Our Team - Courage to Care

Ed St John, Chief Executive Officer

Ed is responsible for running our organisation and delivering on our strategic goals. Most recently, Ed was Executive General Manager with The Ethics Centre – and prior to that, he held a variety of roles in the entertainment industry including CEO of Warner Music, Managing Director of BMG Australia and Director of Marketing at Sony Music. A strong believer in the values of Courage to Care, Ed applies skills in leadership, organisational change, marketing, event management and fundraising in helping C2C to meet its goals.

Kayla Szumer, Team Leader & Queensland Executive Member

Kayla established Courage to Care in Queensland in 2007 with a six-week exhibition on the Sunshine Coast. She is responsible for bringing together a team of dedicated volunteers in Queensland who have become the backbone of the C2C classroom program, which Kayla initiated in 2015 and has grown to reach over 40 schools annually.

With a passion for human rights and social justice, Kayla joined C2C upon retirement from her professional life as a social worker in Sydney, and coordinated many exhibitions in NSW and Queensland. As well as Team Leader, Kayla is part of the Queensland Executive and serves as Coordinator on school visits. She is also often a Storyteller of her late husband Adam’s Holocaust testimony.

Kayla was born in Sydney to Russian immigrant parents. She lives in Brisbane and is the proud mother of three sons and seven grandchildren.

Maxine Cheilyk, Queensland Executive Member

Maxine is responsible for Facilitating and Coordinating on school visits and represents Queensland on the Board of Courage to Care.

Born in South Africa, Maxine has lived in Australia since 1978. She was a National Fashion Buyer for Myer and ran her own fashion label for 11 years. A return to teaching, led to work as a facilitator within the Retail industry, which in turn led to a role as National Marketing Manager.

Maxine has participated in many activities as a volunteer over the years, with a long association with C2C and is passionate about educating against discrimination and intimidation. She and her husband, Gideon, are fortunate to have both of their children and their families, especially their adored grandsons, live in Brisbane.

Lee McNamee, Queensland Executive Member

Lee is responsible for Rostering and Training, and serves as Coordinator, Presenter and Facilitator on school visits.

Recently retired from managing two busy Allied Health Clinics, Lee focuses on balance between family, friends and volunteer work. She sits on various Jewish organisation boards and is involved in the community in a variety of roles since moving to Brisbane in 1988.

With experience in business and staff management, accounting, communication and public relations, Lee contributes to C2C in various roles wherever she can. She holds training workshops for C2C volunteers in presentation and guiding skills and gives presentations and guided tours around the Queensland Gallery of Art and Modern Art.

Lee is passionate about C2C’s active role in educating the youth to be upstanders and have a voice against discrimination.

Astrid Wurfl, Queensland Executive Member

Astrid is responsible for Training and Mentoring C2C Facilitators, and serves as Coordinator and Facilitator on school visits.

Born in the USA, Astrid grew up in South Africa and moved to Australia in 1989. She is a researcher at the Queensland University of Technology and works in the area of helping teenagers cope with stress and build resilience. She is married and has three children.

Astrid is a long-term C2C volunteer and Queensland Executive Member, assisting C2C wherever she can. Astrid feels that hearing survivor stories is a real privilege and an excellent way to honour their resilience as well as remind us all of the difference that a single individual can make to a person’s life.

Michelle Watt, Queensland Education Coordinator

Michelle is responsible for coordinating and supporting the effective delivery of C2C Classroom Programs in Queensland, including direct communications with schools, overseeing bookings, and coordinating logistical details and program resources.

Michelle holds a Bachelor of Social Science and has 20 years’ experience in administration, customer relations, marketing, and project support. She has participated in many volunteer activities over the years, including as an Education Officer at Queensland Council for LGBTI Health, and in a range of roles in her three children’s schools and sports.

Michelle’s attention to detail and amiable approach are vital in ensuring our programs are delivered smoothly, and in maintaining our relationships with our schools and volunteers.

With a strong sense of social justice and a keen interest in human stories, Michelle admires the work that C2C does in engaging and informing Queensland school students about diversity and Upstander behaviour.

Upstander Toolkit

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Upstander Activity Pack

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Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.

Entrants must be permanent residents of Victoria with a valid residential address, email address, and phone number.

There is no cost to enter.

There are two categories of Entries:

Victorian School Students Competition – which is open to any currently enrolled student in a Victorian Primary or Secondary School (including VCAL or equivalent); and
Open Competition – which is open to all Victorian residents of any age.

Each Entrant may enter only one photograph.

By entering this Competition, you confirm that:

you are the creator and owner of the entered photograph;
you grant Courage to Care (Vic) (“C2C”) at no charge, a perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use, sell and reproduce your photograph in print and digital media, for use in and promotion:
- of C2C’s 30^th Birthday Exhibition; and
- by C2C for any purpose.
the exhibition and promotion of your photograph does not infringe copyright or moral rights; and
you have obtained all relevant permissions of persons shown in photograph.

Your entry for this Competition must include:
A digital image file in jpeg format with a file size of at least 4 MB and no greater than 10 MB
A title for your photograph; and
A written explanation in no more than 50 words that explains why your photograph is relevant to the theme of “Being an Upstander.” For Further information on this theme, refer to couragetocare.org.au
Digital manipulation and alternative post-capture image processing methods of photographs are permitted.

No entries will be accepted after 11:59 pm on 31 March 2022
C2C will acknowledge receipt of all entries. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within fourteen days, please contact C2C competition@couragetocare.org.au.
Entries will not be accepted or judged if:

under normally accepted standards, the photograph could be considered offensive in terms of pornographic content, character denigration, racial or religious prejudice. The Judge’s decision and discretion will be final; or

The Judges will decide and notify the finalists and also the Competition winners. The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence concerning the Judges’ decision will be considered.

All finalist photographs will be exhibited at the C2C 30^th Birthday Exhibition and will remain for the duration of this period.
C2C reserves the right to curate the exhibition as it sees fit. C2C will determine whether the photograph will be displayed digitally or as a printed photograph. The costs of printing and display of the photographs will be paid by C2C.
The Competition winners will be announced during the C2C 30^th Anniversary Exhibition.
For the duration of the Exhibition, all Photographs must be available for sale. All proceeds of sales will go to C2C as a fundraising initiative to support their charitable purpose.

Photographs will be sold via a “silent auction”. All photographs will be delivered to the purchaser as a printed photograph at C2C’s expense.
The Prizes for the winning Entrants in the Competition are …TBD

C2C will not be responsible for any loss or damage of the submitted digital image files or printed photographs, however caused.
Please note that this Exhibition is separate from the annual Art Show run by B’nai B’rith Victoria.

Meet the people who make it happen