Our team is comprised of genuinely gifted minds
Charlotte Webb OAM
Founding Member of Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens (1999)
More than 30 years’ experience in the landscape industry, including landscape design, horticulture and the nursery trade. Charlotte has previously established and managed a wholesale and retail nursery, managed an exhibition garden for 18 years, while concurrently running a landscape design practice in the Southern Highlands of NSW. An avid plant collector with an interest in rare plants. A specialist landscape heritage consultant and a founding member of Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens.
Bachelor of Agriculture (Horticulture), Masters Heritage Conservation. OAM for service to horticulture and the community 2012. Past Secretary Australian Garden History Society Southern Highlands Branch. Past Company Secretary and Board Chairman Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers Ltd.
Ex Officio member of SHBG Committees: Business Development, Consultants & Contracts, Events, Friends, Appointed 7 June 2013
Lyn Collingridge
Lyn is a retired solicitor with over 40 years’ experience in Commonwealth and NSW public sectors and several years in private law firms, specialising in superannuation and corporate law. Lyn was General Counsel for 11 years and one year as A/CEO in the NSW public sector.
She has extensive experience in policy development, compliance and corporate governance and is a past director of a superannuation fund board of trustees.
Lyn’s formal qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts in Administration, Bachelor of Laws, Registered Justice of the Peace and Executive member of Southern Highlands Branch of the NSW Justices Association (voluntary role).
SHBG Committees: Business Development, Consultants & Contracts, Events
Appointed 26 October 2015
Christine Hawkins AM
Company director and Managing Director of Cinnabar International Pty Limited, which specialises in good governance for all companies but with a focus on the not-for-profit sector.
Christine’s career has been in economics, finance and tax, with the Reserve Bank of Australia, chartered accounting firms and investment banks. She has a long career as a company director, including as chairman of companies in environment and resource management, plant biosecurity, agriculture and food, textiles and fashion, and higher education.
Christine has been Chairman of a Ministerial Council and a non-executive director of major Commonwealth statutory corporations. She is part of the professional faculty of the Australian Institute of Company Directors for her expertise on corporate governance.
Formal qualifications are a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Master of Commerce degrees from the University of New South Wales, Fellow of CPA Australia and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Christine loves gardens and spends inordinate amounts of time wandering around gardens in the Southern Highlands, where she lives.
SHBG Committees: Governance
Appointed 21 May 2018
John Swainston
Well-known amongst the gardening and arts groups in Bowral, John is an award-winning and published photographer and writer, with extensive board experience and over four decades in senior international executive roles in more than 60 countries.
He brings deep skills in technological change and cross -cultural management. John has an impressive record of developing and managing companies and major events in the photographic industries including the Nikon Photo Media Centre for 800 international
photographers and media at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Apart from his published works, with a new major work due for publication in 2024, John runs a business consultancy with clients in Australia and the USA specialising in generational change, business improvement and maximising value for sale.
He is a past National President of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography and the Highlands Garden Society and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Appointed 2023
Lynda Cowley
Lynda’s background is finance and accounting, with expertise in systems integration, process re-engineering and team building, payroll
systems and audit.
She has been Finance Director and Company Secretary of companies in health and pharmaceuticals, IT, manufacturing and accounting, nursery retailing, landscaping and events management.
Lynda is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from Bristol University and graduate conversion from UTS. Lynda is involved in several gardening organisations in the Southern Highlands and is Treasurer of the Bowral Branch of the Australian Garden History Society.
Appointed 2023
Peter Evans
Peter Evans joined Ramsay Health Care in 1969 and served as Non-Executive Director for 24 years, then Deputy-Chairman from 2014 to 2021. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Paul Ramsay Foundation Ltd and the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation. He is a Chartered Accountant and, prior to joining Ramsay Health Care, was in public practice for more than 20 years with predecessor firms of KPMG. Peter has been actively involved with several charitable organisations over many years, including the Southern Highlands Foundation, Hope Health, Church Army, Shoalhaven Anglican and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
He is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Tax Institute.
Appointed 2023
Chris Levy
Chris brings skills in business development and marketing, following a career in business in marketing and sales roles. He was Managing Director of Pizza Hut Australia, Area Vice President for Australia and SouthEast Asia, Managing Director of the Sizzler Restaurants group and Managing Director of The Executive Connection, which mentors and develops the CEOs of Australian companies.
For ten years up to 2009, Chris was an honorary board member of The House with no Steps. He lives in Bowral and runs a business consultancy specialising in executive coaching and mentoring, strategic planning, marketing and franchising.
Appointed 2022
Chris Webb OAM
Founding Member of Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens (1999)
Following graduation from Sydney University with a degree in Agriculture, Chris returned to manage the family farm in the Southern Highlands for the next 12 years. After obtaining his Associate Dip Landscape he became a full time Landscape Designer and Horticultural Consultant, practising in the Southern Highlands since 1998.
Being the 5th generation of the Webb family in the local area he has a passion for the history of the Southern Highlands and an avid interest and concern in its ongoing development.
Chris is a Past Chairman and committee member of the Australian Garden History Society Southern Highlands Branch (7 years), Past Secretary and Chairman of the NSW DFA Moss Vale Branch (4 years), member of Rotary Club of Berrima District since 2001.
SHBG Committees: Business Development, Consultants & Contracts, Events, Friends, Site
Appointed 7 June 2013