• Home  /
• About AMSA   /
  /
• Our People   /
• Board Members

Board Members

Kevin Callinan AMSA Chairman

Kevin retired in 1999 after a long career as a senior manager in the government and the private sector. In 1988 he was appointed to a small team that set-up Australian Defence Industries Pty Ltd (ADI) where he was responsible for all human resources issues including employer/employee relations, managing change, quality management and Occupational Health and Safety. He holds tertiary qualifications in Management of organisations, Public Administration and Economics. He has been active in community organisations holding leadership positions.
As initiator of Ku-ring-gai Community Workshop ‘The Shed’, dating from 2005, he set up a small Shed at Turramurra in a disused sports building (50sqm) in 2009 and pursued the longer term ambition to establish a larger purpose built building for The Shed.
After several false starts approval was given for a purpose built building at St Ives Showground (273sqm). This was achieved through funding totalling $132,000 provided under the NSW Government Community Builders Programme and a matching grant from Ku-ring-gai Council as well as cash and ‘in-kind’ support from a wide range of business and community organisations.
The Shed has been successful in securing grants from Government, Council and community organisations to outfit ‘The Shed’ with good quality new machinery.
Kevin has been Zone representative for the Sydney region and Secretary and Treasurer of the NSW Branch of AMSA. As New South Wales representative and member of the AMSA Board throughout 2011 and 2012 he was active in developing Board governance and By-laws documents and acted as Treasurer to the Board.

---

Ted Donnelly Immediate Past Chairman

Ted was born in Yorkshire and in his working life had a number of positions in Research & Development, Production, Marketing and General Management both in the UK and Australia. For the last 18 years before retirement he was a Technical/Marketing Consultant, based in the UK, but operating worldwide on new materials for electronic components, particularly printed circuits.
Ted was a founder member of the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed when it started in 1998 and is still responsible for its day to day operation.
He has also helped with the start-up of several other Sheds.He is the co-author of the original manual ‘Setting Up A Men’s Shed’, developed the website in 2005 which became the current AMSA site and, in 2010, set up the initial sites for the State Associations.
Ted was a founder member of AMSA in 2007, administered the Association for the first 18 months and has been involved in running it since then. He was Secretary up to 2011 and became Chairman in October 2011.

---

Tass Mousaferiadis 

Tass Mousaferiadis has been a policy strategist with the Victorian government and public health sector for over 30 years.
He has worked across a range of management and policy areas in government, advised Victorian Government ministers and served on the boards of community and metropolitan health service boards.
More recently he led the national men’s health, suicide prevention and other population health programs at beyondblue: the national depression and anxiety initiative.
Tass currently operates his own consulting practice specialising in policy, strategy, governance and management in the community, health and government sectors. He is also a non-executive director on the Boards of Eastern Health Service, Inner South Community Health Services and Foodbank Victoria, and chairs the Board of the Parenting Research Center.

---

PAUL SLADDIN

Paul’s background and qualifications are in community education and community development and he has held a variety of Executive Management positions in the Victorian Not for Profit sector. He is currently the Networker for the Goulburn North East Association of Community Centres being responsible for the professional development and Governance training for 24 Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres in North East Victoria.

Paul has been involved in numerous community and sporting groups and is a Councillor (and previous Mayor) with Mansfield Shire Council; a current Board member of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria and a volunteer firefighter with the Bonnie Doon Country Fire Authority.

Paul has been actively involved the Men’s Shed movement since 2001 as a founding member of the Mansfield Men’s Shed; a past President of the Victorian Men’s Shed Association and currently Vice President of the Australian Men’s Shed Association.

---

NEIL SPERRING

Neil was born in Sydney and after completing his secondary education was a primary school teacher until he joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a Radio Technician. He worked on many aircraft including all RAAF helicopters during his 31 year career– his roles included Aircraft and Avionics Maintenance, Workshop Management, Aircraft Radio/Radar Engineering Management, operational Squadron line management, Instructional duties and Project Management.

After retiring from the RAAF he completed a further eight (8) years in Defence in Project Management, Auditing, Configuration and Compliance Management roles in a Maintenance Management software application Project.

Neil has been a AMSA Shed member since 2010. Now retired from full time employment Neil founded the South Canberra Veterans Shed (a shed for Veterans both male and female) in 2016 and is its current President.

---

CHARLIE TRAFFORD

Charles Trafford was born in Nottingham, UK. He left school and joined the Royal Navy. During his naval service he had an introduction to Australia when stationed in Sydney for two years in the RN Submarine Squadron. This opportunity to see the country and experience the lifestyle and culture resulted in the decision to migrate to Australia in 1972.

Initially serving in the Tasmania Police on the West Coast of Tasmania he then worked for a number of years as a Public Servant in various roles including Probation and Parole and Education Department Welfare. He also worked with ABC Radio.

Since arriving in Australia he has been involved in Lions and then Rotary Clubs. In 2011 he initiated the Somerset Community Shed and since then has been actively involved in the establishment of a further five Men’s Sheds in the North West of Tasmania.

Other interests include beekeeping, theatre, classical music, writing, cooking, leatherwork.