About the V4I Team

John Davis – President of Voices for Indi  

Historian, teacher, priest, academic, administrator, community activist for various causes.  South Australian born and raised, John studied and worked in Canada and the UK before spending the last 42 years in either Melbourne or the Border/ North East, including 10 years in Albury and the last 8 in Wangaratta. Shares house and home with fellow retired priest and writer, Robert Whalley. Strongly involved in the synodical governance of the Anglican Church at national, regional and local levels. Trustee for the Anglican Diocese of Wangaratta, Cathedral College Wangaratta Council member. Retired as Vicar General and Diocesan Archdeacon of the Diocese of Wangaratta in 2016. From 2010-2016, Regional Coordinator for the Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry for the Hume region, response and recovery.  Past president of Milawa Oxley Rotary.  Active on social media. Been on the V4I committee since early 2014.

Amanda Aldous – Vice President of Voices for Indi.

Amanda and her husband operate a small beef farm near Oxley and she has lived and worked in North East Victoria for over 30 years. Amanda’s background has been predominately in education but she has worked in youth and community development for the last six years. She has a particular interest in developing community based strategies to increase support for young people, particularly in relation to their mental health and is a qualified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor. She lobbied for and coordinated the successful implementation of the Live4Life Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention program in Benalla. Amanda and has an interest in youth policy development and has been a member of the Youth Affairs Council (YACVic) Statewide Rural Reference group advocating for young people on a range of issues.  She has also 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 to have a say. Amanda also happens to have a strong interest in the arts has been the in-house V4i graphic designer since first becoming involved in April 2013!  She has continued to be inspired and motivated by the fact that the community has chosen to do politics differently in Indi and is committed to encouraging participatory democracy.

Anne Shaw – Secretary of Voices for Indi

Anne grew up on a farm near Mansfield in North East Victoria and now lives and works in Wangaratta.  Anne is self-employed and provides project management services for regional and community development projects for business, government and community organisations.  Anne has extensive experience, local knowledge and networks in the areas of agribusiness, drought services, community leadership, small business, governance, regional planning, education and community foundations.  Anne has diplomas in community development, project management and community education.  Anne’s current community involvement is with Carevan and the Wangaratta Business Women’s Network and was previously a community representative for The Centre Community College, North East Health and Anglicare. She is a founding member of V4I.

Tony Lane – Treasurer of Voices for Indi

Tony has been a local resident for over 30 years  and his better half Donna have raised three kids, all of whom have now flown the nest.  During this period Tony has worked in the public sector, initially in the employment and training arena and in recent years in health and aged care.   A great passion has been the education and community area and Tony has served on school boards in Wangaratta for many years, including 6 years as Board Chair at Galen Catholic College.   Tony has also been involved in Landcare and sustainability issues locally and as Chair of the Wangaratta Sustainability Network and also land care.  It is a combination of these community interests and experiences that have provided Tony with the motivation to be involved in V4I.

Denis Ginnivan – Past President of Voices for Indi 

Denis was raised on farms near Benalla where his family had been farming for five generations.He has been a resident of Indi for 54 years. He has lived and worked professionally at Horsham, Armidale (NSW) Wangaratta, Wodonga – Albury and Yackandandah for over 36 years. He and his partner now live on a small beef property in the Indigo Valley near Yackandandah, where they raised their three daughters. He has extensive experience as school council president of primary and secondary schools, and as a CFA volunteer for over 25 years.

Denis is a 1991 Churchill Fellow and has lead important national and state rural organisations and projects focused on rural counselling for farmers in financial difficulties, farm debt mediation law reform, and rural-based neuro-trauma rehabilitation. He has qualifications in social work, agricultural economics, conflict resolution and facilitation. He has a long term role as a consultant policy researcher and adviser with the National Rural Health Alliance.

Denis is a founding member of the Border Trust, Yackandandah Folk Festival and Totally Renewable Yackandandah. He is Director of Events That Matter, an emerging commercial business organising and managing rural events of social, economic and cultural importance.

Denis is passionate about our local region and rural Australia. He has an extensive experience presenting the Voices for Indi community politics message to major national and international conferences and forums. He has never been a member of a political party, and is a founding member of Voices For Indi.

