Cycling Without Age Australia is a not-for-profit charity regulated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The incorporated association is governed by a Management Committee.
Our Management Committee
Simon Hemmings,
Chair
Simon worked for Rolls Royce in the UK for forty years, where they made aero engines and had nothing to do with the cars!! He had three careers starting as an engineer, then moving into management training and development and finally as a full time trade union official, retiring in 2020.
Simon became involved with Cycling Without Age in Perth in October 2021 and was invited to become the secretary of the chapter. He also took on the role of community Captain for the rides up at Quinns Beach. In June 2022, he volunteered to join the CWAA management committee and has found this an enjoyable experience. So I have volunteered to take on the chair for CWAA from June 2023.
Tim Rogers,
Deputy Chair
Tim lives in Currimundi on the Sunshine Coast, Qld. He has 35 years experience in social work, community development and human services including 17 years in innovative program development and senior management. His work has included significant years both in the public service (Health, Family Services and Welfare) and the not for profit sector. Tim has a strong commitment to strengths based practice in all areas of his work. As a keen cyclist, he joined Cycling Without Age in 2019, establishing a Chapter on the Sunshine Coast and becoming a member of the Management Committee since its inception in 2019.
Malcolm Chandler
Secretary
Malcolm first came across Cycling Without Age at Teneriffe beside the Brisbane river and thought,’what a marvellous idea’. Having finished his 10 years of service with the State Emergency Service, he was looking to volunteer in a different role. His professional career was with a large not-for-profit organisation managing residential and fostering care services for children, and was instrumental in setting up affordable housing. The last 10 years of his working life was at an executive management level and directed a unit which was responsible for strategy and planning, risk identification and management, quality systems development and implementation including the associated documentation requirements and policy. He was also responsible for Board governance and development.
Stephen Shepherd,
Treasurer
Carolyn Lilley,
Committee Member,
Carolyn Lilley brings her passion for community building and education to her role as Treasurer for Cycling Without Age Australia. With a background in education, Carolyn spent two years volunteering in Zimbabwe as a mathematics teacher, an experience that deepened her commitment to fostering inclusive communities.
Beyond her voluntary contributions with Cycling Without Age, Carolyn is actively involved in her local community garden, where she dedicates time to cultivating both plants and connections. She believes that vibrant, inclusive spaces — whether through cycling, education, or gardening—are essential to the well-being of all community members.
Carolyn’s dedication to service is at the heart of everything she does, and she is proud to contribute her skills and energy to making the world a more connected and compassionate place.
Karen O’Connor,
Committee Member,
Karen is passionate about building inclusive, intergenerational connections within the community. She has held a variety of roles across the resources and healthcare sectors, bringing a wealth of real-world experience to her volunteer work. Karen co-led and fostered collaboration among Australian chapters of Cycling Without Age, leading to the inaugural Australian Conference in 2019 and the subsequent formation of Cycling Without Age Australia as a nationally registered charity. She is driven by creating programs that deliver meaningful social impact, such as the Ride 4 a Reason initiative with Western Australia’s Department of Justice. Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice, Karen actively partners with universities to evaluate the outcomes of the program in diverse contexts. Through this grassroots movement, Karen has found her purpose—connecting people, inspiring community, and championing dignity for older Australians and people living with disabilities.
Deb Wall,
Committee Member
Deb joined Cycling Without Age in 2021 and is the Community Captain for our Rockingham chapter. Her career began in nursing and after meeting an AUSLAN interpreter with a patient her passion for the language blossomed. She began working within the education department after having children and also studied AUSLAN. She was employed as an Educational Interpreter delivering the curriculum to profoundly deaf students integrated into mainstream education. Deb has a strong belief in equality and inclusion. She sits on the Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Seniors Advisory Committee for the City of Rockingham.
Wayne Sticher
Committee Member
Wayne lives on the Gold Coast and enjoys retirement after 30 years in the Fire Service. He loves being ‘out there’ having ridden his bicycle unassisted from the Gold Coast to Perth via Uluru.
He believes contribution is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth, holding active positions with Volunteer Marine Rescue, DonateLife, Toastmasters, and Queensland Eye Institute. Wayne is also the Consumer Advisor to the Queensland Tissue Bank Governance Committee (Qld Dept Health). Wayne is a passionate advocate for Cycling Without Age and In May 2023, the Gold Coast chapter was presented with the Queensland’s Volunteer Impact Award, for services to the community. Cycling Without Age makes a huge difference everybody involved, and connections naturally flourish. He joined CWAA’s management committee in July 2021.
Tim McGrath
Committee Member
Tim is a past Treasurer of Cycling Without Age Australia and is currently Chair of the Perth Chapter. Before retiring in 2008 he had travelled extensively working with programmes of the United Nations and the European Commission covering public procurement, global supply chains, electronic invoicing, customs, freight and logistics, focusing on the issues of governance and management of standards for electronic trade.
He is a co-author of the ISO/IEC standard 19845 (the Universal Business Language) and the book, “Document Engineering: Analyzing and Designing Documents for Business Informatics and Web Services”.
John Kelman,
Committee Member
Michela Isella,
Committee Member
Michela has built a distinguished career across Europe and Australia, with experience in corporate law, ESG equity research, and currently as a strategy consultant specialising in digital transformation and AI-driven innovation. This diverse background provides her with broad expertise spanning law, economics, ESG, business, and technology.
She holds Master’s degrees with honours in Law (Italy) and International Business from the University of Melbourne. Michela’s commitment to social impact is reflected in her involvement with organisations such as Rotary, ELSA, LiCA, and Results Australia, where she has advocated for human rights, global health equity, and improved access to community services. Beyond her professional and academic achievements, Michela is a passionate advocate for a healthy, active lifestyle and is a strong supporter of inclusive, active communities.
Sue Kite,
Committee Member
Sue is passionate about customer service and staff development, and is an experienced Executive Board Member, and HRM and OD manager specialising in working with leaders to design and implement strategic programs that build NGOs, organisational high performance and workforce capability.
Sue has experience as a senior human resource management practitioner and has worked in a range of human resource, management and organisational development roles within the public, university, and private sectors.
Sue has retired after working with the Environment Protection Authority (SA) for 17 years as Manager People and Capability. Prior to that, she was a HR Consultant which had followed a long nursing career in leadership roles.
Sue is currently a Board member with the Advocacy for Disability, Access and Inclusion (SA) and is part of the Board Executive with the role of Corporate Governance Officer.
David Cochran,
Committee Member
David Cochran (DipDemCare, MAICD) was appointed CEO of Harbison in 2017. Harbison is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1956 to serve the predominantly rural community of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, located between Sydney and Canberra. Harbison established the first regional Butterfly Household in New South Wales, hosts the Southern Highlands chapter of Cycling Without Age, introduced Motiview to Australia, and has been recognised for its growing intergenerational care program which brings pre-school and school-aged children together with older people and people living with dementia. After a chance meeting with Ole Kassow in Copenhagen, David founded CWA Southern Highlands in 2018 and joined the management committee of Cycling Without Age Australia in 2024.