PoB Committee
Meet the PoB Committee
Dr Joe Dunn
President
MBCHB DIPOBST FRNZCGP FRANZCP
Psychiatrist in general adult and medicolegal practice - Medical Superintendent of Northside Cremorne Clinic for 23 years - Fellow of the Royal NZ College of GPs - Clinical Senior Lecturer at Sydney University - Author of three books, one of which sold 40,000 copies in seven languages - Honorary Lifetime Member, Warringah District Medical Association
Founder of Pyschs on Bikes.
Stephen Davis
Secretary/Treasurer
My career has been in business (insurance and risk), rather than mental health. I have lived and worked in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Hong Kong and India and retired as CEO Hong Kong/COO Asia of a major global insurance broking and risk consulting firm. I continue to do some consulting in this field.
Interests include motor-cycling, hiking, reading and, obviously mental health and how we might improve people's lives who are affected by mental illness.
What is my dream bike? I think I am there, or as close as I can be. My motor-cycling "dream" is to ride the bike to its optimum; briskly into the corner on a perfect line, the right gear, in control and cleanly, quickly out. So many roads. Such little time. Such a beautiful country.
Graeme Houghton
BSc, MHA (Master of Health Administration)
Graeme is a retired Hospital CEO (Fairfield Hospital, Austin Hospital, Daw Park Repatriation General Hospital, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital), Health Service Board Director. He now serves on the Boards of a small charitable foundation and a registered training organisation.
What's his dream bike? A V4 Ducati Multistrada!
Andrew Adam
Registered Nurse, Mental Health Nurse(Credentialed), MBA, MMHN, FACMHN
Andrew has held senior positions in public mental health services in NSW, QLD & TAS. His current role since November 2019 was a move closer to clinical care to set up and run a therapeutic community Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation service for Odyssey House Victoria in East Gippsland. He joined the first PoB ride from Perth to Sydney riding a Yamaha MT01 and was transformed by the experience. He has subsequently taken his Indian Roadmaster on several PoB rides since 2016.
My dream bike is still in the design stage, I have seen a prototype which rides like a motorcycle and then transforms into a flying bike. If that dream doesn’t come to fruition then maybe a Star Wars speeder will, who knows what the future may bring?
John Cantwell
BA, Psych/Phil
John Cantwell is a psychologist of 25 years, who has worked in the youth justice and criminal justice field. He has also worked extensively with youth generally, having recently worked for the Australian Childhood Foundation. Currently he works for Headspace, a national mental health service.
Dream bike would be a Honda African Safari Adventure bike, with a dream of becoming better at off road riding. John also has an interest in early scooters.
Brad Elms
Registered Nurse,
MIdwifery Certificate, Psychiatric Nursing Certificate, B.Health Management (UNE), Authorised Mental Health Practitioner (Qld)
After completing general nursing training at Royal Brisbane Hospital, midwifery beckoned. Keen for clinical knowledge, psychiatric nursing followed. Brad's career journey took a detour (with wife Lisa, also an RN), arriving at Woorabinda, an indigenous community in Central Qld. The next decades have been filled with adventures into rural and remote, public and private, government and NGO management, board and clinical positions. The single most challenging but rewarding of Brad's career was his role in Managing the redevelopment of Wolston Park Hospital in Brisbane, during a period of great progress and change in the delivery of mental health services.
Brad has recently moved to working between 2 Community Care Units in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Ian Pascoe
Nursing certificates in Psychiatric Nursing, Mental Deficiency Nursing and General Nursing. Dip.App.Sc. (Community Health Nursing). Bachelor of Nursing.
I moved into the community about 28 years ago with 1 year in rural and remote then into the new Mobile Assertive Team in Adelaide’s North.
The last 8 years of my practice was working within the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program where I worked privately and independently receiving referrals from GPs. I refused to see patients in a GP environment so would visit them at their home. I found this approach highly successful with excellent engagement rates.
My main interest in mental health focuses on human stress. I retired 50 years to the week after commencing training. These days I am the welfare officer for my local Ulysses Branch.
I started out on dirt bikes but graduated to road bikes about 10 years ago currently riding a Suzuki Vstrom adventure bike and a Suzuki Boulevard cruiser. I have a few more in the back shed. My dream bike is an electric motorbike with a decent range (when they make one!)
Richard Whitton
Psychiatric Nurse, General Nurse, Mental Retardation Nurse, Midwifery, Diploma of Teaching
Richard has extensive experience ranging from Assistant Director of Nursing for Corrections Health NSW to Community Mental Health Teams in Blacktown Mt Druitt to Parkes, Forbes & Condobolin as Clinician and Manager.
Richard has been based in Orange NSW for the past 21years, the last 10 being as Nurse Educator in Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol for Western NSW (including Broken Hill, Bourke, Dubbo & Lightning Ridge to Lithgow), ensuring compliance and efficacy of community team members.
Now retired, he is an active member of the Orange Suicide Prevention Network. Richard has been on almost all Psychs on Bikes rides since the first crossing of Australia and has now crossed the country four times and circumnavigated Australia and Tasmania once.