About us

About us

About us

Governance

A Board of Directors governs the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.

Under the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children Actlink opens in a new window, members of RIDBC elect Board Members.

The Board has responsibilities and duties defined under the Act and by-laws. These ensure that RIDBC:

  • Achieves its objectives
  • Properly conducts its financial reporting
  • Acts in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

The Board selects and appoints the Chief Executive, who is accountable to the Board for the performance of RIDBC.

Board of Directors profiles

Patron

Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC,
Governor of New South Wales

President

Mr Norman B Rydge, AM, OBE, is a Life Governor of RIDBC. He was elected to the Board in 1977 and served as Honorary Treasurer from 1983 until 1995. He was appointed a Vice President in 1988 and elected President in 1995. Mr Rydge has had extensive experience both as a Director and a Manager of public and private companies in the fields of media, hospitality, entertainment, leisure, steel manufacture and investment. Currently, he is Managing Director of Rydge Holdings Pty Ltd.

Vice Presidents

Dr John Gregory-Roberts, MB, BS, BSc, FRACS, FRANZCO, FRCOphth, is a Life Governor of the Institute. He has been Honorary Ophthalmologist to the Institute since 1978, joined the board in 1991, and was elected a Vice President in 2003. He is Head of the Vitreo-Retinal Unit at the Sydney Eye Hospital, and a member of the Board of Management of the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation. He is a past President and currently Life Governor and Member of the Executive of the Medical Foundation of the University of Sydney.

Mr Richard Owens, OAM, is Chairman of his family’s diversified international investment company, and a vigneron and wine producer in the Hunter Valley. He is a Director of Opera Australia, and is a member of the Boards of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation and Coal & Allied Community Trust. He joined the Board in 1990, was appointed a Vice President in 1999, and is a Life Governor.

Mr Graeme Skarratt, OAM, a former Director of Raine & Horne Pty Ltd, is a Life Governor of RIDBC. He joined the Board in 1981 and was Honorary Secretary from 1982 until 1992, when he was appointed a Vice President. Mr Skarratt has been a member of RIDBC's Abstract Committee for 42 years.

Mr Sean P Wareing, FCPA, ACIS, FAICD, is Chairman of Alesco Corporation Ltd, Commonwealth Managed Investments Ltd, and Kiwi Income Property Trust, and a former Director of Allianz Australia Ltd. He was appointed to the Board in 2000, and elected a Vice President in 2003.

Directors

Mr Graeme Bradshaw, BEc, FFIA, CFRE, is the Principal of Graeme Bradshaw Consulting. He retired in 2007 from the role of Senior Partner of DVA Navion Inc, a specialist international management and marketing consultancy serving the not-for-profit sector. Formerly, Mr Bradshaw was Deputy General Manager of the Royal Blind Society of NSW, and a Past President and Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of Australia. He joined the Board in 1998.

Professor Christine E Deer, BA, MTCP, DipEd, PhD, FACE, is Emeritus Professor of the University of Technology, Sydney, having retired as Professor of Teacher Education and Head of the School of Teacher Education. She is a member of the Sydney Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, a director of the James N Kirby Foundation, and a member of the MLC School Council. Professor Deer joined the Board in 1993.

Mr David Dinte, BEc, LLB, retired in 2007 from the role of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Terrace Tower Group of Companies. He is a Member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He is currently residing in the USA. Mr Dinte was appointed to the Board in 2000.

Mrs Janet Kelly, BCom, MCom, CPA, MIIA, MAICD, AFin, is Associate Director of KPMI Pty Ltd, and a partner of Riskflo LLC (USA). Her professional background is in finance, audit, and risk management, in Sydney and Hong Kong. She was appointed to the Board in 2002.

Mr John Landerer, CBE, AM, LLB, LLD (Honoris Causa Macquarie), is the Managing Director of Landerer & Company, Solicitors. He is a practising solicitor and a professional company director having served on the Boards of many public and private companies as Director or Chairman. He is involved in charities, the Arts and tertiary educational institutions. He is a Fellow of the University of Sydney. Mr Landerer was appointed to the Board in 2005.

Mr Alex Malley, BCom, MCom, DipEd, FCPA, is the Chief Executive Officer of professional medical association USANZ. He is President of CPA Australia, Independent Chair, Audit and Risk Committee, Audit Office of NSW, Independent Chair, Audit and Risk Committee, Office Police Integrity, Victoria, and Chairman of the Australasian Reporting Awards. He is a former senior academic and Council member in the university sector. He was appointed to the Board in 2002.

Mrs Barbara Stone, AM, BA, DipEd, MEd, FACE, MACEL, is Principal of MLC School. She is National Chair of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, past Chair of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools (NSW), Past President of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools of Australasia, Board member of the Association of Independent Schools (NSW), the Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority Council and the Advisory Group for Gifted Education Resource Research and Information Centre, UNSW. She joined the Board in 2002.

Integrity Statement

Preamble

Good governance is essential to maintaining trust between the Institute and its supporters, funding authorities and the families of the students.

The Institute is a charitable human service organisation. Accordingly, its Board will aim to promote values and attitudes of service, integrity, frugality, consideration for individuals, accountability and personal responsibility.

What is required of Board Members:

  • Members of the Board shall be non-executive and unpaid and shall take no benefit whatsoever from their office and no member of RIDBC's staff may be appointed to the Board.
  • Criteria for Board membership are determined by the “Eligibility Guidelines” and relevant clauses in the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children Act and the by-laws.
  • The Board shall act at all times and in all matters in the best interests of the Institute in conformity with its Act and by-laws.
  • Members of the Board have a duty to ensure that the management of the Institute is competent, ethical and prudent and that it acts in the best interests of RIDBC.
  • Members of the Board shall at all times act honestly and in good faith in the exercise of their powers and the discharge of their duties of office.
  • Members of the Board have a duty to use due care and diligence in fulfilling the functions of office and in exercising the powers attached to that office.
  • Members of the Board should not engage in conduct likely to bring discredit upon the Institute.
  • Board members shall not take improper advantage of their position nor allow personal, family or business interests to conflict with the interests of RIDBC.
  • The performance of any service or the supply of any article to RIDBC by a Board member for which compensation may be received requires the prior approval of the Board and subsequent disclosure to the members.
Conclusion

Members of the Board agree to be bound by this Integrity Statement. New appointees to the Board will be required to agree to be bound by the Integrity Statement. Any member of the Board finding herself/himself unable to meet or to continue to meet the requirements of the Integrity Statement must offer to resign from the Board.

Guidelines to appoint Board Members:

Prospective appointees to the Board of Directors must:

  • Be, or be prepared to become, members of RIDBC in accord with the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children Act.
  • Have sympathy with, and be prepared to contribute to, RIDBC's purposes and objectives.
  • Have abilities and skills, which would be of use to RIDBC.
  • Be compatible with and prepared to work with existing members of the Board.
  • Have a range of personal and/or professional contacts from various fields of endeavour who would be of potential benefit to RIDBC.
  • Have an understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a Board member.

Performance by Self Appraisal

In order to ensure that the Board is constituted so as to properly discharge its duties to the members, staff and clients of RIDBC, Board members agree that periodically they will undertake a performance appraisal by self-analysis.

This requires the completion and signing of a questionnairePDF File, signifying continued agreement to be bound by the requirements of the Integrity Statement.