Board

Ian Bertram (Chairman)

Ian is the former Chairman of Tatura Milk Industries. He was also the independent Director of Dayton Tooling PTY LTD, an Australian family-owned manufacturing business. Ian is a dairy farmer from Tatura, milking 300 cows on 500 acres of irrigated pasture. Prior to returning to the land Ian was employed by Ardmona Foods Limited for approx. 10 years in a manufacturing role. For 18 years prior to this Ian was employed by Midland milk in Shepparton. Ian has recently developed a recycle business that runs in-conjunction with the farm.

Geoff Lodge (CEO and Executive Director)

Geoff has over 20 years experience in the Victorian public service, based in the Shepparton area, managing natural resource management projects. Geoff’s combined program management skills and connectiveness within the local community has enabled him to have considerable influence on key stakeholders aligned with Solar Valley Goes Solar projects and GV Community Energy programs. From 1996-1999 Geoff managed his own private consultancy, a collaborative research project with Central Queensland University on Chinese Water Chestnuts and also investigated the commercialisation of European Carp. In 1999-2005 Geoff was appointed as the Shepparton Irrigation Region - Community Surface Drainage Program Coordinator and then accepted a position with the Department of Sustainability and Environment as Goulburn Broken Biodiversity Team Leader for five years.

Yvonne Forrest (Project Coordinator and Executive Director)

Yvonne is co-founder of Murchison Goes Solar, Solar Valley Goes Solar and GV Community Energy Pty Ltd. Yvonne spent six years as an Executive Assistant to senior management, Sustainable Landscapes, Department of Primary Industries. Prior to this Yvonne established and managed her own business administration and support business in Shepparton for six years and also spent five years working with the Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, in the educational department (SunSmart).

Terry Court (Board Member)

Terry is a civil engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the rural water industry, possessing a wealth of professional experience and extensive community involvement in natural resource management, environmental asset restoration, irrigation, drainage, water catchment, river management, industrial relations, human resources, asset management and contract administration. Terry is a Director of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA) of the Winton Wetlands Committee of Management and was a member of the Lower Goulburn Waterway Management Authority and GBCMA’s Waterways Working Group. Terry is Deputy President of the Goulburn Valley Environment Group and is heavily involved with local community organisations, including hospital, retirement village committees, Tatura Town Plan Committee and Transition Tatura.

Ian Christoe (Board Member)

Ian has worked almost entirely on his family mixed farming business at Undera, Victoria. He took over management in 1986 and implemented changes resulting in better irrigation management and crop productivity. Ian’s interest in sustainable production systems led him to move to full crop residue retention and minimal tillage in order to minimise fuel use and improve soil organic matter and fertility.     Ian is very active in raising awareness of environmental (and social justice) issues, particularly in relation to climate change and resource depletion. He stood as the Greens candidate for Murray in the 2007 and 2010 Federal elections, and as the Greens candidate in the 2008 Greater Shepparton Council election. In 2008 Ian joined the Murchison Goes Solar working group acting as spokesperson and a panelist on supplier interviews. He continued in this role during the subsequent Solar Valley Goes Solar projects in 2009 and 2010.

Doug Small (Board Member)

Doug’s professional career includes nearly 40 years of research with the Department of Primary Industries, covering irrigated pastures, salinity, soil degradation, effluent reuse, nutrients in drainage, irrigated cropping and organic dairy production. After leaving DPI in 1999 Doug set up an environmental and agricultural consultancy business to consult on soils, irrigation, wastewater and environment management systems.

Doug is actively involved in Landcare and helped form, then lead the Kyabram Urban Landcare group for ten years.  He is currently secretary of the Goulburn Murray Landcarae Network and assistant secretary of the Wyuna Landcare Group.

In 2008, Doug helped form the Sustainable Kyabram (SKY) which facilitated the installation of over 100 PV system in Kyabram through a community bulk-buy.  The Lockington community engaged Doug to facilitate PV adaptation in 2009.

Doug joined the Solar Valley Goes Solar steering Committee in 2009 and was accepted onto the GVCE Board in 2010.

John Pettigrew (Board Member)

John lives with his wife Robin at Bunbartha and has had a lifelong connection to the Goulburn Valley.

John has a strong horticulture, grazing and irrigation background and is an experienced past director of publicly listed (SPC Limited) and private companies and Government Authorities such as Goulburn-Murray Water and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.

He has a background of natural resource management as a member of various Government committees, working with irrigation and salinity programs and more recently as a presenter with the Climate Reality Project (Formerly The Climate Project).

Johns other current involvements and interests include The Environmental Farmers' Network, GV Environment Group, Landcare and enjoying his grandchildren.

It is the future environment these grandchildren will experience that drives John’s interests and efforts.