National Amputee Advisory Council

Priscilla became a below knee amputee in 2005, after elective surgery to remove a worsening congenital bone condition. She leads a very active life, with lots of travelling and exercise all made easier by constant improvements in prosthetic technology.

Priscilla is the founder and curator of Spare Parts, an exhibition that brings together a diverse range of artists all using pre-loved prosthetics as their canvas. She has had two exhibitions in Brisbane and one in London during the 2012 Paralympics. Over the years there have been over 100 artworks and countless prosthetics donated by amputees, families of amputees and clinics all round the world. What started as a fun idea to clean out her own closet had evolved into a much-loved project that has helped to create a positive and open conversation about amputee and prosthetic life, and inspired many amputees to start wearing colourful limbs!

Priscilla is also a Peer Support Volunteer for Limbs 4 Life.

Paul became a right below knee amputee in 2013 and has a disease called Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). CMT is caused by genetic faults and in some cases inherited, in others, a new mutation in the gene. 1 in 2,500 people are diagnosed with CMT. As well as Paul’s amputation he also wears an AFO on his left foot as this foot is starting to cause him problems.

Paul works full time in the Agricultural Aviation Industry (in rural NSW) and in his spare time he is the Senior Deputy of aviation fire-bombing sector at his local Rural Fire Service.

Paul has been an active Peer Support Volunteer with Limbs 4 Life for 8 years.

Peter is a below knee amputee due to uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes. He was employed by Bendigo Bank as a Support Officer following his amputation and also returned to helping run ghost tours in Adelaide. To aid his recovery and assist others, Peter started a blog about his limb loss journey to hopefully help answer questions that people facing amputation may have.

Peter became a Peer Support Volunteer with Limbs 4 Life and credits the health-literacy ‘A Practical Guide for Amputees’ and the peer support visit he received during his hospital stay as a vital part of his recovery; so much so that Peter now wants to give back to his community.

Kath is a below knee amputee as the result as a bus accident whilst travelling overseas in 2010. A keen sportsperson, she is involved in the All Abilities and Amputee Golf communities as both a player and volunteer administrator.

Education has been the focus of Kath's professional life, in particular special and inclusive education as a specialist teacher, consultant and lecturer/researcher. She has a PhD that explores the lived educational experiences of adults with dyslexia. She also has post graduate qualifications in TESOL. 

Kath has recently retired as a university lecturer and dreams of eventually becoming a one-legged lion tamer.  

Ren is a below knee amputee and a retired prosthetic technician. He is an avid sportsman in cycling, skating, skiing, horse riding and golf. Ren has completed in international ice hockey events.

Ren is one of Limbs 4 Life’s founding Peer Support Volunteers and regularly offers his time to speak to groups of amputees in hospital and rehabilitation settings. Ren brings a wealth of knowledge to the council and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to and support the Australian amputee community.

Andrew has been an amputee, living in Western Australia, since February 2015. Andrew brings years of experience in the disability sector from Government positions to NGO roles and running his own business around building the capacity of people with disabilities in his local community.

Andrew is the Vice Chair of People with Disabilities (PwDWA), a board member of Diverse Leaders Inc. and a disability consultant for E-QUAL. Andrew is a graduate of both LeadAbility 2015, and Rising Leaders 2017 programs at Leadership Western Australia and is a Leadership Western Australia Alumnus.

Andrew also holds a degree in Jazz from the WA Academy of Performing Arts as a saxophonist, is an avid jazz lover and plays in two bands.

Shane is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing and a post graduate diploma of critical care whom spent several years working in intensive care and cardiac units across Melbourne.

Shane also has had several years’ experience as a research and project coordinator in a Melbourne hospital research centre. During this time Shane also was a member of the low-risk human and research ethics committee for that hospital. Shane whilst working at the research centre successfully completed another two degrees concurrently; this included a Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Clinical prosthetics and orthotics. Shane currently works for the NDIA in the national technical advisor branch as a senior advisor

Shane is a Peer Support Volunteer with Limbs 4 Life and has been an above knee amputee for 30 years

Kylie was born with a congenital upper limb difference and has a background in the not-for-profit sector. Kylie has also run diversity programs in schools for many years and has been a Peer Support Volunteer with Limbs 4 Life since 2010.

Kylie is passionate about supporting people with a limb difference to achieve positive outcomes and is now working with Limbs 4 Life as a Subject Matter Expert on the National Advisory Council.

Richard is a below knee amputee and a Gungarri Murrdi from South West Queensland. With connections to First Nations Primary Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Richard is looking forward to contributing to the National Advisory Council from the perspective of the First Nations People of Australia.

With a strong interest in human rights, Richard is interested to create resources including a Reconciliation Action Plan to engage with and assist the First Nations Community.

Richard is the youngest from a family of eight children, enjoys writing poetry, travelling, and watching rugby league and AFL.