Bruce Morcombe OAM
“Our objectives in establishing the Daniel Morcombe Foundation are far reaching. We must protect our children! We can and will make a difference, ensuring that our communities are a safe place for them as it should be. Your support will assist us in providing an effective child safety awareness program and where required assist other victims of crime, especially where children are involved.”
Denise Morcombe OAM
“We have formed the Foundation not only to keep Daniel’s innocence alive and to honour our son, but to help other families from ever having this nightmare happen to them and our objectives are to keep an ongoing awareness program for child safety, help other victims of crime where children are involved and to keep the community vigilant on crimes against our children. Children are our future and must be protected. With your help we hope we can make a difference.”
Daniel Morcombe
Daniel was abducted and murdered on the 7th December 2003. He was last seen waiting for a bus on Nambour Connection Road, 2km north of the Big Pineapple, Woombye Queensland.
The predator was arrested and charged on the 13th August 2011 with numerous serious offences including child stealing and murder. Daniel’s remains were found in bushland near the Glasshouse Mountains on the 21st August 2011.
A public funeral service was held for Daniel on the 7th December, 2012.
The predator was found guilty on the 13th March 2013 on all charges and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 20 years before he is eligible for parole.
Kay McGrath, Channel 7 News Presenter
A friend from the very beginning, Kay McGrath has been a Patron and passionate supporter of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation since its establishment. Kay is a mother, an award-winning journalist and presenter with the Seven Network, alongside being an active advocate for child and family safety.
“The tragic disappearance of Daniel Morcombe touched the heart of every parent. An innocent, promising young boy cruelly snatched from his family with no explanation. A genuine desire to protect and educate other young people is now the driving force behind Daniel’s family. I strongly encourage you support the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in continuing their son’s legacy and creating a safer world for our children.”
Together, let’s support the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.”
Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin
Terri, Bindi, and Robert Irwin became Patrons of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in late 2019, as long-term supporters and friends of the Morcombe family.
With Australia Zoo based on the Sunshine Coast, the Irwin family have been involved in the Foundation since the early days, including participating in the filming of some of our first child safety DVDs. Many years on, the Irwin family are now internationally renowned, but their advocacy for child safety, and the protection and education for children to always feel safe remains. Along with Australia Zoo, these passionate Wildlife Warriors annually support our events and initiatives, while working hard to ensure wildlife and wild places around the world are protected. We are proud to have them on our team to help make Australia a safer place for all children.
Committee Members
Bruce Morcombe OAM
Tim Ryan BA
Denise Morcombe OAM
John Pearce
Dean Morcombe
Peter Boyce OAM
Jo Bryant
Dr Lara Christensen (not pictured)
Chris Austin (not pictured)
Ambassadors
Daniel Morcombe Foundation Team
Tracey
GENERAL MANAGER
Tracey has over 25 years of experience in event and project management including marketing, media and communications. Tracey completed studies in Business and Marketing and went on to hold high level leadership roles at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 2003 Australian Rugby World Cup.
Tracey now uses her leadership and communications skills to further promote the Foundation’s work and manage our fantastic team.
Outside the Foundation, Tracey loves getting outdoors and heading to the beach with her two kids. Tracey is an avid travel and adventure lover.
Eric
FINANCE & HR MANAGER
Eric has nearly 40 years experience in the field of Banking, Finance and HR. After a 16 year career with a Big Four Bank in Adelaide, Eric joined a diverse family business in Darwin with interests in printing and hospitality industries as their Group Finance/HR Manager.
Since relocating to the Sunshine Coast in 2007, Eric has worked in Finance HR roles with large property development groups and real estate.
Eric loves symmetry and order of numbers and is now looking to apply his skillset to continue the success of the Foundation and the amazing work that it does in keeping kids safe.
An avid bike rider, Eric has undertaken several 1000km charity bike rides raising money for Camp Quality and the work they do with kids suffering with Cancer.
When not at work, Eric loves spending time with his beautiful wife Michelle and six daughters.
Chantal
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Chantal joins the team with extensive administration experience having worked in the education sector organising trips and events, running her own businesses, and working in television and corporate communications. Chantal has also co-authored two cookbooks advocating wholesome food for kids and had a catering contract at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games! She brings organisational and administrative skills to support the Foundation team and is proud to be contributing and making a difference in Keeping Kids Safe.
In her spare time, Chantal enjoys French language, reading, spending time with the family and travelling.
Susan
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Susan has worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years. As Director of Business Development and Communications Manager at Hyatt Hotel Canberra in the ’90s, Susan worked with many of Australia’s largest corporate organisations, government departments and the diplomatic community.
She moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2001 to open a restaurant and start a family, has settled in the Sunshine Coast hinterland happily and is almost a local!
A passionate Child Safety advocate, Susan is delighted to be working with the Foundation to help Keep Kids Safe.
Rebecca
MARKETING & COMMUNICATION MANAGER
Rebecca joined the Daniel Morcombe Foundation team after working in the not-for-profit space for many years, particularly in marketing, brand and design. Rebecca brings a strategic and creative approach to our design and brand at the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and works to grow and enhance our brand nationally across our events and online presence.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys calligraphy, reading and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Amanda
COMMUNICATION & MULTIMEDIA OFFICER
Amanda has over 25 years’ experience designing and creating communication tools and multimedia content to support learning and development for disability services, community engagement and event management industries.
