Buderim Foundation Board Has New Chairman and Board Members - 14 April, 2010
The Buderim Foundation has a new chairman, Emeritus Professor Paul Clark. He has been appointed to the position vacated recently by Buderim solicitor Gary Hopkins.
The Foundation also has two new directors, Heinz Seeberg and Swain Roberts. All three are Buderim residents. They bring extensive business experience to the current Board of eight Directors.
An independent, not-for-profit, philanthropic organisation, the Foundation was established by the Buderim War Memorial Community Association in 2003 to attract donations from individuals, including bequests and tax deductible donations.
The Foundation has awarded $72,252 in community grants and school vouchers since it was launched by the then Governor of Queensland, Quentin Bryce AC, in 2004.
Professor Clark was Foundation Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He later spent five years as Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University, retiring at the end of August, 2009. He has also held senior academic posts at universities in Melbourne and Rockhampton.
Professor Clark is very familiar with community foundations. While at Southern Cross University he established the Southern Cross University Foundation and created a strong relationship with the Northern Rivers Community Foundation.
An experimental physics academic, his board memberships have included the Australian Food Industry Science Centre, the National Marine Science Centre Pty Ltd, the Western Melbourne Regional Economic Development Organisation Ltd, the CRC for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science, Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast Pty Ltd, Coffs Harbour Technology Park Pty Ltd and Quad Park Corporation Pty Ltd. He is chairman of Genesis BDI Ltd, a pooled development fund in Brisbane.
“I’m looking forward to working with a great team of dedicated and experienced directors to build on the Foundation’s impressive achievements,” said Professor Clark.
Swain Roberts has a background in legal and international finance. He was senior partner with a large, international law firm in the UK and Asia for 17 years. He returned to Buderim with his family in late 2006 and has since taken on various community-associated roles including tutoring in Business Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Heinz Seeberg and his wife first visited Buderim in 1970 and were so impressed that their long term plan has been to retire here. They recently settled in Buderim after seven years in Switzerland. Heinz’s extensive experience includes strategic management, performance management, quality improvement and environment, safety and systems management.
All new Board members see the character and spirit of Buderim as unique and believe in the community foundation concept.
“The simplicity of it appeals to us,” said Heinz. “The Buderim Foundation’s aim is to attract donations and bequests which are then carefully invested. The income from the investments is used to provide grants to community organisations. The donation is never spent so a donation to the Foundation lasts forever.”
