President
Holger Topp
Holger is a Civil Engineer with life membership to the Institute of Engineers Australia. He spent most of his career in the mining industry on site and in corporate roles. Holger’s special area of interest was rehabilitation both here in Australia and in the US. As a result of a “tree change” Holger and his wife live on small acreage on the Capel River.

Vice President
Kathy Rutgers
Kathy has lived most of her life in the Busselton area. About 20 years ago Kathy and her husband Peter bought a property at Ludlow, that adjoins the Ludlow Tuart Forest National Park. Her concern for the poor state of the Tuart Forest and the decline of the Ludlow settlement heritage buildings prompted her and Peter to join the Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration Group in 2018. 

Treasurer
Tonina Pinneri

COMMITTEE

Evelyn Taylor
Past President
Evelyn has a deep passion for nature, plants in particular, brought about by walking through a track defined by rags tied to bushes for a two and a half mile trek to school through the virgin forest in Nannup.

Evelyn married a forester and was stationed in Nannup, Busselton, Harvey, and then Perth. During this time she took a great interest in the natural environment. She worked for several years in occupational therapy, started a successful business in food and then several businesses in the Claremont CBD employing a total of 20+ staff while heavily involved with the Claremont Business Association, as vice president, for several years.  Evelyn was at this time the Business representative on the Claremont council planning committee and invited to become the first female member of Rotary. She lives in the Shire of Capel was an active member of the Capel Land Conservation District Committee and the Capel Garden club.

Evelyn is committed to, and in fact feels an obligation, driven by a passion for nature, to engage with community to restore the Tuart Forest.  The heritage listed Ludlow Settlement provides a focal point and a visible entrance to achieve this. 

Des Donnelly
Past President
Des started work in the timber industry in 1955 and then joined the Forests Department as a forestry cadet in 1959. He gained experience in all aspects of forest management throughout the south west of WA. In 1972 Des was promoted to District Forester at Ludlow. There he successfully established tuart seedlings, ceased tuart timber harvesting in the tuart forest and finally closed the tuart sawmill in 1975. In 1976 Des was promoted to Chief Utilisation Officer in CALM specialising in plantation softwood utilisation, research and development. He played a key role in the introduction of softwood house framing and power poles into WA.

After leaving CALM in 1996 Des set up a saw mill in Capel cutting salvaged tuart logs. Since retiring in 2007, Des has maintained his passion for the Tuart Forest through active community involvement. He brings to the Ludlow Tuart Forest restoration Group a wealth of knowledge and experience in Forest Management. Being a former resident of the Ludlow Settlement, he is committed to its restoration. 

Bill Biggins
Bill has an affinity with the open air and community service having been youth member and more recently, a District Commissioner with the Scout Association of Australia where he still volunteers his time. He is a land owner in the Shire of Capel and a Capel Land Conservation District Committee member. Bill has trade qualifications as an electrician and electronics technician and has held various roles in service and sales management, providing commissioning and technical support for industrial automation products and systems.

Nick Hornibrook

Pat Worrell
Pat is a retired teacher who taught in Meekatharra, Republic of Nauru, Port Hedland, Bunbury and Capel. In Port Hedland she met and married her late husband who was a tug Master. Together they established a boarding kennels and cattery which they maintained along with their other careers. Len retired and they moved to the Capel area in 1991 to 40 acres on Goodwood Road where they established an apple and plum orchard. They moved into Capel townsite in 2006 after selling the orchard.

Pat is a keen gardener establishing gardens in the many different places she has lived. While her children were growing up, Pat was a committee member of the Capel Horse and Pony Club and on the Equestrian centre committee.

At present she is a member of the Capel Garden Club, the Capel bowling club and the Bunbury Bodacious Belles Red Hat Group.

Jules Hogan
A past resident of Ludlow, Jules has returned as an adult to the playground she once called home.  The journey in between has been a wonderful adventure and, raising an incredible family has been at the heart of it all. Commencing working life as a school teacher, the years that followed were filled with twists and turns that led to a career in leading and developing high performing sales teams across Australia.  Now, semi retired, Jules enjoys part time leadership coaching and working with the wonderful team of the LTFRG on the amazing vision for Ludlow.

Yolanda Cool

Debbie Spalding

Jane Croft

Di Claffey