Ruth Spielman
Ruth is a partner at Ideas at Work consultancy. She was previously Executive Officer of the National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA) incorporating the fast-growing municipalities on the outskirts of the major cities around the nation, including Wyndham and Melton in Melbourne’s west.
She has also held senior roles in local government across planning and community services portfolios. Ruth has lived in the west since the mid-1980s, at which time she worked for the former Western Region Commission, a regional organisation of local government, on housing policy.
At that time, she was also a member of the Western Regional Housing Council which was based at the Western Region Council for Social Development in Cowper St. Footscray. She subsequently worked for Westurb, a western region community planning and environment advice service and did sessional tutoring at the former Footscray Institute of Technology.
Evan Willis
A resident of the West from birth, Evan Willis is one of Stan and Doris Willis’ eleven grandchildren.
A Partner at national law firm Holding Redlich and an Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Relations, Evan represents individuals from all walks of life in employment disputes, with an emphasis on educators. Evan is a significant contributor to the firm’s pro bono and social justice work including by representing asylum seekers, refugee and First Nations people.
Prior to pursuing a career in law, Evan was an Administrator at the Centre for International Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Evan is also a former Board Member and Governance Director at Lacrosse Victoria and Committee Member at Williamstown Lacrosse Club.
Ralph Willis
Ralph Willis is the eldest son of Stan Willis and is a life-long resident of Melbourne’s west. He represented the seat of Gellibrand (covering Melbourne’s inner-west), in the Federal Parliament for 26 years. For 13 of those years, he was a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke and Keating Governments, holding the portfolios of Employment and Industrial Relations, Transport and Communications, Finance and Treasurer.
Subsequent to leaving parliament, Ralph was Chair of the Construction and Building Industry Superannuation Fund (CBUS) and LeadWest, a regional representational body for the western suburbs of Melbourne. He is also a former Director of Victoria University Foundation and former Chair of the Board of Western Health and member of its Finance Committee, Governance and Remuneration Committee, Quality and Safety Committee and the Primary Care and Population Health Advisory Committee.
Ralph was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for long service to the Commonwealth Parliament and in 2011 was named an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, particularly in the areas of economic development and industrial relations, to the superannuation industry, and to the community. He has also been conferred with the degree of Doctor of the University Honoris Causa from Victoria University for services to Australia and in particular the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Karla Livingstone-Pardy
Karla is an Account Manager at Arts Centre Melbourne. Previously, she worked for the City of Melbourne across Creative Infrastructure, Creative Programming and Community Events, where she developed frameworks for venue activation, community hire policies and event governance.
Karla grew up in Melbourne’s west and, through her creative work, has developed strong connections with a range of community and arts organisations across the region. Alongside her arts career, Karla founded the charity event series Music for Max, which raises funds to support children and young people across Melbourne to participate in music classes and purchase instruments. Over five years, Music for Max has raised more than $50,000 in scholarship funding.
Trustee News
Goodbye and Thank You
Louise Glanville, having been involved with the establishment of the Stan Willis Trust in the late ‘90’s, has resigned as a Trustee. We thank Louise for her commitment over such a long period. Always a proponent for social justice and the west, Louise’s considerable contribution is truly appreciated and we wish her all the best for the future.
Tribute
We pay tribute to Prof Colleen Vale who died recently. Colleen was previously Chair of WestEd, supporting teachers and education in the western suburbs. When WestEd closed, the proceeds from the sale of their building came to the Stan Willis Trust. Colleen also joined as a Trustee and brought with her a fire in her belly about the importance of education and ensuring children and young people in the west got the opportunities they deserved. She has left us a lasting legacy, with the Trust focussing on education through supporting homework clubs, scholarships and teaching storytelling. Our condolences to Collen’s wife, family and colleagues.