Our team
Meet the Youth Live4Life team.
Our rurally-based team is passionate about empowering communities to improve youth mental health and reduce youth suicide.
We have extensive expertise in youth mental health training, not-for-profits, local and state government, community engagement, international development, administration and project management, social research, evaluation and advocacy. We are supported by our board and committees, who offer expertise and lived experience in even more diverse areas.
Bernard Galbally is CEO of Youth Live4Life. He was appointed in May 2018 having previously served as a Director of Youth Live4Life. Under his guidance, Youth Live4Life has expanded to 13 rural communities and is highlighted as an important case study in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System's final report. An expert at identifying great ideas and working collaboratively to bring them to fruition, Bernard is extremely passionate about creating connections within communities and encouraging people to talk about mental health.
Bernard Galbally
Chief Executive Officer
With a passion for helping others and delivering impact, Angela is a self-professed admin fan who loves a spreadsheet, a project plan and finding smarter ways to work. Angela has recently completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid training refresher course.
Angela Van Dam
Executive Assistant / Office Manager
Jeremy has extensive experience working with young people and rural and regional communities. A highly experienced executive manager with expertise across LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing, sexual health, alcohol and drugs, mental health, policy, research, health promotion, evaluation and service design, Jeremy brings an outstanding depth of knowledge, leadership and strategic understanding to his role at Youth Live4Life. A Churchill Fellow, he is passionate about achieving health equity with marginalised communities, learning from lived and living experience, and developing empowerment programs that drive better health outcom
Jeremy Wiggins
Deputy CEO and Director of Strategy and Impact.
Community & Youth Engagement Team
Cathryn is passionate about working with rural communities to implement collaborative local solutions. Cathryn brings on-the-ground experience in youth participation and partnership development to help guide communities through the implementation of Live4Life. Keen to challenge the status quo when it comes to youth mental health, Cathryn believes that putting youth mental health back into the hands of young people with the support of the wider community will make all the difference.
Cathryn Walder
Community Engagement Manager
Sara has dedicated her professional career to supporting and working with young people and their communities. Sara brings a wealth of experience working in partnerships with government and non-government organisations and has extensive skills in community building and creating lasting change in rural communities. Prior to joining Live4Life Sara has worked directly with young people within the youth mental health sector. Sara is passionate about working from a strength-based practice model and utilizes her skills in empowerment and engagement to bring out the best of the communities that she works with.
Sara Cogo
Live4Life Adviser
(Gippsland)
Kathryn loves working with communities to support and empower them to achieve outcomes of their own choosing. Having honed her people skills from her extensive travels and time spent working in the hospitality, corporate and community development sectors, Kathryn believes that connections and a shared purpose are key to making impactful change. With a young family, Kathryn enjoys camping adventures, a good book and great food.
Kathryn Chai
Live4Life Adviser
(Central Victoria)
Annie has dedicated her entire professional life to working with and for young people. Annie's career in the youth sector has spanned three decades of diverse and exciting roles including individual youth and family support, community development, program development, project management and partnership engagement.
Annie understands the extraordinary value of youth participation best practice and as a Master Youth & Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructor has been actively strengthening the capacity of young people and adults in rural communities since 2011, to confidently support young people's mental health and wellbeing, when they need it most.
Annie Rowland
Live4Life Adviser
Ryan is a creative producer and project manager with 15+ years’ experience in the community engagement, youth, arts, government and non-profit sectors. Driven by a commitment to social justice and amplifying lesser heard voices, he’s dedicated his career to creating and facilitating inclusive, transformative programs and experiences for and with communities. Ryan was formerly Project Director of Youth Take Over, supporting rural and regional young people to transition to work. He is a graduate of the 2023 Victorian LGBTIQA+ Leadership Program and a current YACVic Board Director.
Ryan Hale
Live4Life Adviser (Western )
Bridie has an academic background in International Development and Youth Mental Health, with over six years of experience working directly with diverse groups of young people. Along with her work as an Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Clinician, Bridie has been involved in ground breaking initiatives as a co-designer for the Macedon Ranges Youth Strategy. She is proud to have been a part of the first ever school group to be involved in Live4Life in 2010.
Bridie is immensely passionate about normalising conversations about mental health and bringing communities together to support young people.
Bridie Johnstone
Live4Life Program Support
Alannah grew up in a small town in South-West Victoria, experiencing first hand the lack of support and the stigma around mental health in regional and rural areas. This inspired her to study a Bachelor of Health Sciences, Majoring in Health Promotion at La Trobe University, and she graduated in 2022.
