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Late last year, six local Port Stephens residents were appointed to provide a community voice to the NSW Government Steering Committee throughout the development of the master plan for the site. The Community Engagement Committee will focus on strengthening community involvement and will help ensure local voices are represented in the ongoing future planning for the site.
The Steering Committee includes representatives from the Department of Communities and Justice, National Parks and Wildlife Services, Create NSW, Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure and NSW Fisheries, along with Port Stephens Council.
Please contact tomareecommunityengagementcommittee@dcj.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions.
Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson serves as Chair of the Tomaree Lodge Community Engagement Committee, bringing strong local leadership and a deep commitment to community-driven outcomes.
In her words, 'As Mayor and resident of Port Stephens, I have a long-standing connection to Tomaree and the Port Stephens area which makes being part of this Committee especially meaningful to me. The Tomaree Lodge site holds significant historical and cultural value for our community, and I am passionate about ensuring its future reflects the needs and aspirations of our community.
What I love about the site is its unique location and potential to serve as a vibrant community space. It’s a place where history, environment and opportunity intersect and I see real potential for it to become a destination that blends public use, cultural heritage and sustainability.
As a member of the Committee, I see our role as being supporters of both community voice and future vision. I am excited about the opportunity we have to create something enduring and inclusive, something that respects the past whilst planning for the future.'
Penny is a heritage and community engagement professional with extensive experience in government, working nationally and internationally with the Commonwealth Government, City of Sydney, and Bega Valley Shire Council, managing cultural diplomacy, heritage and community services.
In Port Stephens, she’s actively involved in local arts groups and has led community heritage projects, including a popular oral history of Boat Harbour. Penny has long collaborated with Aboriginal communities on heritage, repatriation (at the federal level), and cultural initiatives.
She brings a balanced, inclusive approach to cultural site development, grounded in practical experience and a strong commitment to community.
Kathie is an experienced local business woman who has built a successful pharmacy business with over 20 employees as well as an esteemed winery in the Hunter Valley. Kathie established a branch of “Arts Australia” in Pokolbin which is still thriving 35 years on.
Kathie is passionate about the arts is currently the Chair of the Tomaree Cultural Development Group Inc. as well as a founding member. The group has participated in extensive community events including a concert, fashion parade and high tea to promote the development of a cultural centre in Port Stephens.
Kathie is a passionate advocate for a cultural centre in Port Stephens and in her spare time supports the Sydney Symphony and Opera Australia.
Chris has been a member of many community consultative committees, most notably as an elected member of the Randwick City Council for 21 years, including three terms as Mayor. During this time he was the Chairman of the Wylie’s Baths Management Committee which was responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the Heritage Listed sea baths in South Coogee and inaugural Chairperson of the Bondi Baths Reserve Trust.
Chris has also held a number of positions within the NSW Premiers Department, including as a Director of Stakeholder relations and more recently as the Community Outreach Manager for The Hon. Meryl Swanson, Federal Member for Paterson.
Chris is a regular visitor to Tomaree Lodge and visits twice a day, most days. When the Lodge was a residential facility, Chris was a regular volunteer for residents providing company and short outings around the site. Chris is also a member of the Tomaree Headland Heritage Group.
Peter Clough is the current president of the Tomaree Headland Heritage Group as well as an original initiating member. He is passionate about the future direction of Tomaree Lodge and keeping the site for community and recreational use.
Peter was also a member of the Tomaree Business Chamber Inc and worked on strategic planning and growing the member base. Peter was instrumental in driving the reintroduction of two major Port Stephens community events – the Bluewater Country Music Festival and Tastes of the Bay food, wine and jazz festival.
You may recognise Peter as he is the friendly face who sets up a 'Help Desk' at the entry to Tomaree Lodge and the Salamander Shopping Centre. The Help Desk is a new innovation for Port Stephens to help and gather feedback and data from the huge number of visitors who visit Port Stephens in holiday periods as well as to provide information and support to visitors.
Sue is an engaged community leader in Port Stephens, with a strong focus on environmental conservation, nature-based education and interpretation, and public involvement. She coordinates the Friends of Tomaree National Park, a landcare group with over 70 active members working across the park, and leads the Port Stephens Bushwalking Group, which connects nearly 100 regular participants with the region’s natural landscapes.
Sue is also active in the National Parks Association (Port Stephens group and the Hunter Branch) and in EcoNetwork Port Stephens as the Vice President. She serves on several advisory bodies, including the Port Stephens Council Environment Advisory Group, the Hunter Central Coast NPWS Regional Advisory Committee and the Worimi Conservation Lands Board (as deputy environment representative), and participates in other local groups such as Climate Action Port Stephens, Nelson Bay West Landcare and TRRA. Sue’s professional background is in presenting recreation, nature and heritage in protected area settings.
Her connection to the broader Tomaree site is personal and professional—beginning as a walker, then as an NPWS educator interpreting the site’s natural and heritage values, including its WWII and social history, and now as a landcare leader managing invasive species around the site. Sue also organises or leads a variety of community walks and events, including wildflower, night, and post-fire recovery walks, all aimed at deepening public appreciation of the local environment.
Iain is a marine scientist and educator with a strong passion for marine conservation, education, training, and research.
He has been an active committee member of EcoNetwork Port Stephens since 2010 and has served as President since 2018.
Internationally, Iain founded and served as the first President and is now Honorary President of Reef Conservation Mauritius, an organisation dedicated to advancing marine conservation in Mauritius and the Western Indian Ocean through similar educational and research-based programs. Reef Conservation Mauritius now employing 28 fulltime (research and educational) staff with current project funding of US$ 70 million.
He has managed several large international research and development programmes, national and regional coastal zone management projects and the development of several marine parks primarily across the Indian Ocean, East Africa and Middle East.
Iain is currently delivering the first marine based Certificate-level training for two groups of Indigenous Marine Rangers in New South Wales and is hoping to continue this initiative with the Worimi Rangers.
Locally, he contributes his expertise as a member of the Tomaree Heads Heritage Group and the Port Stephens Council Environmental Advisory Group.
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