, and in the last two years, donated his time for a private meal at Sofitel’s No35 restaurant as an auction prize. Eric has also lent his voice to the Foundation’s radio commercials and TV advertisements.

Both Eric’s and Rebecca’s support is extremely important to the work that we do. They assist in raising the profile of an issue that is often difficult and confronting to face. They do this while balancing an incredibly busy and demanding schedule as professionals and parents. For that we are extremely grateful.

Nadine Garner

Nadine is a much-awarded and lauded veteran of Australian (and UK) film, television and stage, as both an actor and director. Her more recent TV series include City Homicide and The Doctor Blake Mysteries and she received four nominations (winning two of them, including the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical) for Cabaret in 2003.

Nadine, a parent of two boys, and Foundation ambassador since 2008, has always felt strongly about the importance of protecting children.

“To me, it’s the cornerstone of a civilised society; if we cannot protect our children behind closed doors then we as a society are failing. I want to be proud of how we look after our children and keep them safe.
“I get so frustrated that people find child abuse distasteful and don’t want to talk about it… and so child abuse becomes this invisible evil that they don’t feel they can tackle. I want to help pull the rug off it continually and force people to examine the issues around child abuse because it is the only way we as a society will face up to it and do what is needed to break the cycle.

“I feel very driven to helping the Australian Childhood Foundation raise awareness of the impact of child abuse and, importantly, helping the community to face up to it and understand how we can put a stop to it.”

Nadine’s selfless and committed contribution to the work we do is critical to helping us engage with the Australian public. She has lent her face and voice to fundraising and awareness campaigns and events, and recently, with her husband Cameron Barnett, produced and narrated our Thoughtful Parenting DVD. She is a much loved and respected member of the Australian Childhood Foundation family.

A Special Project

Nadine and Cameron have been involved in a number of Foundation projects. Their most recent project was to produce, direct and develop with the Foundation the Thoughtful Parenting booklet and DVD for our Bringing Up Great Kids and Kidscount parenting programs

“Our reason for getting involved with the production of this DVD was very simple,” says Nadine. “We both feel strongly about protecting and keeping children safe. We also feel strongly about educating adults. We know, only too well, as busy parents, that we don’t always react the way we should. While it’s ok to explain our responses away, we all need to take the time to stop, reflect on what we are doing and be the parents we want to be.
Working on this project was incredibly helpful for us and we hope that other people find it useful too.”

Stefan Dennis

The role of Paul Robinson in Australia’s longest-running TV drama Neighbours is only the tip of the iceberg in Stef’s busy and colourful career. He’s graced our TV screens in shows like Skyways, Carson’s Law, Prisoner, The Henderson Kids, The Sullivans, The Young Doctors and Blue Heelers. He’s also worked on a huge variety of TV shows and theatre productions in the UK, including Blood Brothers which showed in the West End and toured the UK. He also does voiceover work here and in Britain.

And while he plays the devious Paul Robinson very convincingly, Stefan is the Foundation’s good guy when it comes to his tireless and unapologetic dedication to bringing the issue of child abuse to the community’s attention.

“This doesn’t just happen in books and movies – this is happening in our own backyards,” he says.

“One of my dearest wishes is that all kids grow up being loved and nurtured and shown the right way through life, but above all, to be loved. To be loved unconditionally, the same as they do with us.

“And it is every child’s right to go to school and gain an education without carrying the burden of abuse or neglect. Often, their suffering is secret. They are unnoticed and unprotected. I am proud and delighted to contribute in any way I can, to help protect our children.”

Carolyn Creswell

Carolyn has grown Carman’s to become the number one-selling gourmet muesli brand on Australian supermarket shelves, while at the same time maintaining a successful relationship with her husband Peter and raising four kids aged twelve and under!

Over two decades, Carolyn has focused on producing delicious-tasting products using real ingredients. From humble beginnings where, at age 18, Carolyn used to park her tiny Daewoo alongside semi-trailers in supermarket loading docks, Carolyn’s determination has seen Carman’s build a strong following in more than 32 countries around the world.

As a proud mother, Carolyn understands the importance of producing nourishing foods for herself and her family and applies this philosophy to every Carman’s product. Carolyn’s own commitment to a healthy work-life balance is also reflected at the Carman’s office. Many employees work flexible hours and are encouraged to attend their children’s special events and even take time out to pursue their own passions.

Carolyn’s business acumen has led to a number of accolades, including being named the 2012 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year and the winner of 2007 Ernst & Young’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Carolyn sits on the Board of the Human Rights Law Centre, is a Patron of the St Kilda Gatehouse and Ambassador for the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre and of course, for the Australian Childhood Foundation.

