Current Committee Members

Helen Storer: After a long Public Service career as an Administrator and Executive Assistant, Helen retired in 2004 and studied full time to acquire qualifications to assist young people. She earned a Diploma in Life Coaching and is a fully qualified workplace trainer and assessor. With her own family grown up and living independently, Helen has incorporated The Foundary as a non profit organization designed to mentor and empower young people to assist them gain life skills and work experience.

John Burgess: John has a background in horticulture, garden maintenance and landscaping, having worked in the family business for over 5 years. He is responsible for training and leading teams of garden maintenance workers who do large scale jobs around Canberra. His hobbies include exercising in the gym, reading, meeting new people and taking his son on adventure trips. John always encourages the young people he works with to do their best and work hard to achieve their goals.

Russell Foley: A diligent and faithful man of many talents, Russell is a Corporate accountant, amateur video producer and Australian representative for Mercy Ships international mission services. He has traveled the world three times to minister to orphans in Sierra Leone, where he has adopted a child. Many young people owe their lives to his selfless giving of both time and finances. A natural leader and wonderful example of an adventurous spirit, Russell is a mature mentor and will lead teams in overseas adventure in coming months.

Neil Rodgers: Neil is a qualified life coach and trainer and is married with two teenage children. He has many years of experience training young people and adults with such organisations as Menslink, Caloola and local schools in the Canberra region. He has also assisted many young people in the justice system and has conducted training courses to provide valuable life and conflict resolution skills to inmates at Quamby detention centre.

York Walsch: York is a master carpenter and joiner, a craftsman who works on high profile interior fit-outs of residential and commercial buildings in Canberra and Queanbeyan. He has a deep love of nature and a long-standing interest in sustainable agriculture, especially the cultivation of “bush tucker” plants. A father of four, York’s hobbies include extreme motor bike riding, mechanical repairs, building and gardening.