Club Management

Stewart Norton – Chairman

Stewart is a Chemical Engineer and a 35 year veteran of the Australian Sugar Industry, holding senior executive positions with MSF Sugar for 20 years. He is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and has previously been a member of school and government boards and sugar industry committees, including a term as the Chair of the Australian Sugar Milling Council People and Safety Committee. He has considerable experience with the obligations of Directors as a member of boards and an executive reporting to a board. He is also a member of the Wide Bay Area Committee for the Endeavour Foundation. He is currently retired and resides in Maryborough.

Paul Coleman – Vice Chairman

Paul Coleman served 23 years in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. His service included two tours of Vietnam and Commanding Officer of 2/14 Light Horse Regiment. He is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College and Instructor Australian Army Staff College.

In civilian life he and his wife, Elizabeth, owned newsagencies in Brisbane. During this time, he was President of the Queensland Newsagents Federation, a director of the Australian Newsagents Federation, Chairman of the Queensland Casket Agents Association and President of the Kenmore/Moggill RSL.

In 2005 he retired to Maryborough and has since served on the Maryborough RSL Committee in 2009, President of Maryborough Legacy and on the Management Committee of the Maryborough Golf Club.

In 2020 he was elected President of the Maryborough RSL Sub-branch and has recently moved to Chairman of the Maryborough Services and Citizens’ Memorial Club following the demerger of the Club from the Sub-branch in December 2021.

Judith Mills – Director

Judith Mills has been aresident of Maryborough since 1985, Bachelor of BusinessandCPA Qualified Accountant for over 30 years.

She has held senior executive positions in both Australian and Internationally listed companies, having recently retired as Chief Financial Officer of a large private company. 

Judith has also served in the Not For Profit sector for over five years, firstly as Chief Financial Officer and then as Chief Executive Officer of a charity providing education and care for disadvantaged children.

Her local community contribution has been with services having a focus on advancing and caring for disadvantaged women in the community.

With four generations of returned service personnel in the family, it is appropriate to contribute to an organisation supporting this sector of our community.

Dr Thomas Dunn MB BS, FRACGP, AMA(M) – Director

Born and educated in Maryborough, Tom is a 4^th generation family resident. He has been a local GP since joining father Dr Eddie Dunn in 1978. Tom served in the RAAF Queensland University 23 Squadron 1969-1971 and he has held numerous positions on Maryborough boards and committees (in both medical and community areas). He takes an active interest in the health of past and present military personnel.

Tom was an AMA Qld Branch Councillor from 1985-90, he is also a Life Member of the Maryborough Swimming Club, on the local Medical Association committee and President for many years as well as past President of various school P & C Committees, Sports Medicine, Rugby Union (Maryborough, Sugar Coast), Maryborough Swimming Club, Member Fundraising Committees for Brennan & Geraghty’s Store restoration and The Brolga Theatre. Tom is also a member of the Doon Villa Bowls Club, Military Historical Society of Australasia, AMA, Maryborough Woodturners and Woodcraftsmen Guild and Maryborough Fraser Coast Show Society.

Tom’s interests include fishing, sport, military history, health of past and present military personnel, photography, woodturning and medical student training.

Travis George – Director

Travis is principal of the local law firm Suthers George, having more than 20 years’ experience as a solicitor. He also has degrees in Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology and was a member of the Mental Health Tribunal.

Travis has been involved in various local sporting organisations in Maryborough for long periods especially cricket.    

Tony O’Keeffe – Director

Antony has 15 years’ experience in banking and finance.

He started in small business in 1996 and has run several different businesses from pest control, real estate and convenience store owner.

Main interests are golf and renovating.

Glen Miller – Director

Glen Miller was born in Maryborough and is a descendent of the Butchulla people, the traditional owners of the lands which include; Maryborough – Hervey Bay – K’gari. He began his early working life on the Burrum coalfields before spending eleven years working at Moura and Kianga coal mines before becoming an Aboriginal Relics Ranger with the Queensland Government.

He transitioned across to the Commonwealth Government where he spent eight years, culminating with becoming the Queensland Regional Manager of the Aboriginal Development Commission.

A stint as the Secretariat Director with the Aboriginal Coordinating Council in Cairns and the creation of one of the first Aboriginal Tourism businesses in Queensland followed, before a seventeen year term with Tourism Queensland as their Manager of Special Interest Tourism. Glen was the TQ representative on the Capricorn and Southern Downs Regional Tourism Association Boards.

He spent eleven years as the Indigenous representative on the GBRMPA  Tourism & Recreation Reef Advisory Council and five years on the Fraser Island World Heritage Advisory Committee. Glen is involved in local issues through the WBBHHS, Indigenous Advisory Council and the Education Queensland, Local Co-design Education Board and is also a Board member of the Fraser Coast Tourism & Events organisation.

He is the Founder & President of the Butchulla Men`s Business Aboriginal Association Inc and is involved with both Butchulla Prescribed Bodies Corporate.

Ian Birbeck AFSM – Director

Ian was raised in Canberra, and travelled and worked in his earlier years throughout Australia. He married his wife Helen (ex Ipswich girl) in 1970 they later moved to Darwin in 1972 where he worked for Coastal Tug and Barge (Adelaide Steam Ship Company) as Officer Manager. In 1974 he joined Correctional Services as a Prison Officer and later rose to the rank of Chief Prison Officer and retired after 30 years service in 2003.

During that time, Ian completed qualified electronic tech (in radio communications and electronic surveillance) as well as running emergency disaster operations in the Northern Territory during his time in Correctional Services, this included during Cyclone Tracy and the Katherine Floods. Ian also established and was the Director CREST NT Inc (Citizens Radio Emergency Service Teams) in the Territory in 1975 and established communication unit at Gunn Point Prison Farm run by inmates providing a 24 hour monitoring service throughout Australia for 25 years.

In 2003 Ian and his wife Helen moved to Agnes Waters where he volunteered as a Fire Warden for the Rural Fire Brigade. Later to head up the establishment of a Auxiliary Fire Brigade and was appointed Captain. During his 9 years of service with Queensland Fire Services he established and extended radio communication coverage throughout Central Queensland and in 2012 was awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal.

In 2013 Ian retired for the second time and moved to Maryborough where he volunteered as a Pensions Officer with the RSL as well as serving on the board of the RSL.

General Manager (Company Secretary) – Paula Herdman

Paula Herdman has worked in the Registered and Licensed Club industry for 36 years. Walking into her first casual job as an 18-year-old fresh from school to put herself through university where she studied her Bachelor of Applied Science ( Nursing).

Once her degree was complete, and enjoying the Hospitality life she then decided to forge a career in Club Management. She became one of the youngest women to become General Manager of a Licensed Club at the age of 29 on the South Coast of NSW.

She completed her Diploma in Club Management Southern Cross university and was a Gaming and Hospitality TAFE trainer for over 10 years.

Paula relocated to QLD in 2011 to commence as CEO at Bribie Island Bowls Club. She has held various Club GM roles throughout Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and has now settled here in the Fraser Coast and commenced as General Manager in January 2023.

Paula’s interests include sport, the outdoors, live music and travel. She has a passion for animals welfare, mainly dogs and our native animals.