Governance

About Us

Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW Incorporated’s operations are undertaken by a Management Committee of volunteers who process grant applications and manage the day-to-day activities of the Fund. The Committee is elected by the Members of ABFNSW to whom they report on the annual results of the Fund. To become a Member of the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW Incorporated and have the ability to attend and vote at the AGM and stand for election to the Committee, complete the membership form. Your application must be proposed and seconded by a current Member of ABFNSW.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

VALERIE BADER

Chair

An actor whose career spans more than forty years, Valerie has worked extensively across all performance disciplines. Notwithstanding her considerable film and television credits, Valerie is perhaps best known for her theatre work – having performed with all of the major theatre companies (and even more of the minor ones). She is especially remembered in Sydney for her many appearances with the Biggins/Forsythe/Scott Wharf Revue team. Valerie has been an active member of Equity since 1972, and previously served on the ABF committee from 1994-96. In recent years, Valerie has enjoyed mentoring young performers as they negotiate the early stages of their careers. She is a passionate advocate for them; and is proud to instil in them a strong regard for themselves, their industry, and their union.

Glenn Hazeldine

Deputy Chair

A proud Novocastrian, Glenn moved to Sydney for training and graduated from the NIDA acting course in 1994. He has worked in TV, film, radio and has performed extensively in theatres across the city and nationwide in both the subsidised and independent sectors. Glenn joined the ABF in December of 2010 and is also the Vice-President of the NSW branch of Actors Equity. For the last few years he has worked part-time with STC's philanthropy team. Glenn is a passionate advocate for the improved well-being of the performing arts community and encourages all of his colleagues to support their charity.

emma Murphy

Treasurer

Emma is currently the Chief Financial Officer at The Joan, Penrith, Emma has had extensive experience as a consultant to Not for Profit arts organisations. She worked with Australia Council for the Arts where she was responsible for Finance including financial reporting, forecasting and budgeting. Emma also runs her own freelance financial not for profit which undertakes consulting work for both Commonwealth and State funding agencies in the arts as well as organisations specialising in fundraising and capacity building in the sector.

Camilla Rountree

Secretary, Event Producer, Public Officer

Camilla has worked in theatre, film and television as an actor and costume designer. From 1994 to 1999 she was Producer of Foundation Events and Associate Producer for Sydney Theatre Company. She has produced large events including the opening of Luna Park Sydney, was Associate Producer for international touring productions, and wrote and toured her own work to Edinburgh Festival and Germany. From 2003 she was the Producer for Riverside Theatres where she programmed and developed, produced and toured productions of new work. In 2016 for NAISDA Dance College she produced the 40th Anniversary Celebration.

SEAN CLARKE

Executive Committee Member

Sean has been at Riverside Theatres since 1989 and is currently the Technical Co-Ordinator. Before working at Riverside he worked for the Gordon Frost Organisation on Big River and for Cameron Mackintosh on ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and the 10th Anniversary production of ‘Les Miserables’. Sean was the Production Manager for the Rob Guest Endowment Concert. In 2000 he was the Production Manager for the Charity Opening of the Sydney Superdome. Sean is a member of the Association of Community Theatre board and is also currently the President of the NSW/ACT Technical Managers Network. Sean is passionate about ABF and is the lighting designer and technical support for ABF's biennial 'Cause Celeb' concerts.

Contessa Treffone

Executive Committee Member

Originally from Western Australia, Contessa graduated from the NIDA acting course in 2012. A self proclaimed theatre nut, she has worked with numerous main stage companies such as Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Belvoir Street, Griffin Theatre, Ensemble Theatre and Darlinghurst Theatre Company, as well as many independent companies. A passionate member of our industry she is a proud member of Equity and as a new member of the ABF NSW committee, she looks forward to continuing her advocacy for the arts.

BRUCE SPENCE

Committee Member

Bruce is a proud member of Actors Equity and a recent addition to the ABF Committee. He was an originating member of the Australian Performing Group (APG) and has worked across Australia for many years in theatre, film and television. Highlights include Endgame, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Secret River, Under Milk Wood, The White Devil, & Macbeth for STC, A Servant of Two Masters, Twelfth Night, Journey’s End, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Richard III for MTC, alongside work for Griffin and Belvoir Theatres and the musicals Les Miserables, Big River and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. He is one of the best known faces of Australian and International film with credits spanning from Stork and The Cars That Ate Paris to The Matrix Revolutions, Lord Of The Rings 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean

JAMIE OXENBOULD

Committee Member

Jamie has been an actor for over 30 years and has worked for most of the major theatre companies in Sydney including Griffin, Bell Shakespeare, STC and Ensemble Theatre. He has appeared on TV shows including Secret City 2, My Place and as a Playschool Presenter. He has worked consistently in the voice-over industry voicing commercials as well as characters for many animations. In 2012 he wrote and performed the one man show 'The Spearcarrier' at the Ensemble Theatre. He has written for many comedy and reality programs and written and directed short films that screened at major film festivals.