Having recently graduated from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Communication, Amanda’s passion lies in storytelling and creating content that highlights the everyday needs and achievements of the community. Making sure the community has access to information to help them achieve their goals forms the basis of this passion.
Amanda is a keen photographer and spends her time outside the foundation exploring the Sunshine Coast.
Rebekah
GRAPHIC & MULTIMEDIA OFFICER
Rebekah has a passion for using her creative skills to make a difference in people’s lives. She joins the team after working with local businesses and not-for-profits in marketing, communications and design for a number of years. Having studied Fine Arts at university, Rebekah has a keen eye for detailed design and enjoys bringing communication to life in a visual way.
In her spare time, Rebekah loves to visit art galleries, spend time at the beach, and hang out with her family and friends.
Naomi
EVENTS OFFICER
After graduating with a degree in Communications, Naomi spent the first 10 years of her career working in Marketing before studying Education and shifting her focus to the classroom and teaching for the next 10 years. During this time, Naomi also founded and ran a small business within the events industry. She enjoyed supplying to a number of high profile, iconic festivals.
She is particularly proud to work for the Foundation, combining her skills in events, education and communications to deliver functions that champion child safety. A passionate advocate for the Rights of the Child, Naomi’s drive is to support the safety and wellbeing of children. Naomi brings a trauma-informed lens to her work through her studies in expressive therapy.
In her spare time, Naomi can be found spending a day in the sun with her family or curled up with a good book.
Jon
DAY FOR DANIEL REGISTRATIONS OFFICER
Jon works with schools and early learning centres to create their own fun run or fundraiser in support for the Foundation. Jon comes from an extensive background in sales and marketing as well as security and personal protection. He taught martial arts to children for 15 years, helping them to defend and protect themselves.
For Jon, working with the Foundation is a dream job and he is dedicated to helping raise much needed funds to ensure critical messages of child safety reach every child in Australia. Along with the Foundation, Jon believes that every child deserves a safe and happy childhood, and that there is nothing more important than the safety of children.
When not at work, Jon loves watching his beloved Arsenal Football Club, and you can find him performing live stand-up comedy around Australia.
Beth
NATIONAL EDUCATION MANAGER
Beth is a social worker who lives and works on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi country. She has worked in violence prevention for over 15 years, specifically in the areas of child sexual abuse and domestic and family violence. A career highlight was working at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse as a counsellor and lead policy writer. Beth believes every human (and animal) should be treated with dignity and have the basic right of safety.
When not at work, you can find her at home hanging with her pig friends, Margaret and Patricia, who are both fluent in food.
Emma
PROJECT OFFICER
Emma is a born and bred Sunshine Coast local who initially started with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in 2013 as a volunteer whilst studying. She officially joined the team after over 10 years working in events and sales, with qualifications in Events, Business, and HR Management. Emma is excited to make a difference for our young people and apply her expertise to help the Foundation in their commitment to Keeping Kids Safe.
Outside of the office, Emma enjoys spending time with her family out and about on the Coast or venturing further away with her extended family camping and water skiing.
Michelle
CHANGING FUTURES & BRIGHT FUTURES, EDUCATIONAL TRAINER
Michelle worked in Education for over 20 years including roles as a Deputy Principal, Curriculum Coach and Teacher. She is passionate about supporting communities to integrate education and wellbeing. Studying for her Graduate Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing enabled her to combine her strategic skills and love of learning with ways to engage and get the best out of teams.
In the training and webinars that she leads, she loves empowering adults and children to develop their knowledge and skills. She enjoys presenting theoretical knowledge and research in an engaging and accessible way. At the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, she enjoys supporting connections between sectors and organisations to enable positive change for young people. Helen Keller’s ‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much’ underpins her philosophy and approach to Education and Training.
Outside the Foundation, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, friends and Labrador. They can often be found at the beach enjoying the stunning Sunshine Coast coastline.
Gabbie
CHANGING FUTURES & BRIGHT FUTURES, ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Gabbie started her professional career in Education working in both primary and early childhood environments as Educator, Special Education Consult and Trainer. She was Coordinator of NSW Central Regional Inclusion Support Service providing special education support to 35 early learning centres.
A sea-change brought Gabbie, her husband and three children to the Sunshine Coast where she moved into the business world successfully running her own retail business for 15 years.
With a strong business acumen and her love of teaching, she joined DMF as Administration Officer for the Changing Futures & Bright Futures program bringing with her a client-centric mindfulness to innovate, educate and support the Foundation in their commitment to Keeping Kids Safe.
Morky
MASCOT
Morky is big, red and loves making people smile. His hands show his safety network, reminding children there are always people they can talk to if they ever need. Morky likes travelling and sometimes visits schools for child safety presentations with Bruce and Denise.
His favourite event of the year in the Walk for Daniel, where he catches up with his mascot friends, Emmy from Act for Kids, the DMF Elmo and Khan the Tiger from Australia Zoo. They may be different, but they are all great friends