Meet Our Team

Ross has a background of 30 years in radio broadcasting, finishing with 14 years as Regional Manager of local radio station ABC Wide Bay. Since his retirement in 2014, he has been owner operator of Field of Dreams Media. Ross is a passionate advocate for regional communities and a community volunteer - Ross is a Rotarian, a White Ribbon Ambassador and a member of the local and National Boards of the YMCA.

Teena was CEO of multi award winning Mammino Gourmet Ice-Cream from 1996-2017. Diversifying from sugar cane &; macadamia farming in 1996 to ice-cream manufacturing. During her time at the helm, Mammino's won numerous awards, including Gold Award in the QLD Dairy Awards and induction in the SGBR Hall of Fame. Teena is also the Chair of the Childers Chamber of Commerce and a mentor for the Wide Bay Burnett RIRDC Young Women's Leadership and mentoring programs. Teena also has been a board member on Queensland Rural Women's Networking Board. Teena has been on our Board of Directors since 2017/2018 and was Deputy Chair in 2018/2019

Alex Cameron joins the tourism board bringing a wealth of hospitality, restaurant and produce experience. He is the joint owner of Water St Kitchen, a fine dining restaurant nestled in the suburbs close to the Bundaberg CBD. From busy beginnings as a catering company in 2016 Water St Kitchen is also now a fully fledged and sophisticated restaurant celebrating our amazing local produce and is the go-to destination for coffee dates, long lunches and special occasion fare. Alex and his wife Jen are famous for their house-made granola, sand crab lasagne and impeccable coffee and service. Alex moved to Bundaberg after an extensive background in establishing and operating restaurants and hospitality venues throughout Brisbane and the Gold Coast including Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill and BSKT Cafe.

His favourite thing about the Bundaberg region is access to the freshest and best produce hand-delivered by local farmers which can be picked, packed, delivered and crafted into something special on the table that same day.

Joey is the Owner/Manager of The Windmill Café and The Beach Mill in beautiful Bargara. His love for food began over 20 years ago when he pursued his dream to become a chef, completing his apprenticeship and working his way up the ranks to head chef in Sydney. Joey then completed a hotel management diploma in Hong Kong. After owning two successful restaurants in Australia, Joey secured a position in senior management with Europe's largest restaurant group in the U.K where he was introduced to the financial strategies required to run a large business. Joey and his partner Kirsty relocated back to Australia with their two gorgeous kids in 2016 to be near family. This was when the opportunity arose to take on The Windmill Café Bargara. Joey was excited to be able to incorporate his passion for local farm fresh produce into the business with Bundaberg being a region with such fantastic growing conditions. Joey is passionate about all aspects of tourism, aligning himself with many other local tourism operators and tourism accommodation providers.

Duncan is the Bundaberg Rum DTC Marketing & Experience Manager and has been responsible for leading large scale, successful local tourism initiatives such as the redevelopment of the Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience and creating of The Spirit of Bundaberg Festival. Prior to working for Bundaberg Rum, Duncan worked for a number of marketing agencies based in Sydney and London developing award winning advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients including Hamilton Island. Throughout his career in tourism, Duncan has built strong professional relationships with key tourism bodies including Tourism & Events Queensland and Government officials at a Federal, State and Local level.

A dynamic, self-starter with over 30+ years international experience across a wide spectrum of the tourism and hospitality industry, Jeff is a teacher of Tourism, Hospitality, Business and Management at TAFE Queensland. He was also until recently President of Junior Rugby Union in Bundaberg. Jeff was former Manager of a very successful Flight Centre Store. He also started his own consulting company “Passport2” arranging hospitality positions for Australia, New Zealanders and South Africans with prearranged live-in work in the UK and Europe. Jeff also managed “Pub of the Millennium” and a boutique hotel in the beautiful Wimbledon Village London looking after many famous guests.

Jeff was born in Ireland and moved to Australia as a young man wanting to see the world. Travel is his passion and he has travelled to over 100 countries. Teaching the up and coming tourism students in our region, Jeff brings a vast amount of experience to Bundaberg Tourism. He keeps updated with industry practices and knowledge through his studies, and he has recently completing a Mental Health First Aid and BlackCard certificates.

“Our family came here for a weekend to Lady Elliot Island and ended up buying a house that weekend! I have travelled extensively and lived in many places throughout the world, but Bundy is the place that we call home – as it has something for everyone. We love our region it has everything we want and more.”

As the General Manager of Port Curtis Coral Coast Trust, Daniel helps manage Native Title matters for the First Nations Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng, Taribelang Bunda People Aboriginal Corporation. From managing the PCCC community assets through to the delivery of educational scholarships and social programs, Daniel enjoys the diverse role and community focus.

Cultural Tourism is an excellent avenue for PCCC to help achieve many of the economic development aspirations of the community. With the rich history and strong connection to country across the region, the PCCC has a proud story to share with visitors to our region.

