Hayley started with MDWA as CEO in 2014. Known for her enthusiastic approach to literally everything she does, she makes for the best kind of boss for our organisation. In her spare time you’ll find her hanging out with her family and friends, at the footy or away camping somewhere in our beautiful state. Originally from South Africa, her accent echoes loudly around the office on a daily basis as she shares our wins with the team. Hayley is particularly fond of food - so much so we ran out of room to list all of her favourite meals. But her biggest vice? Candy Crush… we’ll just leave that one right there.

After starting out as a vollie for us, Em soon decided she wanted to be in the office full time, so like anything she puts her mind to, she made it happen. Perhaps the smallest yet loudest of the bunch (she comes a close second to Mark for the class clown title), you can be guaranteed you’ll always get a straight answer out of her. Equally at home coordinating community photo shoots, arranging staff sundowners, starting the Empower Fund initiative or selling raffle tickets at a golf day, Em is a Jack-of-all-trades and epitomizes the broad range of what we do as an organisation. She’s also across all of our operational matters, including automation and admin. In her spare time she doesn’t sit still, always out meeting new people and keeping busy. A proud crazy cat lady, when she’s not mothering her fur babies you’ll find her busy little brain coming up with new ways to engage people with our cause.

The first thing you’ll notice about Mark is his addictive smile - it’s almost as big as his personality. Sporting backgrounds seem to be our thing, with Mark’s first job being that of an indoor cricket umpire at just 12 years of age. Mark has been handling all of our partnerships and sponsorships for over 5 years and heads up our fundraising events. Known for being a grammar fiend, it’s not surprising that he would like to write a bestseller. We’re pretty sure he has some good life experiences to draw from, including having to get out of the UK in quite a hurry at 24 years of age, only to sneak back in via a mate’s car… needless to say, he’s definitely the class clown.

Not only is Piper the President of a netball club and a nationally-badged netball umpire, she is also our much-loved Community Services Manager. She’s been with us since 2014 after leaving Asthma Foundation to return to university to do a Masters in Business. Piper loves singing in the car, much to the disappointment of her two kids Tamaryn and Kai. Although, they have crowned her Queen of backyard pool water volleyball so she must be doing something right. Piper gives her best at everything she tackles and is so honest that she would even try to find the original owner of the lotto ticket she’s going to find lying on the ground outside the office one day. She makes sure our community service provision meets the needs and opportunities of the neuromuscular community available within the disability sector.

With the most distinctive laugh in the office, it’s no wonder Cackles is Cath’s nickname. Always cheery and bright, she brings a lot of joy to us on the days she’s in, keeping our books in tip top shape – which is not an easy job with so much going on. A self-confessed competitive soul, she keeps the fire going by playing beach volleyball once a week. On weekends she’s a committed babysitter for her grandkids but still manages to find plenty of time to see her friends for a wine or two. Cath has been our go-to for questions about budgets and dollars for over 7 years now and quite frankly, it’d be tough to get by without her.

Holly is our self-proclaimed ‘quirky’ team member. On weekends you’ll find her reading in her hammock, trawling through op shops to find a bargain or out with friends. She’s responsible for all things social media, campaign planning, newsletter writing and helping our fundraisers meet their targets. No stranger to a deep and meaningful conversation, Holly is a sentimental sally that loves a chat – which is handy as she works in comms.

Sarah’s a good egg. We know this because she even shaved all of her hair off for a good cause once. Working previously as a support worker and registered nurse makes her the perfect Support Services Officer for us. Sarah loves holidays - we know this because she mentioned them in at least 3 of her staff profile questions. She also picked the cheeky willy wagtail as her choice of animal to come back as. She’s the point of contact for our community for individual advocacy, our Cough Assist Program and Counselling support, amongst many other things.

There seem to be some very common themes that run through our team here at MDWA and Bryony seems to fit into quite a few of them. She’ll be at home discussing her obsession with cricket with Mark and Piper, indulging in our epic birthday cheese platters with everyone and singing along to our “we love our jobs” ditty that can be heard around the office. We are unofficially appointing her as our Office Medico given her aim is to one day be a paramedic. On weekends she’s 24/7 at the netball court filling many roles including player, umpire, mentor and committee member (are you exhausted, cos we are?). Her spirit animal is an Otter as she loves a good hug and I’m sure you’ll enjoy one of those from her in her role as Community Programs Officer whilst Brooke is on maternity leave.

He has an impressive collection of board games and is a Jack-of-all-Trades with the tools to prove it. If he's not at the park with his two boys on the weekends you'll find him tinkering in the garage. He's known for his wise crackin' dad jokes and for always trying to find the positive in every situation. Josh applied for the position as he wants to give back and support his community (he’s been a member since 2017) - which is what we’re all about!