KENNETH MORALEDA

Committee Member

Kenneth Moraleda is an actor, writer and director of Filipino descent. He trained at NIDA, graduating in 1995. He is a familiar face in music theatre with roles in major musicals including 'Muriels Wedding- The Musical' and 'The Lion King'. He has appeared in drama for companies including Belvoir, STC and Ensemble as well as the Australian tour of 'War Horse' and has appeared in several feature films. He worked with Playwriting Australia’s 200 Stories High National Outreach program and was a participant in Performance 4a and PWA’s Lotus First Draft - an initiative developing Asian-Australian playwrights. He is also a Director and is currently part of the STC/CAAP Directing Initiative.

Andrew Cutcliffe

Committee Member

Born and bred in Sydney, Andrew graduated from the Ensemble Acting Studios in 2009 and has worked broadly across the industry since; from numerous television and feature film credits to roles on many of Sydney's professional and indie stages. He has also lent his voice to countless commercial campaigns and animations. More recently Andrew has turned his attention to writing, producing and directing with numerous productions in the pipeline. He is incredibly passionate about supporting his industry and colleagues as part of the ABF NSW committee and is also a proud member of Equity.

VANEssa DOWNING

Committee Member

Vanessa has had a career on stage, television and radio spanning 40 years and has been a member of Actors Equity since 1980. She has appeared on stage for most of the major Australian companies including Sydney Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Queensland Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Griffin, Ensemble, and Belvoir St. Vanessa is also a member of the Sydney Philharmonia Symphony Chorus.

Craig Ilott

Committee Member

Craig has been involved in the arts and entertainment industry for over thirty years. He trained as an actor for five years, at QUT then NIDA, graduating in 1991. He worked as an actor across theatre, film and TV for ten years before transitioning into directing. Craig cut his teeth in independent theatre at places like the Old Fitz before working for major performing arts companies and merging into the commercial sector. Craig is determined to make a contribution to the industry in as many ways as he can and is proud to join the committee of the Actors Benevolent Fund.

Patrick Jhanur

Committee Member

Patrick Jhanur is an accomplished actor whose work spans both screen and stage. Known as PJ across the industry, he was born and raised in Brisbane where he trained in the QUT Acting program under the tutelage of Dianne Eden OAM.

PJ's theatre credits include productions with QTC, La Boite Theatre Company, Belvoir, STC, and STCSA, among numerous independent theatre companies. His screen credits span productions with Stan, Netflix, Channel 7, SBS, ABC, and Goalpost Pictures.

In 2020, he was a recipient of the Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star Award. PJ is a proud Equity member and is currently completing a Master of Finance at UTS, with ambitions to advocate for and support the financial wellbeing of artists.

Over the years scores of people have generously given of their valuable time and energy in service of the ABF. Many of these esteemed people served from decade to decade.

DECADE of commencement: 1940 - 1949

Marshall Crosby
Earnest Woods
Harcourt Garden
Myra Dempsey
Lynn Foster
Gwen Plumb
Hal Alexander
Lesley Pope
Gloria Read
Max Hollyer
Dick Matthews
Colin McAlister
John Clements
Ben Dunnet
Ethel Walker
Kathleen Robinson
Hal Lashwood
Ross Buchanan
Peg Christensen
Jarold Wells
Marie Bremner
George Randall
Gil Ellis
Frank Harvey
Bea Wenban
Charles McCallum
John Alden
Dot Mendoza
Don Sanderson
Peter Finch
Ethel Lang
Neil Maver
Lorna Bingham
Kevin Brennan
Alfred Bristowe
Athol Fleming
Bebe Scott
Stan Scott
Pat Brunton-Gibb
D Glenny
W Reynolds
Edward Howell
William Lynch
Hilda Scurr
Colin Scrimgeour
C Marini
Gordon Chater
E Gardiner
Wilson Irving
Cres Jenkinson
Helene Jacoby
G Nixon
G Wahlquist
Sam Biber
Alma Nelson
Lloyd Lamble