“Every child deserves to feel loved and safe,” says Carolyn. “As a mother of four, the work of the Australian Childhood Foundation speaks directly to my heart and I am honoured to be involved with such an incredible organisation.”

John Xintavelonis

On the national stage, John has previously played Stewpot in Opera Australia’s South Pacific, Dick Woollnough/Dee Anthony in The Boy From Oz, Mitch in The Threepenny Opera , Spider/Lord Savage in Jeckyll & Hyde, Mr. Braithwaite in Billy Elliot The Musical and Pumbaa in The Lion King in Perth, Melbourne and Shanghai.

His television credits include Winners and Losers, Tricky Business, Dance Academy, City Homicide and John Safran’s Race Relations. His film credits include A Journey Through Time with Anthony, Macbeth, The Sound Of One Hand Clapping and Back From The Dead. His voice can be heard in the films Legend of the Guardians, Australia, Daybreakers, Mao’s Last Dancer, Two Fists One Heart, in mini-series for CLEO, False Witness, Scorched, and on TV shows Wild Boys, Rescue Special Ops and Slide.

In 2006 John was nominated for a Mo Award for his role as Pumbaa in The Lion King. John is an Australia Day Ambassador 2015, a finalist in 2015 Tasmanian Australian of the year, a co-founder of Hobart independent actor’s company Blue Cow Theatre Inc. and a broadcaster on ABC local radio.

“In my experience, many Tasmanian expats come back to Tasmania when they start their families, because they believe it’s the best possible place to raise their children,” says John.

“But we can’t ignore the fact that, like everywhere else, we face the same sorts of issues around child abuse and domestic violence and many children don’t get those happy and safe upbringings. And we can’t shake our heads in despair when we see it on the news without trying on a personal level to do something about it.

“This generation of children is our future, but what sort of future do we all have if our children come from a background of abuse and neglect? I want to use my role as an ambassador to help my community understand the issue and connect with ways of helping ensure that our children are safe and cared for, because that’s what community does – we look after each other.”

Casey Burgess

Casey’s first television appearances included Home and Away and the TV movie Scorched. At the age of 15, she was also a presenter for Girl TV. She was a much-loved member of children’s entertainment group Hi-5 from 2008 – 2013.

She says she jumped at the chance to be an ambassador for the Foundation because she identifies strongly with the anxiety and fear that children feel when not all is well within a family. Although her own mum and dad divorced when she was a baby, Casey says she was very much loved by both parents.

“I didn’t go without and there was a lot of fun in my childhood, climbing trees, making cubby houses, playing with the children in the street and around the corner, and I’m very grateful for that,” she says. “But when you’re in a split family, things are a bit different… with my stepmother, there were times when I was anxious and a bit scared and didn’t want to say anything, so I feel like I understand just a bit about what that is like for children. I would like to learn more about how the Foundation helps children to deal with the anxiety and fear that the trauma of abuse creates for them, through being a part of it.”

Casey firmly believes that children should have childhoods that are free of worry. “There is so much worry, so many things that we have to organise, be responsible for and do when we grow up, that childhood should be the time in our lives when we are free of that, when we are free to imagine, to create stories for ourselves, to have fun and to go to bed looking forward to getting up in the morning and playing,” she says.

David Boon

Even though his cricketing career took him away from home often when he was playing – and still does, now that he is an International Cricket Council Match Referee – David’s own strong upbringing helped him to recognise the importance of staying engaged with his own children.

“When you’re brought up in a family that cares, provides and supports, you try to do that with your own children when you take that step in life and take on those responsibilities,” he says.

He believes that the failure of parents to connect with their children and to make their children’s best interests their first priority can be incredibly damaging to not just their childhoods, but also to their opportunities to realise their full potential as adults.
“Child abuse covers such a broad spectrum – there are so many forms of it other than the ones we consider to be more obvious,” says David.

“I cannot understand physical and sexual abuse of children at all and it is appalling that it happens, but we need to remember that mental abuse is also extremely devastating and degrading to a child. Neglecting a child or ignoring their needs can be just as detrimental as other, more active, forms of abuse.

“In this wonderful country that we live in, every child should have the opportunity to chase whatever their dream is. It must not be restricted by people who abuse them and don’t allow that to happen for them – regardless of where they live, what issues they face or what their financial situation might be.”

A legend of Australian cricket, whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1996, David scored over 7,000 runs at Test level, and made over 100 appearances for both the Test and One Day International Australian side. After leaving the international game, he went to England to captain Durham before retiring to become a national selector and International Cricket Council Match Referee.

He’s a Member of the Order of the British Empire and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2005.

Dave Noonan

“I am proud to be an ambassador of the Australian Childhood Foundation for many reasons,” says Dave, a stalwart of Tasmanian radio for more than 20 years.

