Meet the Team – Chatty Cafe Australia

Our Team

Annie Forster MICDA

Expansion Project Manager

Annie has over 15 years of proven expertise in the not-for-profit sector and is passionate about community connections. In her career, she has sought to make a positive difference to society, in both paid and volunteer roles. Having been drawn to work in the not-for-profit sector, she finds that the organisational focus on helping people is clearest in a results-based culture. Through a career spanning finance, media, arts, infrastructure and healthcare industries, she has broad experience in all aspects of Board Governance, Membership Management, Event Planning, Communications, Corporate Sponsorship and Stakeholder Coordination.

As a pivotal liaison contact, she always looks for opportunities to add value to the business and to create meaningful change in the world.

Tameka Buckley

Volunteer Manager

An experienced Volunteer Coordinator, Tameka enjoys connecting with individuals who are keen to contribute to society in a meaningful way. Tameka has worked in the not-for-profit sector for almost a decade, predominantly working behind the scenes to to address Melbourne’s homelessness crisis. Building positive reciprocal relationships is a key value of Tameka’s and she enjoys working collaboratively with key stakeholders and partners. Further experience in event planning and media and comms has given her an holistic overview of not-for-profit and community based work.

Outside her professional life, Tameka is a meditation teacher and has over ten years experience as a Resilience Coach, working with children and young people to support the development of healthy self esteem and emotional intelligence. She has a passion for safe-guarding mental health and connecting communities.

Helen Boulton

National Chatty Ambassador

Helen is also based in Bayside, Melbourne having moved there from the UK in 2004. When she first arrived in Australia, she only knew 4 other people in the country – her husband and 3 children. Fortunately, that is not the case now, but she does understand what it is like to be a very long way from all her family and friends and to be starting out again in an unfamiliar country knowing no-one.

She is a qualified solicitor and has also worked in the Not For Profit sector. She is passionate about baking, yoga and singing.

Our Team of Chatty Volunteers

Our amazing team of Chatty Volunteers stretches from Western Australia across to the East coast, at this point primarily in the Victorian Councils of Bayside, Ballarat and Mornington, as we grow Chatty Cafe across Australia.

These committed and energetic volunteers are the core of our Scheme – they provide a support to the venues as requested, to introduce the concept of Chatty Cafe to the local community by sitting at “Have a Chat” tables when venues first join up, to act as an “icebreaker” for customers to join the Chatty table and chat amongst themselves. Our volunteers also provide other support in administrative areas such as social media, scheduling etc. We look forward to growing our army of Chatty Volunteers over the coming months.

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The Chatty Cafe Scheme

Chatty Cafe Scheme Australia Ltd proudly acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander custodians of this land where we work and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

Donations of $2 or more to Chatty Café Scheme Australia are tax-deductible in Australia.

ACNC - Chatty Cafe Australia Governance Information

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