Our Team
Colleen Johnstone
Chief Executive Officer
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Colleen Johnstone:
Colleen has extensive experience as an executive and senior manager. She has worked for 15 years for both the Australian and Tasmanian Governments in a number of positions and managed a large range of complex projects. Colleen is passionate about palliative care and the community sector in Tasmania. She has led Palliative Care Tasmania for five years and under her leadership, PCT has changed governance and organisation structures, delivered outcomes on millions of dollars of grants and projects, and positioned itself as a key health peak body.
Sharon King
Manager, Community Engagement
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Sharon King:
Sharon King is an Allied Health Professional with an interest in all aspects of health. Sharon’s background is as a Dietitian APD (Accredited Practicing Dietitian), with a Masters in Dietetics and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment, and experience working in clinical, community and private settings. She has worked on palliative care, rehabilitation, and oncology wards. This piqued her interest in palliative care and improving the overall quality of life of patients and supporting the family/loved ones. Sharon’s passion is in educating and working with the community to improve resources from within. She has worked for Palliative Care Tasmania (PCT) for over 4 years and has enjoyed the ongoing opportunities to work in this sector of care. Working with communities and developing partnerships to strengthen resources, is a vital part of the work PCT do and Sharon looks forward to continuing this work into the future.
Veney Hiller
Manager, Communications + Policy + Development
Veney Hiller:
Venéy is passionate about ensuring that all people, no matter what their age, have access to the best quality palliative care and end of life services available.
Gaylene Cunningham
Senior Community Development Officer
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Gaylene Cunningham:
Gaylene is an experienced and awarded Registered Nurse with more than 25 years experience. Gaylene’s nursing career has seen her work in primary health care and general practice, then extend to public health, including preventative health programs. She has spent many years in the oncology and palliative care fields and brings her vast experience to her role as an educator at Palliative Care Tasmania.
Gaylene is passionate about connecting people and their families with quality support services, particularly within regional and rural communities and equally dedicated to delivering quality Palliative Care education to the community.
Tash Smyth
Project Officer – Bereavement Care Network
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Tash Smyth:
Tash works part time with Flourish, and we are lucky to have her join us here at Palliative Care Tasmania part time, as the Project Officer for The Bereavement Care Network.
Tash is passionate about her two beautiful girls and making a positive contribution to the community.
Sarah Martin
Strategic Project Lead – Workforce Development
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Sarah Martin:
Sarah comes to Palliative Care Tasmania with extensive experience in delivering strategic projects and managing partnerships with community, organisations and government. She has worked in the community sector in Tasmania to support organisations realise change, build frameworks for achieving outcomes, and recognise the value of the work they undertake. With post-graduate qualifications in community development, she has also worked alongside communities who have experienced trauma as a result of the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday Bushfires, supporting groups to revision, design and deliver new projects for community renewal and resilience.
Having experienced her own palliative care journey as a carer for both her mother and father, Sarah finds deep meaning and value in the work of PCT.
She is inspired by the possibilities and the potential to be gained by supporting and strengthening the workforce development of the palliative care sector in Tasmania.
Louise Bland
Community Engagement Officer (North/North East)
Louise Bland:
Louise has experience on a deep level of all the issues Palliative Care Tasmania works with. She is passionate about delivering information, education and doing community talks around end of life. Louise brings her personal and professional experience together when dealing with people she meets in her work. She has a lovely way of including every person, on whatever level they are comfortable, whether working on an individual level or in a group setting.