About the V4I Team

(Committee members listed alphabetically)

Amanda Aldous 

Amanda is passionate about improving outcomes for young people in our rural communities. She is actively engaged in programs throughout the North East that support young people and empower them to have a political voice. As a parent and a youth worker, Amanda could see and hear how dis-empowered many young people felt when it came to politics and community representation. This inspired Amanda to become part of the V4i team in April 2013 and she continues to be motivated by V4i’s commitment to participatory democracy and doing politics differently.

Amanda’s career began in education but she has increasingly focused on youth and community development. Amanda played a key role in developing the now annual Youth Politics Camp which attracts participants from seven North East Victorian local government areas and encourages young people to get involved in their communities and have a say.  She has been a member of the Youth Affairs Council Statewide Rural Reference group advocating for young people on a range of issues and has a particular interest in youth mental health.  She coordinated the implementation of the Live4Life Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention program in Benalla and regularly facilitates training for community members in Youth Mental Health First Aid.  Amanda and has lived and worked in the North East for over 30 years and she and her husband run a small beef farm in Oxley. She also has a strong interest in the arts and has been the in-house V4i graphic designer since first becoming involved.

Tammy Atkins

Rob Carolane

Rob is a community facilitation and engagement specialist who understands that only fair and transparent processes build trust and allow people to find a collaborative pathway. His personal and professional approach to community engagement is about actively encouraging and supporting people to participate in values-based practices and as such, it mirrors the V4i ethos.

Rob facilitates respectful processes that allow all parties to have a voice and feel valued. He believes a commitment to participatory democracy, lifelong learning and community culture enables rural communities to build social capital and navigate change in a complex world.

Rob lived at Whitlands for 35 years and recently relocated to Wangaratta. He has a long history of involvement in community organisations in the North East. He is the current Chair of The Centre for Continuing Education, an adult education provider based in Wangaratta and is Deputy Chair of Winton Wetlands Committee of Management. Rob also serves as a CFA volunteer. Rob became involved with V4i in 2018 and brings a wealth of skills and experience to the team.

John Davis

John Davis has a strong connection with our region and cares deeply about its people. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role as V4i President from his previous engagements as a teacher, historian, priest, academic, administrator and community activist. John is intensely interested in all things community. He shares the V4i conviction that a values-based respectful approach to political participation, that is both responsive to and reflective of community needs and aspirations, is the best model to pursue. John has been part of the V4i team since 2014 and he has relished the challenge and stimulation of working with people across the region to do politics differently.

John was born and raised in South Australia. He studied and worked in Canada, the UK, Albury and Melbourne before resettling in the north-east in 2010. John’s qualifications in history, education and theology have informed his work as a Priest, Trustee and Vicar General with the Anglican Church. His years of involvement in the governance structures of the Anglican Church at all levels have deepened his understanding of policy development and institutional processes. John’s work as the Regional Coordinator for the emergency response and recovery work of the Victorian Council of Churches in Hume region further enriched his understanding of the needs and hopes of the north east community.

Phil Haines

Phil Haines is a founding member of Voices for Indi. He is passionate about the long-term development and prosperity of regional communities, with a focus on equity of opportunity for all, especially in education, and the development of sustainable agricultural systems.

Phil has had a life-long interest in politics, both in Australia and internationally, but until the 2013 federal election had not been actively involved in a campaign. This changed when Phil became Cathy McGowan’s campaign manager for both the 2013 and 2016 elections, leading the grassroots community campaign that involved over 600 supporters and resulted in the election of an independent in Indi for the first (and second) time.

Phil has had a long career in agricultural research and development, holding senior government roles in strategy, policy and program development, investment and industry partnering. He lives outside Wangaratta on a small beef cattle property, which has also run a successful farmstay accommodation business.

Chris Hazell

Chris values continuous learning. She is always willing to share ideas and engage in respectful debate and recognises it is important for people to stand up and take control of their own futures, even if that means stepping out of their comfort zone. Chris loves being part of the V4i community and is continually inspired by the V4i practice of doing politics differently.

Chris specialises in action learning strategies, helping groups and organisations create a shared vision and both respond to and drive change. Chris has applied this approach, informed by her post-graduate qualifications in Business Change Management, to change management roles across the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Victorian AIDS Council, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Women’s Health Victoria.

Chris was raised on a farm near Griffith NSW and has lived in the King Valley since 2006. She is actively involved in her local community and has served on such committees as the Whitfield Action Group, the King Valley Art Show, the King Valley Master Plan, and Women’s Health Goulburn North East. She joined the V4i Committee in early 2016.

Alana Johnson

Alana Johnson is a founding member of Voices for Indi. She is committed to the importance of all people having the right to be listened to, included, valued and empowered in their lives. She believes that families, communities and the nation benefit when people choose to act for the common good and actively participate in politics and government because ‘the future belongs to those who turn up’.

Alana has long been involved in social change and has served on many government and not-for-profit boards, committees and advisory bodies. Alana is well known for her work in rural communities, supporting women in agriculture and leadership development. Alana is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She lives near Benalla on a family beef cattle property and is currently researching the future of agriculture in Australia through Monash University.

 Tony Lane

 Tony is passionate about education, community wellbeing and environmental sustainability so it was only natural that he got involved in community-based grass-roots politics. Tony values the collegiate approach of the V4i community recognising that respectful processes create opportunities for all people to make a positive contribution and improve social and environmental outcomes.

Tony is the current Chair of the Wangaratta Sustainability Network, which is part of the Victorian Landcare Network, and served as Board Chair at Galen Catholic College for six years. Tony has lived and worked in the North East for 35 years. For most of this time he has worked in the public sector, initially in employment and training, and currently in health and aged care. Tony and his wife Donna have raised three children who have all flown the nest.

Paul Ryan – joined the committee in 2020

Anne Shaw

Anne is a founding member of Voices for Indi. She values the innovative approach of V4i and the contribution it is making to the future of communities across Indi, and beyond. She is deeply committed to processes that enable our local and regional communities to have their voices heard in Australia’s political discourse and decision making.

Anne has experience, local knowledge and networks in community leadership, regional planning, agribusiness, governance and community foundations. She has served on numerous boards and committees across the North East, with an emphasis on community wellbeing and community representation. Anne has qualifications in community development, project management and community education and she currently works in the education and digital inclusion sector. Anne has a strong rural background. She grew up on a farm at Bonnie Doon in North East Victoria and now lives and works in Wangaratta.

Florent Thivalier – joined the committee in 2020