About Us
Founded in 2005, Bright Futures is an Australian based Christian aid and development agency committed to the sustainable alleviation of poverty through development projects in India, Kenya, Uganda and Pakistan. Bright Futures is committed to building local capacity and to the delivery of projects in partnership with committed local development partners in each of the countries in which it operates.
Donations over $2 to Bright Futures Australia –
Overseas Aid Fund are tax deductible.
Chairperson
Sarah Spiker
Sarah is the Global Operations Manager of CottonOn Foundation and an experienced leader of development projects both internationally and in Australia. Sarah has also held senior strategic roles at Mission Australia and through her work at Mission International, Bright Futures and World Vision has significant development experience. Sarah brings to the Board tertiary qualifications in management, international and community development expertise and a passion to see poverty and disadvantage alleviated across the globe through sustainable projects and innovative partnerships.
Jack Snelling retired from politics in March 2018 after 20 years in the South Australian parliament and eight years as a minister. Jack had a reputation for leading complex reform and was responsible for the largest infrastructure project in South Australian history, the New Royal Adelaide Hospital. He is well respected by stakeholders in the ministerial portfolios he has held which included State Treasurer; Defence Industries; Health Industries; the Arts; Employment, Training and Further Education; Science; Road Safety; and Workers’ Rehabilitation. He was also responsible for Government parliamentary strategy as Leader of Government Business having previously also been Speaker of the House of Assembly. Jack Snelling has a reputation for bringing consensus among disparate parties. More recently Jack led the Health and Wellbeing Project for Baptist Care SA developing a business model for a purpose built health facility for people experiencing homelessness. He also serves on the Board of North Eastern Community Hospital.
Chief Executive Officer
Jack Snelling
Deputy Chair
Roger Bryson
Roger was Chair of the Bright Futures from its inception in 2005 through to 2018. He has a diverse background in commercial real estate, community services and as a Baptist minister. Roger worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea for nine years in leadership training and community development for the Baptist Union of Papua New Guinea. His significant commercial experience includes six years as the Manager of the iconic Central Market in Adelaide and he has also served in key community roles as Communications Director with Mission Australia (SA Region) and as Senior Minister, Flinders Street Baptist Church. Roger undertakes project monitoring visits on behalf of Bright Futures with a particular focus on projects in Uganda and Kenya.
Lee is the owner and principal of Tasman Human Resource Consulting, a South Australian based recruiting and organisational development advisory firm specialising in the IT sector. He has held senior practice management and recruitment consulting roles at Hudson (formerly Morgan & Banks) and elsewhere. Lee has served on the Board of Bright Futures since 2005 and has significant governance and community service experience through his leadership involvement at Clovercrest Baptist Church. Lee has formal qualifications in the areas of Christian ministry and business management. He has undertaken project visits on behalf of Bright Futures to Pakistan and in India.
Treasurer
Jonathan Lee Haakmeester
Board Member
Lynton Stacey
Lynton is a retired medical practitioner with extensive experience in emergency medicine having served in senior roles, including as Consultant GP and Director of Emergency & Medical Services, at Noarlunga Health Services in southern Adelaide. For more than 20 years Lynton has also served as a Clinical Lecturer at Flinders University and has undertaken courses in the area of tropical medicine. Lynton has played a very significant role in guiding the development of Bright Futures projects in Uganda and Pakistan, particularly the establishment of the Lukodi Health Centre in Northern Uganda. Lynton lives in South Australia and is now involved in a pastoral role.
Board Member
Cameron Bryson
Cameron Bryson is State Manager for South Australia of Community Housing Ltd and Deputy Chair of ECH Inc., a major aged care provider. Cameron was previously owner and director of Oryx Property and Chair of community organisation Wirraway. He has experience in providing strategic property development advice, facilitating affordable housing, infrastructure investment, financial modelling, risk analysis and project management. Cameron is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a Master of Business Administration.
Philip operates his own accounting practice on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne and for seven years worked as an accountant for Kimberly Smith Partners, working with many not-for-profit organisations. From 2004-2010, Philip worked for Robbins & Co – a public practice accounting firm. Philip has also worked for the Weather Bureau in various observational, training and pilot briefing capacities in Sydney, Canberra, Richmond RAAF base and Melbourne (1978 – 1989). From 2006-2017 Philip held the position of Treasurer for New Peninsular Baptist Church – a church of 1,000+ on the Mornington Peninsular. He is a founder of World Relief Australia (WRA) and has served as Treasurer for more than a decade.
Board Member
Philip Good
Board Member
Deepa Mathew
Deepa Mathew is a small business owner and an experienced leader in the financial services sector, having previously worked in various roles in the banking sector. Deepa currently lectures at University in the MBA cohort. Deepa brings to the board management and financial skills and a passion to serve the community and see communities thrive. Deepa is also on the Board of the Australia India Business Council and has previously held various board and Committee positions in the past.
Fred Chilton is a solicitor based in Sydney. After 29 years as a partner at the large regional law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson, after which he spent eight years at law firm Emil Ford & Co and now at Toomey Pegg where he continues to have a broad corporate and commercial law practice. Fred has assisted in the establishment of a number of not-for-profit organisations including Worldwide Orphans Australia, Christian Surfers International, Centre for Public Christianity, HART Australasia and Cape York Digital Network (CYDN). Aside from his role as Chairman of the Bush Church Aid Society, Fred is a Director of CYDN and serves on the Northern Region Council and other church and parish bodies.