Larine Statham is the founding partner and Editor-in-Chief of Crush Magazine, and co-owner of local public relations and marketing firm, Crush Communications.  The award-winning journalist has 15-years experience in news media, travel writing, community consultation and business public relations. Working as a Correspondent for Australian Associated Press, both in Australia and overseas, Larine covered some of the biggest news events of the past decade and contributed to The Australian newspaper’s travel and indulgence section. Larine worked as a senior media and policy advisor in the Queensland and Federal Parliaments, and actively assisted local politicians to promote Bundaberg and attract investment to the Region, including creating the successful HMAS Tobruk Military Dive Wreck campaign. Together, Larine and her husband, Dr Charles Blair, also own Kaleidoscope Skin Cancer Clinic.  

Email: katherine.reid@bundabergregion.org
Schedule a meeting with me: calendly.com/katherine_reid

The Board-appointed Chief Executive Officer since October 2015, Katherine also held the position of Marketing Manager 2013-2015. Bringing to the team a holistic understanding of regional tourism and business having been heavily involved in the destination development of the Town of 1770 - Agnes Water as President of the LTO, and owner, operator of eco-tourism business, 1770 LARC tours for 17 years. Winning numerous regional and state awards for Cultural and Heritage Tourism, Eco-tourism, Visitor Attraction and a Tourism Champion Award for outstanding contribution to the tourism industry.

Katherine is also the current elected Deputy Chair of the Queensland RTO Network and joined the Board of Directors for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council in 2019.

With a passion for community, sustainability and the Great Barrier Reef, and a mother of two adventurous, happy kids, Katherine loves getting out and about to explore the pristine natural environments of Bundaberg, the North Burnett and the Southern Great Barrier Reef….as long as there’s good coffee!

Email: danielle.packham@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Promoting and selling your product to visitors in-region

Our Finance Manager Dannielle has recently joined the team at Bundaberg Tourism from the NT. With over 20 years experience, Dannielle has managed the financial functions for a range of industries including aviation and hospitality and has extensive knowledge of varying administration and financial processes. She is passionate about finance and has a systematic approach to all financial operations.

On her days off, you’ll often find Dannielle Kickboxing with her husband or hitting the beach with her 2 fur babies.

Email: grace.wein@bundabergregion.org

Grace has joined our team as our Administration Assistant to the Finance Department. She comes from a medical background an is very pleased to be working in a new department here at Bundaberg Tourism. She loves being outdoors but especially loves the water. In her free time, she is either surfing, free diving or kayaking our beautiful region. Other than medical administration, Grace has had many diverse jobs in our region – she is a trained holistic counsellor, a paddleboard coach and has a Certificate in landscaping! Grace loves animals and has rescued both of her furbabies- Alice and Anouk.

What does Grace love about our region? I love how much Bundaberg has to offer – though a small town we have so many natural wonders on our doorstep to explore!

Email: ellie.tonkin@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Our destination marketing campaigns, PR and media opportunities, Bundaberg and Southern Great Barrier Reef branding, market research and regional statistics
Schedule a meeting with me: calendly.com/ellie-tonkin

Ellie has forged a career in destination marketing and events in regional Queensland, with experience in tourism marketing, community festivals and live performance, and regional business events. Ellie has been promoting the Southern Great Barrier Reef for over 10 years, as prior to working for Bundaberg Tourism, Ellie lived in Rockhampton and worked for Capricorn Enterprise. She is originally a Northern Territorian, however has spent most of her adult life in Queensland.

Ellie and her husband have two loud and energetic little boys who love getting out and about exploring the Bundaberg region.

Email: jon.mcpherson@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Our destination website, SEO, digital marketing and graphic design

Jon is our Digital Marketing Specialist and started with Bundaberg Tourism early August 2017. Jon has a Degree in Multimedia and years of experience in web development, media and graphic design. What does Jon love about our region? I love how much nature Bundaberg and surrounds has on offer. Our reef is perfect, islands are incredible, and our national parks are very accessible.

Email: connie.rixon@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Our destination marketing campaigns, digital marketing and social media

After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at the Queensland University of Technology, Connie made the move to Bundaberg to pursue a career in destination marketing. Originally born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, Connie’s passion for promoting the region paired with her love of digital marketing has made for an exciting transition into the workplace.

On her days off you’ll find Connie exploring the beautiful beaches lining the coral coast and tasting the regions freshest produce.

Email: grace.boothman@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Social media, digital marketing and corporate communications

Grace has experience in marketing within the hospitality and events industry, executing direct marketing campaigns, digital marketing strategies and promotions. A dedicated and honest marketing professional, Grace is driven by community and the opportunity to make a difference. Having recently made the move from the Sunshine Coast, she is seeing our beautiful Bundaberg Region through fresh eyes.

Grace brings to the table her passion for adventure and the ever-evolving world of Destination Marketing. This sense of adventure means that on her days off, you’ll often find her camping, 4WDing and exploring our regions beaches and national parks.

Email: loni.hammond@bundabergregion.org
Talk to me about: Trade development opportunities

Loni Hammond moved from Melbourne to Bundaberg with her family in 2003. The safety of our community is what Loni likes the most about the move as her 2 boys have been lucky enough to grow up here, swimming, fishing, skating and snorkelling. She obtained her Business Marketing Degree (with distinction) back in 2010 and has 17 years’ experience distributing and marketing the Bundaberg Region as a manager of Kellys Beach Resort one of the first trade products for the Bundaberg and Southern Great Barrier Reef Region. She believes the tourism industry is the best industry as it is all about working together to grow the pie rather than competing and fighting over the crumbs.