Bob Conroy, B.A.(Geography, Biology), GradDip.EnvStudies, MMgt. (Bushfire Advisory Committee Chair)
Bob Conroy has more than 40 years of experience in protected area management in both operational and executive roles. Bob has a strong interest in fire management strategy, policy and planning and has represented the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for more than 10 years on the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee and as a Council and Board member on the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council. Bob is currently a Deputy Captain with Coal and Candle RFB, has been a member of the NSW Bush Fire Coordinating Committee for more than 20 years and represents the NCC on the Rural Fire Service Advisory Council, Bob is a foundation member of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action group, a member of the NPWS Advisory Council and a member of the NPWS Greater Sydney Advisory Committee. Bob is also a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN Expert Assessment Group for Green Listing. As a Director of ARRDENT Pty Ltd, Bob has undertaken fire policy and fire operational reviews for Parks Australia, the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council and for the Rural Fire Service. Bob is a recipient of the National Fire Medal with two clasps, was awarded the AFAC Special Acknowledgement Award for Contribution to the Industry and is a Churchill Fellow.
Grahame Douglas, PhD Bushfire Weather and Fire Behaviour and Climate Change
Grahame began his interest in bushfire matters in the late 1980’s representing environmental interests on the then Bush Fire Council. In 1993 he was appointed to the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee. In 1996 he was Environment Officer within the then Department of Bush Fire Services and held a number of positions including Manager, Planning and Environment. Grahame has worked with the NSW Rural Fire Service in the area of community safety for more than 15 years and was responsible for developing the legislative provisions and policy relating to bush fire risk management planning, development control for bushfire prone areas, environmental impact of hazard reduction activities and assisted in initial changes to the NSW variations to the BCA. He was the principal author of Planning for Bushfire Protection in 2001 and 2006 and is currently a member of the Standards Committee FP-020 in the review of AS3959 Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas. Grahame lectured for more than 10 years at the Western Sydney University in the Post Graduate Bush Fire Protection program. He has completed his PhD in NSW bushfire weather and fire behaviour under the influence of climate change. He continues to be a research fellow at WSU and provides consultancy services in bushfire protection. In 2024, Grahame was admitted as a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the community for bushfire research, governance and mentoring.
Judy Lambert, AM, BPharm, BSc(Hons), PhD (Pharmacology), Grad Dip EnvMgt, Grad Dip Business Admin
Judy’s interest in fire management began with early experience growing up in a family deeply involved in volunteer fire services. Living on a farm in north-eastern Victoria she experienced a major fast-moving grass fire at unpleasantly close proximity. Judy’s career spans time as a research scientist, an advocate for a national environmental NGO, a fulltime consultant to a former Federal Minister for the Environment, and a long-time partner in a small consultancy business. Judy and her then business partner the late Dr Jane Elix worked as facilitators for NCC’s pilot Hotspots Program (2007-2010), using their shared consensus-building, conflict resolution and NRM/ecological management skills and learned much about fire management from the diversity of experts/stakeholder participants. Judy is an NCC representative on the Mosman-North Sydney-Willoughby and Northern Beaches BFMCs. She has also been a community leader in collaborative research on the influence of hazard reduction burns in restoring Critically Endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub on North Head at Manly.
Ross McDonnell, B.App. Sci. (Parks and Rec), Grad Dip (Public Sec Man)
Ross has 30 years experience in protected area management in operational and senior management roles. Ross represented the NSW NPWS on various BFMC’s, vegetation, water, catchment, and aboriginal co-management committees predominately in the south west and central west of NSW. Ross in currently on the National Parks Association Executive and is state treasurer. Ross is the NCC representative on the NPWS Advisory Committee.
Kate McShea, M.App.Sc Wildlife Health & Population Management, B.Sc
Kate is the Coordinator of the Healthy Ecosystems Program and has been working with the Nature Conservation Council of NSW since 2008. With a keen interest and experience in fire ecology, environmental management and both terrestrial and aquatic conservation, Kate coordinates delivery of the Hotspots Fire Project (Hotspots) with the NSW Rural Fire Service as well as the broader and longer term aspirations of the Healthy Ecosystems programs within NCC.
Steve Meredith
Steve is a descendant of Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan people of western New South Wales, being a clan member of Pilaarkiyalu (belonging to belah tree) people from Keewong and Coombie stations in western New South Wales. He previously held the role of director of Program Delivery with Heritage NSW in the Department of Planning and Environment and has over 30 years’ experience protecting, conserving and managing heritage values in New South Wales.
