MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Management Committee members 2026

Elected 29 November 2025.

President – Ed Bennett
Vice President – Kat Cooke
Secretary – John Rohde
Treasurer – Derek Simpson

Other Committee Members

Alan Chenoweth
Chris Galbraith
Renée McGlashan
Dan Mitchell
Sally Partridge
Cr Steve Toomey
James Van der Aa
Tim Whyte

President - Ed Bennett

Ed Bennett has been a SOWN member since 2017 and joined the committee in 2021. A young retiree, he medically retired from the ADF after 20 years of service and turned to bushcare as a meaningful way to stay active and involved in the community. He is a joint team leader for both the Yoorala Street West and East Habitat Brisbane groups and also volunteers with the Nicholas Park and Wittonga Park groups. Ed has enjoyed supporting other bushcare teams, especially by helping channel the enthusiasm of corporate volunteers into on-ground restoration work.

Patron - Geraldine Knapp

Geraldine served as the Councillor for The Gap Ward on Brisbane City Council from 1996 to 2015. She was President of SOWN over this period until December 2014. Geraldine has been a resident of the Enoggera catchment for over 38 years. She has contributed greatly to the community as a member of numerous groups including SOWN, Meals and Wheels, The Gap Leisure Club and Norths Hockey Club.

Patron - Brian Sait

Brian Sait served at the SOWN coordinator from 1995 till 1999 making him SOWN’s longest serving coordinator. Brian is credited with the strategy of encouraging local people to ‘adopt a section of the creek’. He was appointed as Patron in 2022.

Founder - Brian Hallinan

Brian Hallinan was an Alderman on Brisbane City Council for many years and was the founder of SOWN. In 1993, he became concerned about the impacts of BCC works on the Enoggera Creek environment. He obtained funding and worked with the existing Enoggera Creek Committee to establish SOWN. The SOWN committee was formed on 1 March 1994.

Brian worked closely with coordinator Brian Sait in the early days of SOWN. Together they set up numerous local resident groups to adopt sections of the creeks. They also set up plant propagation groups at retirement villages known as GOSSIP (Golden Oldies Seed Sowing Implantation Project). Brian died in November 2021.

SOWN Nursery Manager - Dick Harding

The SOWN nursery manager is Dick Harding and the coordinator of Wednesday morning volunteer activities is Lynn Swan.

Many volunteers help out at the nursery on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Propagating, sorting plants, preparing seed, watering, washing tubes and countless other tasks that need to be done to keep the nursery ticking over and supplying plants to members.

New volunteers are always welcome on Wednesday morning. Come along at 9.00 am and ask for Lynn.