This year, we have seen two of Pride Foundation Australia’s long-standing board members—Ian Gould and Colin Krycer—step down from the role. Without the hard work and dedication of both Ian and Colin, Pride Foundation Australia would not be where it is today.
PFA Chair Dr Ruth McNair has written on the contributions of each, to acknowledge their work within PFA, which will have long lasting impact on LGBTQIA+ communities across Australia.
Ian Gould
Ian joined the board of then GALFA in June 2013, on my invitation. I had worked with him when he was treasurer of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and noted his methodical and calm approach and dedication to the cause. He proved to be that and so much more on the PFA board.
For ten years Ian was our governance champion, producing many of our policies, and improving our financial systems as our treasurer. He was also instrumental in engaging external partners, including the Sidney Myer Foundation and encouraging us to step up our philanthropic engagement.
Ian also led our work with LGBTIQ people living with disability. He formed an advisory committee of lived experience experts, and mentored many of them individually to become the leaders they are today. This work over a five-year period was ground-breaking in funding a range of new initiatives including some of the first Australian research in the area, as well as multiple large grants to community organisations. This was recognised by a GLOBE award in 2020 for ‘Preventing Social Isolation in LGBTIQ Community’.
Ian retired from the board in June 2023 ready for a well-deserved tree change to his rural property. He did a SWOT analysis for the Board as his parting gift, as he said ‘In the spirit of encouraging ‘continuous improvement’ and acknowledging the growth of Pride Foundation Australia’s scale, complexity of decision making, and never-ending changing regulatory environment’.
We will miss him greatly but know he will continue to promote and encourage our work.
Colin Krycer
Colin was on the Pride Foundation Australia board from 2007 until his retirement at the end of 2022. He was a committed and active board member including being our mainstay in organising many stalls at pride events including Midsumma carnival and Mardi Gras fair day. On those days, he would speak about our work, and encourage people to consider getting involved.
Colin was also a voice for the community on the board, advocating for an ethical approach to our fundraising and engagement with both LGBTIQA+ and mainstream communities. He dedicated countless hours to our small grants program since the first grants in 2017, agonising over which of the many applicants would be awarded grants. He regularly argued for us to increase our funding commitment to these grants, so that more grass-roots LGBTIQA+ community organisations could continue with their work.
In his wrap up email to the board, Colin said, “I have been so delighted to see the [Small Grants] program take off and give financial backing for so many LGBTIQ+ projects and events nation-wide. I am very proud of the what the Small Grants program is doing and PFA in general. Thank you all for continuing the great work of Pride Foundation Australia and making a positive change in people’s lives”
At Pride Foundation Australia, we rely almost completely on volunteers and Colin is one of the best, so we were thrilled when he received the GLOBE Volunteer of the Year award in 2022. We are delighted that Colin will be staying on as a volunteer for Pride Foundation Australia in the future.
