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The COTA Seniors Voice Policy Council consists of a representative group of older people with an active interest in the issues relating to seniors and a commitment to ensuring that seniors have a strong voice in the community.

Policy Council members come from a diverse range of backgrounds including migrant and indigenous communities and veterans and have represented their communities in a variety of ways over many years. All have demonstrated a deep and long-standing commitment to policy development and representation.

Jim is on the SA Ministerial Advisory Board.  He represents COTA Seniors Voice on the Medicare Consumer Group and the Participation and Community Reference Group of CentreLink.

Jim has a commitment to advancing those issues that will result in a more active, participatory and health life style for older South Australians.  Specific interests include employment for older people and education.  Through his work for COTA Jim aims to assist seniors to make a significant contribution to the welfare of their communities.

John Spencer OAM
As a previous Board member in 1999-2002 and current member of the Policy Council since 2003, John understands the needs and the expectations of COTA Seniors Voice and its members. John has a Diploma in Public Administration, Grad Certificate in Management Studies and is a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Auditors (Aust).

John is a member of the South Australian Treatment Monitoring Committee which is a Ministerial appointment administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and a member of the Veterans' Aged Care and Health Advisory Committee since 2000.

Anne Megaw
Anne has been a COTA Seniors Voice Board Member since November 1997, and served for two years before being elected to the position of Vice President in 1999 and then President in 2005, after Laurie Fioravanti's death. Anne resumed the Vice Presidency in March 2006. Anne has served as a proxy member on the Board of Eldercare and Allambi local committee. Anne's interest in Alzheimer's led her to volunteer in 1983 progressing onto positions as Support Group Leader, Information Officer and Board Member.

Anne has been involved in aged care issues for many years and represented COTA Seniors Voice on several organisations including Aged Care Accreditation Agency Liaison group and Central Consumer Carers Advisory Council of Glenside Campus and Northern Adelaide Mental Health Services.

Anne is also a member of the Policy Council. With her strong interest in policy matters Anne will continue to help COTA Seniors Voice represent the interests of all seniors.

Evelyn O’Loughlin
Evelyn has been involved in aged care service management since 2004, initially as General Manager of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia.  An Executive Board member of Multicultural Aged Care since 2005, Evelyn has a keen interest in policy, first developed during her work in the Policy and Planning department of the Children’s Services Office.

Evelyn recognises that older people, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – have special needs and require particular representation.

Originally a secondary school teacher, Evelyn has worked in a range of Government and private industry management positions and spent 11 years in Europe, working in upmarket tourism management before moving to Hertz Europe’s head office in London. 

She returned to Australia in 2004 to be closer to her family - and more recently, to have children of her own.

Margaret Kerby Thorburn (Kerby)     
Kerby joined the COTA Seniors Voice Policy Council at its February meeting. Kerby is a retired registered nurse with many years of experience working with older people. Prior to her retirement she was the Manager, Therapy Services at Resthaven Marion. Kerby has extended her interest in meeting and working with older people by becoming one of COTA Seniors Connect's Peer Educators. She has also worked with Telecross in its social contact program, is a member of her local Neighbourhood Watch and continues her education through the University of the 3rd Age.

Kerby brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to the Policy Council and is passionate about the issues that affect older people.

Dennis Cripps
Dennis joined the Policy Council at its February meeting. He brings a wealth of knowledge about issues that affect older people. Since retiring Dennis has found his life to be very busy. For a number of years he represented Salisbury residents on the Public Housing Tenant Forum and has been a representative on a number of other organisations some of which are;  Royal Air Forces Association, Salisbury Task Force on the Ageing, SA Pensioners, ARPA Broadview, Salisbury Public Transport Group and Stroke SA among others. Dennis was the 2007 President of the Retired Persons Association and is currently its Vice President.

Dennis is a strong supporter of equal opportunities for women and has a long association as an advocate for public transport and the provision of low cost housing for older people. 

Marj Tripp
Marj has worked with the Aboriginal Community for a major part of her working life and is still committed to working for the betterment of all Aboriginal people and as a member of the COTA Seniors Voice Policy Committee it is her wish that there is equity for all.

Marj is a member of the 'Grannies Group'. This is a group of Indigenous people, mainly grandmothers, who live in metropolitan Adelaide, devoting most of their spare time helping young folk.

The Group is often involved in helping people who have spent or are spending time in gaol; have drug addiction problems; experience frequent rejection when trying to find somewhere to live; are single parents; and come across persistent and acute difficulties in their attempts to find paid employment. With their extensive knowledge of what is going on their community the Group decided that they were not going to sit by and watch the desperate plight of Indigenous children and grandchildren keep getting worse.

The need for support is ever present as the drugs and social behaviour diminish the living standards in the community.

Marj is presently involved in Service Committees being Chair of both Aboriginal Service members and their Dependants and the Aboriginal War Memorial Committee investigating the building of a war memorial in Adelaide. She also works with the Council of Aboriginal Elders producing an Aged Care Directory of Information and Resources. Marj is the recipient of several medals for service to NAIDOC, for being instrumental in the building of an aged care facility, and received a 2000 Centenary Medal.

For the past 25 years Marj has been involved in Aged Care with both the Commonwealth Dept of Ageing and the State HACC unit. Marj still has time to be involved with her fifteen grandchildren and one great grandchild. This is her third time out of retirement.

Joan Stone
Joan is a longstanding member of the COTA Seniors Voice Policy Council, and represents COTA Seniors Voice in two oral health consumers forums.  Joan came to Council as a member of COPARP, the Council of Pensioners and Retired People. As the President of the SA Retirement Villages Resident’s Association, Joan lobbied for amendments to the Retirement Villages Act.

In 2004 the industry body, Retirement Villages Association, recognised the contribution Joan has made to the industry itself with a commendation at its conference in Adelaide. Joan was until recently on the Board of COTA SA, and is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board on Ageing. Joan is also the chair of the Aged Rights Advocacy Service. In recognition of her wide ranging advocacy for older people Joan was one of four finalists in 2005 for Senior Australian of the Year in SA. 

Ray Edwards
Ray joined the COTA Seniors Voice Policy Council in 2002. He co-chaired the Council with Barbara Garrett until 2004.

Ray is the COTA A National Representative and Director of “The National Return & Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Ltd” the ‘RUM Project’. He is also a committee member of the Low Income Measures Assessment Committee (LIMAC).

Ray is also a National Zone Chairman representing SA at the National Seniors Association National Council.

Ray has a long history of involvement in community service and brings a wealth of knowledge about issues that affect the older members of our community. He served 15 years with the Rotary Club of Holdfast Bay Inc. from 1981 - 1996.  He held most positions including President and Secretary, and was twice awarded a Paul Harris Fellow award.