“I firmly believe that confident, independent and successful adults are created within secure and loving childhood environments. Sadly, too many children suffer from abuse, neglect and deprivation. It seems to me that there is enough potential for sadness and tragedy in life without it being inflicted on us as children by those we should be able to trust and who should provide a cocoon of love for us.

“As a teacher and radio announcer, far too often I have encountered children whose hopes and dreams have been fractured and shattered by their desperate family circumstances. These children too frequently become adolescents and adults with serious problems: drug abuse, depression, inadequate education, criminal and self-harming behaviour, poor relationships and poor economic outcomes.

“If we can strike at the root of many of these problems by encouraging better parenting and supporting those children who have experienced abuse and neglect, then we can do much to help maximise the potential they were born with. The Australian Childhood Foundation aims to achieve this with its programs and is an amazing and compassionate resource for children in need. I was lucky to have a loving family and a positive childhood so I find it incredibly sad to see children who have never known love and whose lives are blighted by abuse.

“I hope the Australian Childhood Foundation continues to do great work and I will continue to support it.”

Melanie Milburne

Ris is a best-selling and award-winning romance author, writing for Harlequin Mills and Boon under the name Melanie Milburne. More than seven million copies of her 50 romance novels have been sold in more than 100 foreign markets and translated into 25 languages. She is one of Harlequin Mills and Boon’s top-selling authors and in 2011 she won the Australian Romance Writers’ Romantic Book of the Year. As if that weren’t enough, Ris has also written a Hollywood screenplay with writer and producer, Paul Margolis.

“The power of storytelling gives me an opportunity to connect with readers on a deeply emotional level, which can in turn lead to them finding strength, courage and even healing. This is something which touches me most profoundly and I value it above all else in my role as a storyteller,” she says.

Ris is a passionate supporter of the work of the Australian Childhood Foundation, and in 2010, she donated the entire royalties from one of her medical romances to support our work in counselling children to help them heal from the trauma of abuse and neglect. She has also undertaken fundraising initiatives of her own and we value enormously her commitment, creativity and compassion.

Robyn Moore

“Imagine how many people can be reached through the wonderful work of the Australian Childhood Foundation! One significant role model can change the course of a child’s life is we are willing to participate.

“I am proud to be an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation because I believe our whole country is hurting profoundly from the results of abuse and neglect.”

Robyn has lent her voice to some of Australia’s most iconic television and radio commercials, along with radio programs such as How Green Was My Cactus, and is perhaps best known as the voice of cartoon character Blinky Bill. She is also Australia’s busiest female speaker, who reaches a huge and diverse audience totalling more than 50,000 people each year. In this role, she has inspired and empowered thousands of adults to reassess their perceptions and attitudes, allowing them to create happier, more rewarding lives for themselves and their families.

Robyn firmly believes that prevention of child abuse and neglect is better than the cure, and much of her work helps parents to create healing within their families, to access different behaviours in the face of stress, and to stop abuse before it starts.

Kit Willow

Kit is founder and design director of leading Australian and international brand, Willow. As a proud ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation, Kit is aware of just how much influence the past can have on the present. In fact, she based her Spring-Summer 2012 collection, entitled ‘Future Memories’, on a photo her mother took at St Kilda Beach when she was 16. While that photo is infused with warmth and nostalgia, Kit knows only too well that far too many childhoods are being tragically deprived of happy future memories. The trauma of fear, isolation and pain leaves a completely different, devastating imprint on adulthood, and for Kit, it is why the work of the Foundation is so important.

“Children must not be denied unconditional love, security and nutrition,” she says. “Childhood should allow imagination to thrive, laughter to endure and play to be fun. The Australian Childhood Foundation is the only one of its kind in Australia dealing with the confronting reality of abused children. The early detection of abuse is fundamental to remove these children from danger, to protect and support them and to inform others of how they can help too. The commendable work generated by the Australian Childhood Foundation has actually resulted in healing little souls – which will grow into better, happier people.”

Kim Napier

For many years, Kim was half of the wildly popular Kim and Dave on Heart 107.3 in Hobart, with fellow Foundation ambassador Dave Noonan, until she moved to Adelaide in 2014.
Since then, she has been working for NOVA Entertainment within both the NOVA 919 and FIVEaa newsrooms. She also has her own talkback show on FIVEaa Sundays over the summer, writes and edits for a radio website three days a week and, with a colleague from the website, is starting a company called Branded Podcasts.

“I am thrilled to remain an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation, providing a platform to promote the rights of our children and encourage respect for their lives,” says Kim.

“I want to encourage other adults to play their part in ensuring a safe community for our children, and ask that you love and cherish your own children and those around you, and secondly, be vigilant so that incidences of abuse are quickly dealt with.”