Bearbrass Probus at its March 10 meeting elected leading senior citizen Anne Fairhall as inaugural vice-president . SHe is pictured with her husband Geoff a few years ago.

Anne in 2016 won the Council of the Ageing’s senior achiever’s award and was a finalist in the Victorian Senior of the Year awards.

Anne ran operating theatres  for 12 years and worked in health and safety as a national HR executive. Nearly 30 years ago her husband developed younger-onset dementia and Anne re-arranged her life to provide him home care. When he went into full-time care a year  ago,  she decided to use what she’d already learnt to advocate for improvement of the care system, which was in urgent need of reform. Her many roles included advocacy work for the Royal Commission into aged care. 

She’s served on many boards of advocacy committees. An honorary member of Dementia Australia, she’s briefed politicians and been a frequent guest speaker and media spokesperson.

She’s currently chair of the National Ageing Research Institute’s PITCH advisory group, a three-year research project to improve skills of dementia home-care workers.

She’s also a member of the DHHS Public Sector Residential Aged Care Reference Group and an adviser on reducing isolation and loneliness.

Anne is on the body corporate of her high-rise, and enjoys music, walking, theatre and the arts. Her son runs a business out of Switzerland and her daughter has a Melbourne garden design business.

With this background  Anne brings not just skills but her warm and generous personality to Bearbrass. Welcome aboard, Anne!