Our Vision

LEAD TRUSTEE

Sydney born and based; Dennis Halloran was a dear friend of Martin Carlson’s for over 40 years. Eventually Martin made his Sydney base in Dennis’s home, as Dennis did with Martin’s apartment in East Melbourne. They often travelled together to destinations in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Independent of each other, Dennis was always impressed with Martin’s wonderful sense of humor, his vision, his compassion for his fellow human, and his amazing ability ‘to get things done!’ Martin Carlson wasn’t only a wonderful friend; he was also a very special person!

Dennis was born in 1944 to a working-class family in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. His disabled father passed whilst Dennis was a teenager, and with his widowed mother and older brother shared many years of financial hardship. Completing his printing apprenticeship aged 20, Dennis with 2 friends decided to travel around Australia in a battered old van. What was planned to take 6 months instead took 2 years. Dennis worked at various jobs in the bush including a ‘fettler’ for the Queensland railways, and with newspapers in Townsville, Canberra and eventually Sydney.

Dennis had the ‘travel bug.’ When he explained to his mother that he wanted a job to see the world she replied, “those jobs don’t exist!” He proved her wrong when, at the age of 27, he proudly announced that he had gained employment with Qantas Airways as an international flight attendant. Dennis had found finally his notch in life canvassing the globe, making new friends, witnessing new and different cultures and lifestyles. A job he loved so much he remained with Qantas until he retired 30 years later.

Since retirement, Dennis has been involved in various voluntary roles from working with Asylum refugees, to being key personnel for political campaigns representing State and City independent candidates for the Sydney electorate. His retirement has been anything but boring!

Dennis was honoured that Martin nominated his name to be one of his three trustees to control the Martin Carlson Foundation, and is determined, as are the other two trustees, Darren Polglaise and Gary Brittle, to ensure that Martins vision to help young Victorians achieve a brighter future in the path they have followed, become a reality.

TRUSTEE FINANCIAL & TREASURER

Darren was born and raised in Noble Park, a working-class suburb in Victoria. His family consisted of his mother, father and four boys. Darren’s father Bruce was a Cabinet Maker and his mother a dental nurse who gave up her job to raise her young family.

Darren attended St Anthony’s Primary & Lyndale High School. Darren was part of the inaugural student intake at the newly built Carwartha High School, Noble Park, Victoria, following a Victorian State Government rezoning strategy.

Darren was in the first ten students to complete his HSC at Carwartha High, the first in his family to do so.

Darren commenced working life at The State Bank of Victoria, then worked for Municipal Mutual and Zurich Insurance Melbourne for twenty-eight years. Darren undertook work with dedicated and important client portfolios and was instrumental in participation with a national recovery project for the organisation so as to create a National recoveries team, improving communications, and national recoveries for insurance loss across Australia.

A keen sportsperson and Geelong supporter, Darren played junior football for Lyndale Football Club Victoria, and Doveton Eagles where he was part of the reserves team premiership in nineteen eighty-nine, managing two senior team games. Darren has experienced extensive travel across the world and lived for a short period in The United Kingdom.

Now retired, his time is involves with looking after his two-rescue greyhound dogs, walks on the beach. He is is also a member of The Gippsland Greyhound Walking Group. Living in country Victoria Darren gets proactively involved in community events. “Martin had a young at heart approach to life, he was a visionary and I had the opportunity to gain experience from him”.

“Martin was a close friend, and we enjoyed many, many fun times together, and as a group of friends. I am extremely honoured that I have been asked to be a trustee of The Martin Carlson Foundation. I will work toward achieving the requests and goals Martin held so dear with my work with MCF”.

TRUSTEE COMMUNICATIONS

Gary was born in Yardley Birmingham, England in 1963 to hard working parents Doris and William along with and elder brother Colin and his identical twin brother Craig. Gary worked from the age of nine for his Aunt Gwen who had a chain factory and shop in a suburb of Birmingham. He and his brother would work in the shop, clean cars for pocket money, make chain, and work in the factory. A great and wonderful introduction to working life, thanks so much to Aunt Gwen.

Upon successfully leaving school Gary undertook an apprenticeship as a Carpenter and Joiner and became qualified in 1983.

After working as a qualified Carpenter, Gary undertook a university program at Birmingham University to qualify as a teacher. He worked for Youth Training Schemes teaching and as a Placement Coordinator for Solihull Education. This position involved dealing with industry negotiating training for young people in a poor socio-economic area of Birmingham. During this working period, Gary also became Head of Equal Opportunities for another YTS training organisation in Birmingham.

Upon migrating on his own to Australia in 1989 Gary was successfully employed at Broadmeadows TAFE as a Carpentry/ Building Construction teacher. He remained at Broadmeadows, Kangan TAFE for approximately twenty-eight years, teaching Building and Construction, developing curriculum, delivering WH&S programs and Certificate IV and Diploma of Building. He specialised in delivering sustainable programs as well as involvement with moderation on training materials, programs, courses and apprenticeship training.

In 1990 he was seconded to The Victorian industry and Training Board to participate in writing The Victorian Industry Training Plan 1990.

Gary has also been honoured to have judged WorldSkills competitions. Gary has also worked assessing overseas students for trade qualification in Australia, and ran his own consultancy business delivering training around Sustainable Building, Work Health and Safety practices both in Australia and Overseas.

Gary is a qualified Carpenter and Joiner UK and Australia and holds relevant qualifications in Sustainability. He is also qualified at Melbourne University as a teacher. “I have worked and been involved in education and training for many, many years and know that I can bring a lot to the table for The Martin Carlson Foundations success. I am very honoured that Martin, as a good friend, nominated me to be one of the Trustees for The Martin Carlson Foundation. I have spent my life working toward making our Construction Industry and Trades better through my teaching and apprenticeship involvement. I positively promote equality within workplaces and the focus in the importance of how we treat others with respect. I cannot thank Martin enough for this opportunity”.