Our Team
We bring together deep healthcare experience, cultural knowledge, and community leadership to shape our work.
Since 2015, the board of Ear Foundation Australia has been chaired by Aboriginal women, and half its members are Aboriginal.
Our Patrons
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Prof. Harvey Coates AO
Board Member, Clinical PatronHarvey Coates AO MS FRC(C) FRACS DABO is a Paediatric Otolaryngologist and Clinical Professor at the University of Western Australia, School of Paediatrics and Child Health and University Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery,and Senior ENT Surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
He is past Chairman of the Aboriginal Sub-committee of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck and Surgery. His current research interests are the relationship of bacterial biofilms to otitis media, chronic rhinosinusitis and adenoid disease, obstructive sleep disorder and newborn hearing screening and Indigenous children’s ear disease.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for his work and research in paediatric otolaryngology and ear disease in Aboriginal children. He has also won several other awards including the Deafness Council WA Inc. Dr Harry Blackmore Award (2004) the Australian Lions Foundation William R Tresise Fellow Award for humanitarian services (2002) and the Fiona Stanley Medal (2001).
He studied medicine at the University of Queensland and trained in Australia as well as in the United States of America where he worked at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr Coates was the Senior Surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital (now Perth Children’s Hospital) for 15 years as the Clinical Professor of Paediatric Otolarynology at UWA. He undertakes an active role in the management of Aboriginal ear health. He is the author of numerous book chapters and over 66 papers. He is a member of 15 learned societies and committees both in medicine and the arts.
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Wendy Duncan
PatronFormer Member for Kalgoorlie, Wendy Duncan, was born in Kalgoorlie and grew up on a pastoral station in the goldfields. She was educated by School of the Air and recalls times when she went out gathering bush tucker with the local Aboriginal women as among her most precious memories. Wendy’s passion for politics and concern for human rights was awakened by a year on a Rotary Exchange scholarship in South Africa during the apartheid era. She cites Nelson Mandela as one of her strongest influencers. After completing a degree in politics and Australian history at the University of Western Australia Wendy undertook post-graduate studies in Canberra and worked with the National Farmer’s Federation on its formation. On her return to Western Australia Wendy and her husband ran their own business in the pastoral industry and farming in Esperance. During that time Wendy had four children, worked with law firms, local government and small rural enterprises while studying externally through Curtin to gain a Graduate Diploma of Business.
Seeing the neglect of regional areas by government, Wendy became involved in the Nationals rising to be its first female State President. Working alongside Brendon Grylls, she helped develop the Royalties for Regions policy. She entered Parliament in 2008 and successfully held three seats – two in the Legislative Council and one in the Legislative Assembly, retiring at the 2013 election. Wendy was the first female Leader of the Nationals in the Legislative Council, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development, and Deputy Speaker in the Legislative Assembly. More recently Wendy graduated from the Institute of Company Directors Course.
During her time in Parliament Wendy was a passionate advocate for regional development with a particular focus on the health and well-being of those in more remote areas, and the mining industry and mining education. She was the founding chair of headspace Kalgoorlie-Boulder and actively campaigned on issues of FASD and aboriginal child health and has been a passionate supporter of Ear Foundation Australia since its inception.
Founders
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Dr Lara Shur
Chief Executive Officer & Co-FounderLara Shur has an undergraduate Honours degree in Speech & Hearing Therapy, a Master’s degree in Audiology, a Clinical Doctorate (Au.D) in Audiology and a Graduate Certificate in Business Management. She joined Ear Foundation Australia as Director, Clinical Services & Outcomes in 2013 before stepping into the CEO role in April of 2023.
Lara was previously Manager of Clinical Support WA & NT for the Department of Health & Ageing’s Office of Hearing Services. Before joining Ear Foundation, Lara was responsible for running the newborn hearing screening program in WA’s private hospital sector. She also managed private audiology services and cochlear implant programs for children.
Lara was responsible for the design brief and roll-out of the Pilbara Earbus as well as the Perth South Metro Earbus and managed Perth East Metro and Bunbury Earbuses for 3 years prior to joining Ear Foundation. She began her career in Audiology in South Africa, reaching the position of Senior Audiologist and Speech Therapist at a large public hospital in Soweto.