Board Member
Fred Chilton
Board Member
Carl Ginger
Carl Ginger’s academic background is in Civil Engineering and Business Administration. He currently holds a senior position in local government and lives in regional New South Wales. Carl is widely experienced in development having been involved in capacity building and community infrastructure development projects in Indonesia, Laos, The Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Mauritius, Timor Leste and Trinidad. Funding for these projects has been secured through the World Bank, UNDP and AusAID. The community development projects include water supply, sanitation, schools, education, housing, medical infrastructure, adult literacy, micro enterprise development, environmental and capacity building and these have been undertaken in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Zambia and Sri Lanka.
Paul served as voluntary Executive Officer of Bright Futures from 2005 to 2022 and is now involved as a volunteer in the areas of communications, resources and as Company Secretary. He currently serves on the Boards of World Relief Australia Board and YMCA-SA. Previous roles have included CEO of The Wyatt Trust (2012-2019); Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity; Executive Director of Baptist Community Services SA; EO Child & Family Welfare Association SA and General Manager, Mission Australia SA Region. Past Board appointments include SA Housing Trust; Foodbank Australia SA and Universal Charitable Fund. Paul has also served as a Ministerial Advisor and on the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. He has undertaken major projects for Government in the areas of child protection and Indigenous substance abuse. In 2005, together with friends, Paul and his wife Barbara founded Bright Futures. In 2001 Paul was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to the community and in 2016 awarded Member (AM) of the Order of Australia. Academic qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the School of Law at Western Sydney University. Earlier in his working life he was a Detective at the SA Police Major Crime Squad.
Founder / Advocate
Paul Madden AM
Patron
The Hon Hieu Van Le AC
The Hon Hieu Van was appointed patron of Bright Futures Child Aid and Devlopment Fund in 2023.
Mr Hieu served as Governor of South Australia from 2014 to 2021, having served as Lieutenant Governor of South Australia from 2007.
Mr Hieu was born in the Vietnamese province of Quang Tri before moving to Australia in the aftermath of the war in 1977. He received a Master of Business Administration and an Economics degree from the University of Adelaide, is a member of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants and a Fellow Member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Bright Futures Child Aid & Development Fund Australia (Bright Futures) ABN 76 803 488 074 is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Public Benevolent Institution which operates within the governance arrangements described in its Constitution – Bright Futures.
International Partnership: Bright Futures works in partnership with capable, well established Christian development agencies in each of its areas of operation in India, Uganda, Pakistan and Kenya.
Code of Conduct: Bright Futures engages in the World Relief Australia Code of Conduct self-assessment process which provides a framework and monitoring mechanism for sound and ethical development practice.
Tax Deductibility: Donations to the Bright Futures Australia – Overseas Aid Fund a public fund (DGR1) operated by Bright Futures and approved by the ATO under the Overseas Aid Gift Deduction Scheme, are tax deductible.
Charity Status: Bright Futures is a Public Benevolent Institution registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC)
Board Governance: Formally established on 26 January 2005, Bright Futures is governed by an experienced Board with a wide range of skills in management, education, law, international development and medicine. The Board meets regularly to receive reports, plan and determine policies necessary for the efficient and ethical operations of Bright Futures in accordance with good governance practice.
Management: The work of Bright Futures is led by the Chief Executive Officer, Jack Snelling and assisted by a small part-time and volunteer team.
Audit and Regulatory Compliance: An auditor is appointed by the Board to provide an annual audit of the financial operations of the agency and public ancillary fund returns are provided to the ATO. Additionally, Bright Futures is registered with, and reports to, the Australian Charitable and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) and completes the ACNC External Conduct Standards self-assessment each year.
Bright Futures Child Aid & Development Fund Australia Ltd
ACN 166 546 167 ABN: 76 803 488 074
Bank Details:
Bright Futures Australia – Overseas Aid Fund
Bank: Westpac
BSB: 035-002
Acc No: 392116
Policy on Child Protection & Safeguarding
Policy on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment
Policy on Confliction of Interest
To lodge a complaint please send marked ‘confidential’ to:
Bright Futures Board Chair: Sarah Spiker, Bright Futures Child Aid and Development Fund Australia Ltd., PO Box 3071 Rundle Mall SA 5000
Chief Executive Officer: Jack Snelling M: 0457 528 800 E: jack.snelling@brightfutures.com.au
Company Secretary: Paul Madden M: 0411 740 549 E: paul.madden@brightfutures.com.au
Policy re Donations and Use of Excess Funds – Gifts of $2 and over are tax deductible. To qualify for tax deductibility, gifts must be unconditional. We undertake to allocate your gift according to your wishes, or if not possible, to the nearest similar project. Unmarked gifts will be allocated to the area of most need.
Bright Futures Annual Report 2022-2023
Audited Financial Statements 2022-2023
Bright Futures Annual Report 2021-2022
Audited Financial Statements 2021-2022
Bright Futures Annual Report 2021
Audited Financial Statements 2020-2021
Bright Futures Annual Report 2019-2020
Audited Financial Report 2019-2020
Bright Futures Annual Report 2018-2019
Audited Financial Report 2018-2019
Bright Futures Annual Report 2017-2018
Audited Financial Report 2017-2018
Bright Futures Annual Report 2016-2017
Bright Futures Annual Report 2015-2016
Audited Financial Report 2015-2016
Bright Futures Annual Report 2014-2015
Vision
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Mission
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Values
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Other Locations
India
123, Dev Plaza, 34th Street, New Delhi, 110011
Australia
16 Munique Rd, Birdsville QLD 4482, Australia
Africa
5th Floor, St Adams Towers, P. O. Box 1234, Nairobi, Kenya
United States
123 S Westmore Rd, Lombard, IL 60148, United States
Change is possible!
Education is transformative – it allows children to be full participants in their communities. It changes the lives of the lives of their family and the generations that follow them.