With her passion for youth mental health, she completed her University placement at Youth Live4Life in 2022, which solidified her need to make a change surrounding mental health stigma for young people in regional and rural areas.
Alannah Sander
Youth Engagement / Administration Support
Communications & Fundraising
Josephine has extensive communication experience and expertise in creating engaging digital content and managing highly successful impact campaigns, Jo brings a perfect mix of creative and technical skills to Youth Live4Life. She has 20+ years working in the media industry, is a master multitasker and a stellar storyteller.
Jo moved to the Macedon Ranges with her young family in 2016 and is really keen to be an active part of the local community and to help to support young people living in rural and regional areas.
Josephine Wright
Stephen is a writer, theatre practitioner and photographer. He has written for theatre, radio and television, winning an Australian Writers Guild award for his SBS teleplay ‘Wee Jimmy’ and has run a successful commercial copywriting business for 25 years. His written work covers a diverse range of styles and content, from freewheeling creative explorations to austere corporate documentation.
Stephen is a 20 year resident of the Macedon Ranges, where he has a long history of community volunteerism. Stephen has two adult daughters and lives with his scruffy dog Noki in Newham.
Stephen Mitchell
Communications
Ian is a graphic designer, videographer, and self-confessed music nerd. He has had an eclectic career giving him a unique depth of knowledge and a good understanding of others. Ian is deeply passionate about grassroots community initiatives and actively seeks opportunities to impact his local community positively. Ian is committed to supporting social innovation through his design work. As a versatile and creative professional Ian uses his skills and expertise to drive positive change.
Originally from England, Ian now lives in Gippsland with his family. He has two children, aged 8 and 10.
Ian Thomas
Visual Communications
Bonny is a media and communications professional specialising in documentary filmmaking as a creative producer. Currently based in Melbourne, Bonny grew up in remote central Australia and has strong ties to her hometown of Alice Springs. Her commitment to preserving Australian LGBTQIA+ history inspired her debut documentary, 'Why Did She Have To Tell The World?' More recently, she produced the online series 'Unerased,' highlighting the experiences of nine trans and gender-diverse teenagers. At the core of Bonny's work is a mission to tell stories that spark real conversations and drive positive change within the community.
Bonny Scott
Marketing and Advertising
Ben started his career working in finance before moving into not-for-profits and fundraising.
With over eight years experience fundraising and marketing for both health and mental health NFPs, Ben is incredibly passionate about the mental health space and delivering remarkable and impactful campaigns. Ben grew up in South West Victoria and currently lives in Melbourne.
Ben Askeland
Fundraising Campaign Specialist
Charlotte has over 25 years’ experience of working in the not-for-profit sector. Since moving to Australia from the UK in 2004, Charlotte has worked both as an employee and consultant for organisations large and small ranging from the arts to homelessness, community development and mental health. Specialising in major gifts and grants over the last 12 years, Charlotte is not shy of word counts and deadlines, and loves matching funders with giving opportunities that improve outcomes for people and the planet.
Charlotte Francis
Philanthropy Specialist
Stephen is a Structural Engineer, Ski Instructor and BAS Agent/Bookkeeper. During his 30 year engineering career Stephen worked in both Australia and Europe on a wide range of interesting projects – buildings, stadia and transport.
As a Bookkeeper Stephen enjoys working with non-profit organisations that are helping to address important community challenges. These have included performing arts, publishing and mental health organisations.
Steve Solly
Bookkeeper
Crew Champions
Raised in more than 10 different houses all around the Macedon Ranges Shire, Talon has experienced loaded, hard, and layered life challenges which he as built resilience through. Now promoted through Youth Life4Life he can share his story and develop the self-determination skills of those listening, just like those be-for-e him.
Driven by his five core values: Authentic, Empathetic, Communicative, Respectful, & by Design he knows that a great society is shaped by leaders and that by utilising a strength based, trauma informed, preventive model we'll unlock vast futures.
Talon Gostelow
Crew Champion
Drawing from her own experience with mental ill health, Laura is a passionate advocate for empowering and educating other young people when it comes to the struggles of navigating mental health, especially in a rural and regional setting. With over 6 years of volunteering and work with suicide prevention charity, Youth Live4Life, Laura is now a proud member of their alumni group, Crew4Life. Outside of Youth Live4Life, Laura continues her advocacy work through her platform as co-host of the podcast Growing Up Clueless.
Laura Crozier
Crew Champion
Bio to com
Mina Beverley
Crew Champion