Alana Johnson – Past President of Voices for Indi 

Alana is a fifth generation farmer involved in cattle production and farm forestry near Benalla. She is recognised nationally and internationally for her work in Rural Development and Leadership Training.  Alana was the Victorian Rural Women’s Award winner for 2010 and Australian runner-up and represented rural Australia on the ABC television Q+A panel. Alana has served on many Boards and Committees including the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, advisory bodies to State and Federal Ministers and the Victorian Women’s Trust. Alana is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program and the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is currently researching the future of agriculture in Australia at Monash University. She is a founding member of V4I. www.alanajohnson.com.au

Rowan O’Hagan – Committee Member

Rowan grew up in regional Victoria and has lived in the North East and Southern Riverina since 1989. Rowan has a background in agricultural science and a doctorate in regional economics. During the last decade, Rowan has researched the impact of drought and changes in water availability on rural communities and worked in community economic development, small business, education and the health sector. Her belief in the power of rural communities to shape their own economic and cultural futures has led to her commitment to Voices for Indi and the sustainability movement across the region. She is a founding member of V4I.

Phil Haines – Committee Member

Phil has lived and worked in Wangaratta, Rutherglen and Chiltern for over 30 years. He is an agricultural scientist who works in research and development to increase sustainable food production and farm profitability. Phil and his wife own a small farm outside Wangaratta where they run beef cattle and previously operated a B & B business. Phil has been involved in various community activities especially in sport and education. Holding leadership roles as school council president of Wangaratta High School and Primary School has furthered his belief that education is critical for the development of rural communities. Phil believes that the disadvantage that many country students face must be addressed and fixed. He is a founding member of V4I.

Chris Hazell – Committee Member

Chris was raised on a farm near Griffith (NSW) and has worked in senior positions with the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Victorian AIDS Council, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Women’s Health Victoria. Chris is a graduate of Victoria College’s Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Development and was awarded the prize for the outstanding student in 1989. She also attained a Masters of Business in Change Management from RMIT in 1998.

Chris specialised in action learning providing ways for organisations and community groups to create a shared vision, think differently about work, explore the “how to” rather than “why to” that makes the workplace work differently, less daunting, involving everybody in improving the whole system.

Since moving to the King Valley in 2006, Chris has created a two-acre Lavender farm, along with a small herd of Alpacas and Dorper sheep. Chris has undertaken various strategic projects and business planning for Dal Zotto Wines since 2009, along with chairing their Advisory Board. Community involvement includes; chairing the Whitfield Action Group, coordinating the King Valley Art Show for 6 years, being a member of the Steering Committee for the King Valley Master Plan and board member/chair for Women’s Health Goulburn North East from 2011-2016. She joined the V4I Committee early in 2016.

Ann Telford – Committee Member

Ann has lived most of her life in North East Victoria and has a commitment to the prosperity of the region. Her interests are mainly focused on social justice issues, the environment, leadership and participatory democracy. Those interests have led her to serve on the Boards of Albury-Wodonga Youth Emergency Services, Goulburn Ovens TAFE, Alpine Valleys Community Leadership, Beyond Housing and Totally Renewable Yackandandah.

Ann recently accepted the role of Chair of Indigo Power, North East Victoria’s ‘start-up’ Community Energy Retailer and has held senior roles in both the community and public sectors across the region and is currently an Executive at North East Water.  Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts, the ANZOG Executive Master of Public Administration and she is a qualified Mediator, Project Manager and Engagement Practitioner.  Ann and her partner enjoy life together on a small farming and accommodation enterprise and highly value the abundant offerings and opportunities of their regional lifestyle.

Ray Park – Committee member

Ray moved from southern Victoria to the North East over 30 years ago. With farming in his blood he has continued to operate a small mixed farm, focusing in recent years on growing irrigated lucerne and fat lamb production. Ray recently retired following a long career in local government, in which he held executive roles in several North East Councils.  During this time he participated in an international management exchange program to the US and later served as CEO of Towong Shire.

He is a qualified accountant and Fellow of CPA Australia.  He also holds a Bachelor of Business, a Master of Business and Graduate Diploma in Rural and Regional Planning. With an interest in supporting community, environment and economic development, Ray has served on the Boards of a number of regional organisations.  These include Upper Murray Family Care, North East CMA, St Catherine’s Aged Care, North East Waste & Resource Recovery and a number of customer committees for Goulburn Murray Water.

Rob Carolane – Committee Member

Rob is now living in Wangaratta after 35 years living at Whitlands. He is a self-employed facilitator and community engagement specialist.

Rob has served on the boards of many community organisations. He is currently Chair of The Centre for Continuing Education Inc., an adult education provider based in Wangaratta. He is Deputy Chair of Winton Wetlands Committee of Management Inc. and is a volunteer with the CFA. Rob joined V4i in 2018 and sees the building of vibrant regional economies as vital in helping us adapt to climate change, recover social equity, and leave a healthy landscape for future generations. Participatory democracy, lifelong learning and community culture all assist us in the journey.