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Paul Higginbotham
Executive Director & Co-Founder, SecretaryPaul Higginbotham is a teacher of the deaf who commenced working in the field of hearing impairment in 1982. Paul holds a Masters degree (Hons) in organisational leadership and opened and ran a language centre in Tokyo, Japan from 1991 to 1996. In 1997 he was appointed Principal of a school for deaf children in Perth and in November 2004 he became the CEO of a renamed Early Intervention Centre in Perth, a position he held until January 2013.
During a successful 15 year tenure Paul oversaw a $15 million rebuild of the centre’s campus, increased annual student throughput from under 100 children a year to over 11,000 per annum, added programs and services to reach every corner of Western Australia and built a reputation for cutting edge excellence. Paul was also instrumental in lobbying state and federal politicians through the establishment of the Australian Collaboration on Hearing and Education (ACHE).
Paul served on the WA Newborn Hearing Screening Committee 1998-2013; chaired the WA Special Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC) from 2003-2005; is a member of the WA Deafness Council Executive Committee and in 2012 was the recipient of the Harry Blackmore Award for outstanding leadership in the field of childhood hearing impairment. Paul was a founding member of the Six Centre Alliance in 2003 which later became First Voice, an Australia-NZ alliance of early intervention centres specialising in childhood deafness.
The inaugural CEO of Ear Foundation Australia, a role he held for 10 years, Paul has presented at numerous state, national and international conferences and continues to do so in his role as Executive Director.
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Dee Parker
Aboriginal Ear Health Advisor & Co-Founder
Our Board
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Susann Beath
Board Chair, Kariyarra Knowledge HolderSusann (Sue) Beath worked for 24 years in the WA Department of Education, the last 10 years as Manager, Aboriginal Education in metropolitan and regional settings. A proud Karriyarra woman from the Pilbara, Sue and her family have strongly supported a successful long-running Native Title claim finally accepted by the WA courts in late 2018.
Sue’s first studies were towards a Bachelor of Primary Education; she has Certificates in Education Practices and Small Business. Her previous board experience includes Gumala Minuwarri (Follow the Dream) from 1994-99, MIYP 2003-2006 and Pilbara Aboriginal Mental Health 2012-14.
Sue has been a longtime supporter of Ear Foundation and supported the introduction of Earbus Programs to many school sites; in her Managerial role in the Pilbara she provided valuable cultural training workshops for the Earbus Foundation Clinical Team. Now relocated to Perth, Sue is able to put her skills and energy into her role as Board Chair.
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Dr Carol Dowling
Deputy-Chair (Badimaya Yamaji)Carol Dowling is a Badimia (Yamatji) Maja (Leader/Knowledge Holder) whose family comes from the Central West of Western Australia. She is well known in both the Perth Noongar and Badimia communities for her community development, governance and activism.
She is longstanding Chairperson of Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation and founder and former Chair of Noongar Media Enterprises (Noongar Radio 100.9FM) in Perth. Carol is two-time Australian Human Rights Commission award winner in Radio (2013 & 2014) with her crafted radio documentaries.
Carol holds a Masters in Indigenous Research and Development and a Doctoral degree in Social Sciences from Curtin University. Her Doctoral research was an autoethnography focused on five generations of women in her maternal Badimia family and their experiences of colonial racism. Her identical twin sister is Dr Julie Dowling, a prestigious portrait artist of national and international calibre represented in most major Australian public and private collections.
Carol has been a long-term registered foster mother for her community. Her oldest foster son’s experience of chronic ear infections inspired her to complete a major radio documentary series for the federal health department in 2012 focusing on Aboriginal child ear health in the Noongar community. The series won the 2013 National Community Broadcasting Association of Australia award for best documentary series and went onto win the Australian Human Rights Commission award for radio in the same year.
Carol has worked as Lecturer in Aboriginal Studies for over 33 years at Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and the University of Western Australia specialising in Aboriginal arts, Indigenous research methodologies, postgraduate studies, human rights, sustainability, politics and culture. In 2024 she won three Excellence in Teaching Awards including the Curtin Guild Award, nominated by her students.
