Our Committee

Writers Victoria has a hard-working voluntary Committee of Management which oversees the strategic and administrative operations of the organisation.

Nicolas Brasch

Chair

Nicolas has been a full-time writer for almost 20 years. He is the author of more than 350 books (mainly for children and young adults) for many leading international publishers, several of which have won Australian and international awards. He also teaches professional writing at Swinburne University; presents workshops and seminars on writing and storytelling; and is the founder of Writers in Residence Pty Ltd, a company that provides writing services to the corporate market. Joined in 2014.

Astrid Edwards

Deputy Chair

Astrid is a Director at Bad Producer Productions (an independent content creation company) and a teacher of professional writing at RMIT University. She founded The Garret, a literary podcast (supported by the State Library of Victoria, the Australian Society of Authors and Swinburne University), in 2016. Astrid is also the convenor of the Governance Subcommittee. Joined in 2014. Read more...

Peter Hill

Secretary

Peter is a Director of Fenwick Software and has been a director of a number of technology companies in the past and a major shareholder in a successful Australian software company. As well as being a successful businessman Peter is a writer and editor and has a blog on things motoring. He has compiled and edited five books including: Practical Software Project Estimation published by McGraw-Hill. Joined in 2015.

Victor Sekulov

Treasurer

Victor is a Finance Manager with over thirty years experience both in the corporate private and the public sectors, including Not-For-Profit and health benevolent organisations. Victor has sat as a member of a number of committees in his role as Finance Manager/Financial Controller. These have included Audit Committees for major public hospitals; Policy Steering Committees, Evaluation of Service and Tender Committees. Victor is the convener of the Finance Subcommittee. Joined in 2014.

Ingrid Baring

Ingrid Baring is a Melbourne writer. Her short fiction, poetry and articles have appeared in The Victorian Writer, The Squid, Wild Boar, My Buffer Guest and <Proximity>. She was editor of Swinburne’s Wild Boar, The Art Issue. Her poems have been dramatised in seasons of RMIT’s Snatches, choreographed in her dance-theatre work, and performed with Melbourne band, The Bulk of Man. Ingrid is the Convenor of the Development Subcommittee. Joined in 2016. Read more...

Bernadette Schwerdt

Bernadette is a writer, speaker and coach. She is the founder of the Australian School of Copywriting, a former senior account director with Wunderman Cato Johnson Advertising, and a guest lecturer at RMIT, Swinburne University and others. She is the author of the best-selling book ‘Secrets of Online Entrepreneurs’, the producer of a video series of the same name for Fairfax Digital and a TEDx speaker on a topic close to her heart: ‘How to Succeed When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing’. Joined in 2016.

Michelle Scott Tucker

Michelle lives and writes in regional Victoria, and her biography of farmer Elizabeth Macarthur (1766-1850) will be released by Text Publishing in 2018. Michelle is a director of consulting firm ACIG, and has a long track record of delivering outstanding results for her government and not-for-profit clients. Experienced in working with complex, multi-stakeholder organisations, Michelle’s skills include governance, process Improvement, evaluation & review, policy development and program implementation. Joined in 2017. ...

Nada Kirkwood

Nada is an emerging writer and completed her first novel-length manuscript in 2016. Initially an employment lawyer, she spent most of career as a senior adviser, policy director, staff manager and Chief of Staff in state and federal politics. In 2010 the state government appointed Nada to the board of the Melbourne Market Authority, where she chaired its remuneration sub-committee. Nada has also been a communications and government relations consultant, advising companies, government agencies and NGOs about a wide range of sensitive issues. Joined 2017.

Donata Carrazza

Donata is a graduate of Italian language and literature from the University of Melbourne. She has worked for over twenty-five years in hospitality, notably at the Mildura Grand Hotel. She is Chair of the Mildura Writers’ Festival Committee and, with New York poet and academic Paul Kane, has edited two books: 'Vintage: A Celebration of Ten Years of the Mildura Writers’ Festival' (2004) and 'Letters to Les' (2005). She is currently studying Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT University in Melbourne. Joined 2017.