Steve has served on several committees including a previous term with: the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee; Mt Grenfell Board of Management; Mawonga Management Committee; and Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service as chairperson. Steve is also a founding member of the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service, Winangakirri Aboriginal Corporation and Wangaaypuwan Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Jim Morrison, B.A. (Geography and Planning), Grad.Dip. Ecology
Jim is currently the Northern Regional representative on the Nature Conservation Council of NSW Board. He was NCC's representative on Kyogle BFMC for five years in the early 2000’s and then the alternate representative on the Northern Rivers BFMC. He is currently the NCC rep on Clarence Valley BFMC.
Jim was the hotspots ecologist in the first pilot NCC hotspots project in the Upper Clarence. He was a member of the steering committee for the development of the Northern Rivers Regional Biodiversity Management Plan and the Border Ranges Rainforest Management Plan. He was directly involved in the development and implementation of the 'Cultural Connections' model for Indigenous engagement from 2007 - 2010. He has represented NCC on Native Vegetation and Water Committees and the Upper North Coast Catchment Management Board. Jim is President of the North Coast Environment Council Inc. and has undertaken postgraduate studies in conflict resolution at UNE Armidale.
Greg Mullins AO, AFSM, MMgt, FIFireE
Greg served as Commissioner of Fire & Rescue NSW from 2003-2017; the second longest serving Commissioner in the organisation’s history, and the first person to come through the ranks to be both Chief Fire Officer and CEO. He has a long history in bushfire control, as a member of his local volunteer bushfire brigade from 1972 to 1982, as a full-time firefighter from 1978 to 2017, and as a volunteer firefighter with the RFS from 2016 to the present. During his career he worked as Blue Mountains Hazard Reduction Officer, Sydney Region Hazard Reduction Officer, Officer in Charge Bushfire Section, Alternate 41F nominee for Hornsby Ku-ring-gai, Director State Operations, member of the NSW Bushfire Coordinating Committee, and he oversaw many major firefighting operations including the 2001/02, 2007, and 2013 bushfires. He was a awarded a Commendation for Courageous Action for a rescue during the 1994 bushfires in Lane Cove, where he was in charge of field operations. Greg as a Masters Degree in Management, is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the US National Fire Academy, completed a Churchill Fellowship on aircraft and bushfire control in 1995, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers. Prior to retirement he was President and Board Chair of AFAC, the peak council for fire and emergency services in Australia and NZ, and was Australian Director of the International Fire Chiefs’ Association of Asia. He is currently Chair of the NSW Ambulance Advisory Board, represents the Minister for Energy and Environment on the NSW Bushfire Coordinating Committee, is a member of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Advisory Council, a councillor with the Climate Council, and in 2019 formed Emergency Leaders for Climate Action. He is a keen bush regenerator.
Julie Taylor Mills (B.Arts Japanese and Economics) , Grad Diploma Env Science
Julie is currently Vice Chair of the Nature Conservation Council and has spent the last 30 years working professionally in the corporate environmental management space. In recent years, Julie has spent much of her time on conservation land on the South Coast which she and her husband have been actively rewilding. They have also facilitated the purchase and conservation of a tract of old growth forest almost adjacent to their own land. Both properties escaped the ravages of the 2019-2020 fires, but Julie’s experience remaining on site there throughout this period, and then actively fighting fires that developed on neighbouring properties gave her a heightened concern for how landscapes and biodiversity responds to and recovers from major fires. Since that period, Julie has been part of a range of community recovery programmes on the South Coast post Black Summer and has been supporting cultural burning in the Eurobodalla Shire, having implemented the practice with local indigenous rangers on her own property.
Prof. Don White, BEng, CEng, FIChemE
Don has been actively involved in the environmental movement and conservation issues his entire life. He had a 30-year career as a senior manager in Industrial manufacturing then 20 years in Academia and environmental organisations and is now largely retired.
Don was Chair of the Nature Conservation Council board for 17 years; a Board member of the Environmental Protection Authority NSW 2008-12; a Board member of the NSW Environmental Trust 2014-2022; as well as being an active member of many organisations,
Don is a life member of the local Laguna Volunteer Fire Brigade, Coordinator of Green Shareholders, and continues to be involved in Community issues in lots of ways including having been a keen volunteer Bush Regenerator, the Local Resident Group Coordinator and local Landholder member of the Area Resilience Committee.