Carol was the founder and inaugural Chair of the Badimia Bandi Barna Aboriginal Corporation (BBBAC). Carol, along with committee members and Badimia Elders, wrote a Healthy Country Plan that led to a $15.2M joint management agreement with the WA state government for 114,000 hectares, including two former pastoral leases and seven reserves
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Dr Helen Goulios
Board MemberAssociate Professor Helen Goulios is the Clinical Director of Audiology at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Since the course began in 2000, Helen’s work has contributed to the education of more than80% of Western Australia’s Audiologists, She continues to mentor many graduates, aiding the professional growth and development of Audiology nationally and internationally.
Prior to commencing at UWA, Helen held senior clinical, policy and management positions in Perth, Sydney and London. This provided significant knowledge and depth of experience for teaching and research and built strong and extensive networks nationally and internationally.
Helen’s strong interest in promoting Audiology education has included working with the East Java (Indonesia) government to establish early identification and intervention services for children. In Australia, she chaired the National Working Group for Rural and Regional Hearing Healthcare for the Commonwealth Health Department.
Other voluntary contributions include Board Member/National Vice-President of Audiology Australia, the peak professional body for Audiologists. In 2023 she was awarded Life Membership of Audiology Australia – only awarded 6 times previously in 60 years.
In addition to her Ph D, Dr Goulios holds a BSc (Hons), a Master of Clinical Audiology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Audiology. Helen joined Ear Foundation Board in July 2024.
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Paul Higginbotham
Executive Director & Co-Founder, SecretaryPaul Higginbotham is a teacher of the deaf who commenced working in the field of hearing impairment in 1982. Paul holds a Masters degree (Hons) in organisational leadership and opened and ran a language centre in Tokyo, Japan from 1991 to 1996. In 1997 he was appointed Principal of a school for deaf children in Perth and in November 2004 he became the CEO of a renamed Early Intervention Centre in Perth, a position he held until January 2013.
During a successful 15 year tenure Paul oversaw a $15 million rebuild of the centre’s campus, increased annual student throughput from under 100 children a year to over 11,000 per annum, added programs and services to reach every corner of Western Australia and built a reputation for cutting edge excellence. Paul was also instrumental in lobbying state and federal politicians through the establishment of the Australian Collaboration on Hearing and Education (ACHE).
Paul served on the WA Newborn Hearing Screening Committee 1998-2013; chaired the WA Special Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC) from 2003-2005; is a member of the WA Deafness Council Executive Committee and in 2012 was the recipient of the Harry Blackmore Award for outstanding leadership in the field of childhood hearing impairment. Paul was a founding member of the Six Centre Alliance in 2003 which later became First Voice, an Australia-NZ alliance of early intervention centres specialising in childhood deafness.
The inaugural CEO of Ear Foundation Australia, a role he held for 10 years, Paul has presented at numerous state, national and international conferences and continues to do so in his role as Executive Director.
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Steve Shur
TreasurerSteve is an Insurance Broker with 44 years’ experience in the industry.
From 1989 to 2000 he operated Stephen Shur Investments in South Africa. This was a general insurance brokerage that he started and was successful in the Johannesburg area.
Following his migration to Australia he has remained in the industry and is currently senior Account Executive at Trident Insurance Group Pty Ltd.
He holds a Diploma of Financial Services (Insurance Broking) and is responsible for the day to day administration and providing advice to his clients on insurance cover and what is required to protect their legal obligations and risks.
Steve has been actively involved in Ear Foundation since its inception and is a founding member of the association.
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Prof. Harvey Coates AO
Board Member, Clinical PatronHarvey Coates AO MS FRC(C) FRACS DABO is a Paediatric Otolaryngologist and Clinical Professor at the University of Western Australia, School of Paediatrics and Child Health and University Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery,and Senior ENT Surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
He is past Chairman of the Aboriginal Sub-committee of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck and Surgery. His current research interests are the relationship of bacterial biofilms to otitis media, chronic rhinosinusitis and adenoid disease, obstructive sleep disorder and newborn hearing screening and Indigenous children’s ear disease.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for his work and research in paediatric otolaryngology and ear disease in Aboriginal children. He has also won several other awards including the Deafness Council WA Inc. Dr Harry Blackmore Award (2004) the Australian Lions Foundation William R Tresise Fellow Award for humanitarian services (2002) and the Fiona Stanley Medal (2001).