Decade of commencement: 1950 - 1959

Maurice Rooklyn
Rodney Jacobs
Strella Wilson
Bob Alexander
Frank Bennett
Don Crosby
John Craig
Sheila Dawe
Barbara Bryce
Neil Hutchison
Paul Martin
Nancy Blackshaw
Dom Harnett
Marcia Hathaway
Les Raphael
Eric Wahlquist
Bill Hodge
Quentin Rafferty
Betty Crosby
Mrs Harry Dearth
Marion Johns
Ron Calvert
Beryl Marshall
Janette Craig
Eric Rasdall
Margot Maurice
Wendy Blacklock
Paul Terry
Tony Standen
Bill Lyle
Lorraine Lammas
Keith Buckley
Lewis Fiander
Moya O’Sullivan
Virginia Standen
Del Furze
Jim Gussey

Decade of commencement: 1960 - 1969

Walter Sullivan
Ted Hepple
Peter Williams
Betty Dyson
Max Meldrum
Ngaire Thomson
Terry McDermott
Kay Eklund
Benita Harvey
Jeanne Cracknell
David Williams
Don Philps
Alexander Cann
Ron Shand
Max Tuttle
Ossie Wenban
Irene How Tucker
Nigel Lovell
Alan Dearth
Phyllis McLean
Hilton Wickham
Nellie Lamport
Charles Jarrett
F Zeigler
Adrian St Leon
Peta Delaney
Max Osbiston
Gordon Glenwright
Julian Flett
Judy Robertson
Frank Lloyd
John Gray
John Pooley
Horrie Rosenbloom
Darylle Leviss
Patricia Hill
Arthur Jandy
Jim Elliott
Janet Kingsbury
Roy Royston
Jean Garling
Doc Doyle

Decade of commencement: 1970 - 1979

Malcolm McGlone
Brenda Senders
Harry M Miller
John Barnes
Don Harvie
Frank Strain
Michael Edgley
Lynn Rainbow
Helen Lorain
Myrna Dodd
Pat Bishop
Maggie Kirkpatrick
Lynnette Curran
Lynne Murphy
Kathleen McCormack
Bettina Welch
Ron Frazer
Ric Hutton
Elaine Lee
Kath Thackeray

Decade of commencement: 1980 - 1989

Geoff Williams
Noel Brophy
Jackie Kott
Betty Lucas
Tom Oliver
Frank Taylor
Jessica Noad
David Nettheim
Adele Alldritt
Leonard Teale
Patricia Amphlett
Liz Kirkby
Jim McElroy
Elsa Jacoby
Edna Edgley
Maggie Dence
Tony Barry
Benita Collings
Barbara Joss
Nancey Hayes AM
Geraldine Turner
Robin Bowering
Janet Brown
Kris McQuade
Tony Preece
John Bell AO
Ian Gilmour
Bronte Morris
Lee Young

Decade of commencement: 1990 - 1999

Anna Volska
Chin Yu Williams
Jonathan Biggins
Sandy Gore
Ronald Falk
Tina Bursill
Angela Punch McGregor
Lorna Lesley
David Chandler
Douglas Hedge
Judy Morris
Valerie Bader
Robert Alexander
Tony Taylor
Laurence Coy
Ron Haddrick
Ian Melville
Valerie Newstead
Judi Farr
Sue Walker
Michael Craig
Scott McGregor
Elaine Smith
Ken Horler
Glenda Linscott

Decade of commencement: 2000 - 2009

Jacki Weaver
Liz Harris
Anne Britton
Noeline Brown OAM
Judy Nunn
Michael Hryce
Wendy Peacock
Leo Brown
Janet Brown
Wendy Strehlow
Tracey Wilson
Michael McCall
Lynn Gailey
Roy Billing
Alice Ansara
Deborah Kennedy
Garry Scale
John Gregg
Bill Young
Elan Zavelsky

DECADE OF COMMENCEMENT: 2010-2019

Tracy Mann
Glenn Hazeldine
Camilla Ah Kin
Emily Rose Brennan
Noel Hodda
Anthony Phelan
David Mitchell
Sandra Eldridge
Camilla Rountree
Patrick Phillips
Laura Gabriel
Emma Barron
Akos Armont
Michael Huxley
Jacob Allan
Bruce Spence
Valerie Bader
Sean Clarke
Jamie Oxenbould
Kenneth Moraleda
William Zappa
Victoria Wildie

DECADE OF COMMENCEMENT: 2020-PRESENT

Peter Carroll AM
Andrew Cutcliffe
Vanessa Downing
Craig Ilott
Contessa Treffone

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+61 2 9333 0915

info@actorsbenevolentfund.org.au

245 Chalmers Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016

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