Chris is the FASA Secretary, and together with his wife Barbara were the founding members of FASA with Barbara the inaugural President.

Chris and Barbara had not heard of Fanconi Anaemia until their daughter Amelia was diagnosed at age 23, following surgery for bowel cancer and a catastrophic brush with chemotherapy in 2016.
Their learning curve was steep. In 2017 Chris and Amelia had the privilege of joining the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (now Fanconi Cancer Foundation) adult meeting in Atlanta, USA. Barbara attended the meeting a year later in LA. It was a life-changing experience for both of them. The work FARF does in funding research and bringing scientists together was awe-inspiring. But it was the sense of community gathered under FARF’s banner that affected them most.

Meeting other FA adults and kids, meeting their families and carers, sharing our different-but-similar FA journeys – this was a revelation to all of them.

“FARF and the FAmily offer hope. We’ve learnt that hope is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. We would like this local support group to build on that hope.”

Alan is FASA’s current President and Treasurer and lives in Adelaide, South Australia.  Alan has been connected to the Fanconi Anaemia community since 1998 when he married his late wife Charisse, an FA adult (now deceased).

Alan has over 25 year’s working experience in the private sector, covering business management and administration, customer engagement and technical support roles within the commerce, healthcare, finance and manufacturing industries.

He has broad experience in financial, Human Resource, project management and operational aspects of small to medium enterprise, and currently works for Tindo Solar, the Australian manufacturer of solar PV panels.

Alan has been involved with numerous not-for-profit organisations of varying size over the years, and is currently the President of the Rotary Club of Modbury Golden Grove.

Wayne is a researcher at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) in Melbourne. His team is focused on understanding Fanconi anaemia and he is passionate about making a difference to people affected by FA through fundamental research and through FASA. Wayne, Hannah Fluhler and a large team of experts have a research study open, which individuals with FA and their families can participate in.

Wayne is from Adelaide where he obtained his PhD and came to SVI after overseas roles as an academic postdoc and group leader in industry. Since being at SVI his laboratory has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund and Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision.

When Wayne is not in the laboratory he likes spending time with his family, reading, trying to master foreign languages, playing sports, listening to and playing music and watching AFL, despite suffering from anxiety when his team, the Adelaide Crows, plays.

My name is Amelia and I live in Sydney, Australia. I was diagnosed with FA in 2016 when I was 23. It was identified after I had chemotherapy for bowel cancer, and my body reacted pretty negatively to it! I haven’t been transplanted. I have a team of doctors at Chris O’Brien LifeHouse in Sydney who help me manage any issues and do my screening. I am currently a youth worker with Fusion Sydney South, helping young people realise their potential. I am excited to be part of FASA and hope to bring patient voice to our advocacy and services! I am currently also involved in FARF in America, through the FAdult Council – a group of adults who aim to empower all adults with FA as one community. Please feel free to contact me for a chat, a question or advice, via email
(ameliahawkshaw@hotmail.com)
or through Facebook, at any time.

Harvey is a Chartered Accountant and has more that thirty years experience, qualifying in the UK before moving to Australia in 1999. Harvey has held senior finance roles in industry and is currently the CFO of an advanced manufacturing business. Harvey has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. 

Outside of work Harvey is an elected councillor for the City of Burnside in Adelaide and a member of its Audit Committee, as well as the Audit Committee of ERA Water.

My name is Eli and I am from Sydney Australia who works for the NSW Government in Community Engagement and Risk Reduction. My son Noah, was diagnosed with Fanconi Anaemia in 2022 (when he was just a year old). Since his diagnoses Noah, my wife and I have met some amazing people along our journey of FA, many of who are involved with FASA. I want to support the community that has already done so much for my family.

When I’m not chasing cheeky Noah around, I love my sport, getting outside though also some downtime on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

I hope my input to the FASA Community will support current and future families! I am always happy to have a chat so please reach out to FASA for my details.

Mariska is the FASA Vice-President and lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her husband and two children. Their eldest son has Fanconi Anaemia.

Mariska is an experienced Registered Nurse and brings a range of leadership skills around communication, relationship building, and professional growth. Mariska prioritises the advancement of quality standards of practice, and great, individualised patient care.

Having extensive knowledge of evaluation and assessment, (change) management, clinical trial management and critical care nursing, Mariska brings a wealth of knowledge of the New Zealand Healthcare system.