He studied medicine at the University of Queensland and trained in Australia as well as in the United States of America where he worked at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr Coates was the Senior Surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital (now Perth Children’s Hospital) for 15 years as the Clinical Professor of Paediatric Otolarynology at UWA. He undertakes an active role in the management of Aboriginal ear health. He is the author of numerous book chapters and over 66 papers. He is a member of 15 learned societies and committees both in medicine and the arts.
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Dr Julie Owen (Nurrunga and Ngarrendjeri)
Board MemberDr Julie Owen is a proud member of the Nurrunga/Ngarrindjeri Nations. Originally from Adelaide, she has lived and worked in regional WA for 30 years.
Dr Owen has extensive qualifications, experience and engagement in Aboriginal health, education and women’s issues across Australia. She has teaching qualifications, a Masters in Population Health and counselling degree.
Julie was the first Aboriginal graduate from UWA’s School of Population Health, completing a Ph D in Aboriginal Health. In 2007, she won a Fulbright Scholarship to study diabetes education in Native American populations in the U.S.
Julie’s roles have included teaching positions from primary school to university, managing health service providers, coordinating health education teams and being an early childhood advisor for Aboriginal Families as First Educators.
She has previously held the position of Deputy Chair of Ear Foundation.
Our Team
Leadership
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Dr Lara Shur
Chief Executive Officer & Co-FounderLara Shur has an undergraduate Honours degree in Speech & Hearing Therapy, a Master’s degree in Audiology, a Clinical Doctorate (Au.D) in Audiology and a Graduate Certificate in Business Management. She joined Ear Foundation Australia as Director, Clinical Services & Outcomes in 2013 before stepping into the CEO role in April of 2023.
Lara was previously Manager of Clinical Support WA & NT for the Department of Health & Ageing’s Office of Hearing Services. Before joining Ear Foundation, Lara was responsible for running the newborn hearing screening program in WA’s private hospital sector. She also managed private audiology services and cochlear implant programs for children.
Lara was responsible for the design brief and roll-out of the Pilbara Earbus as well as the Perth South Metro Earbus and managed Perth East Metro and Bunbury Earbuses for 3 years prior to joining Ear Foundation. She began her career in Audiology in South Africa, reaching the position of Senior Audiologist and Speech Therapist at a large public hospital in Soweto.
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Paul Higginbotham
Executive Director & Co-Founder, SecretaryPaul Higginbotham is a teacher of the deaf who commenced working in the field of hearing impairment in 1982. Paul holds a Masters degree (Hons) in organisational leadership and opened and ran a language centre in Tokyo, Japan from 1991 to 1996. In 1997 he was appointed Principal of a school for deaf children in Perth and in November 2004 he became the CEO of a renamed Early Intervention Centre in Perth, a position he held until January 2013.
During a successful 15 year tenure Paul oversaw a $15 million rebuild of the centre’s campus, increased annual student throughput from under 100 children a year to over 11,000 per annum, added programs and services to reach every corner of Western Australia and built a reputation for cutting edge excellence. Paul was also instrumental in lobbying state and federal politicians through the establishment of the Australian Collaboration on Hearing and Education (ACHE).
Paul served on the WA Newborn Hearing Screening Committee 1998-2013; chaired the WA Special Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC) from 2003-2005; is a member of the WA Deafness Council Executive Committee and in 2012 was the recipient of the Harry Blackmore Award for outstanding leadership in the field of childhood hearing impairment. Paul was a founding member of the Six Centre Alliance in 2003 which later became First Voice, an Australia-NZ alliance of early intervention centres specialising in childhood deafness.
The inaugural CEO of Ear Foundation Australia, a role he held for 10 years, Paul has presented at numerous state, national and international conferences and continues to do so in his role as Executive Director.
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Jane Jenkins
Business & Operations ManagerJane joined Ear Foundation in August 2022. Her career began in General Practice in Tasmania before she moved to Western Australia, where she was employed in General Practice, hospital and private specialist.
Starting her own business, Jane provided bookkeeping and business set up advice to a variety of different industries, including Civil and Mining, where she was contracted to oversee a large staff on multiple sites. During this time she assisted in negotiating tenders and contracts with companies such as FMG and Leighton Mining Service.
A move back to the health sector saw Jane take on the Clinic Manager role at a private specialist and allied health practice in Perth. Her role at Ear Foundation combines her extensive experience in health with her business management skills and incorporates operations, HR, IT and Finance.
Jane holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Graduate Diploma of Business Administration, a Diploma of Project Management and a Diploma of Business Management, and is currently studying toward her Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
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Nicola Linton
Research Impact and Outcomes, Research ManagerNicola joined Ear Foundation in 2025. Her career began in information technology, liaising between teams in mainland Europe. She then qualified as a Clinical Audiologist and rose to working as a Senior Audiologist in the private and not-for-profit sectors while contributing to several research and health promotion projects, with one winning the AMA(WA)/Healthway Healthier WA Award. She provided post-graduate lecturing and clinical teaching at the University of Western Australia.
Shifting to starting her own business, Nicola developed services in Central Auditory Processing Disorder and counselling. During this time, she also delivered Ear Health services on behalf of several not-for-profits and the government in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Nicola’s role at Ear Foundation combines her extensive experience in business and audiology. Nicola has a B.Sc. with first class honours, a Master of Clinical Audiology and a Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work.
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Andrea Jansen Van Rensburg
Head of Clinical Services -
Robert White
Manager Partnership Sponsors & Grants
Audiologists
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Simon Ly
Audiology Team Leader -
Zee Xiao
Audiologist -
Neil Zuniega
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Ying Zhu
Audiologist -
Liang Wang
Audiologist -
Kate Vincent
Audiologist -
Adelina Duncan
Audiologist
Nurses
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Carly Martin
Nurse Practitioner -
Kristie Orchard
Nurse -
Tanisha Dhu
Nurse -
Jayne Corbett
Nurse -
Richard Jenkins
Nurse
Ear Health Screeners
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Imogen Curwood
Ear Health Screener -
Karma Wangchuck
Ear Health Screener
Wrap The Gap Team
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Dianne Raby
Speech Pathologist -
Leonie Clements
Therapy Assistant
Partnerships and Fundraising
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Karl Gruber
Grant Lead -
Michelle Kiddie
Marketing and Communications Lead
Research and Impact
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Nicola Linton
Research Impact and Outcomes, Research ManagerNicola joined Ear Foundation in 2025. Her career began in information technology, liaising between teams in mainland Europe. She then qualified as a Clinical Audiologist and rose to working as a Senior Audiologist in the private and not-for-profit sectors while contributing to several research and health promotion projects, with one winning the AMA(WA)/Healthway Healthier WA Award. She provided post-graduate lecturing and clinical teaching at the University of Western Australia.
Shifting to starting her own business, Nicola developed services in Central Auditory Processing Disorder and counselling. During this time, she also delivered Ear Health services on behalf of several not-for-profits and the government in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Nicola’s role at Ear Foundation combines her extensive experience in business and audiology. Nicola has a B.Sc. with first class honours, a Master of Clinical Audiology and a Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work.
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Shivali Appaiah
Research Audiologist -
Gabriel Purser
Admin Outcomes and Impact -
Kevin Koo
Data Officer -
Akshit Goyal
Data Officer
Program Coordinators
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Kelsey Fink
Program Manager -
Clare Taylor
Program Coordinator
Accounts and Administration
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James Mapaye
Accounts Clerk -
Amanda Knowles
Reception and Administration -
Bekk De Blanken
NBHS Admin Support
Our Story
Reaching further.
Building trust.
Every day, we listen. We listen by showing up — alongside children, families, Elders, teachers and health workers across Western Australia. And what we hear is clear: communities deserve better health, better opportunities and better futures.