Who we are
About Electrify Bouddi
Electrify Bouddi is a not-for-profit community association for Bouddi residents and local businesses who want to reduce their climate impact, build climate resilience and save money on energy.
We generate and share information, knowledge and guidance to develop individual and community-level energy solutions. We seek to address the challenges of navigating multiple sources of information and the limitations of acting individually or passively waiting for governments to act. We collate and filter information, build a network of engaged community members and offer inspiration and opportunities to take positive action.
Get involved by becoming a member or joining a project team.
Our Strategic Plan
Over the first 18 months, Electrify Bouddi gained valuable insights into community interests and the challenges of launching a local energy initiative.
Guided by these lessons, the Steering Committee led an extensive consultation process — including workshops, written feedback, and member reviews — to shape a 3-year Strategic Plan (2025–2028). The plan clarifies Electrify Bouddi’s goals, strengthens member support, aligns resources for maximum impact, and enhances engagement with the wider community and stakeholders.
Photo Mark Gable
Our structure
Electrify Bouddi is co-ordinated by a Steering Committee elected by the members and run according to our constitution, which allows any member of Electrify Bouddi to be elected.
A team of volunteers were appointed in late 2023 as an interim committee to get us off the ground and oversee the development of the organisation. The current Steering Committee was elected at the AGM on 11 December 2025 and will meet monthly. Current members are their profiles are listed below.
Mark Ellis, Chair
Mark has worked as a private consultant and for the International Energy Agency to implement national policies for energy efficient appliances, such as the energy labelling of whitegoods.
Having lived in Wagstaffe for 26 years, he sees enormous potential to use the energy transition to improve environmental and economic outcomes for the Bouddi community and others like it.
Susan Biggs, Vice-chair
Susan is a senior executive with forty years of leadership in social justice, including roles with Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace, New Zealand Human Rights Commission, Adara Development, and the Sydney Peace Foundation.
She has lived in Bouddi for eight years, and she brings expertise in governance, strategic planning, policy development, and stakeholder engagement to advance climate justice in our local community.
Peter Harbison
After decades holidaying in Killcare, Peter has lived here for six years. He founded and created a mid-sized global aviation information and data company.
He continues to write and present extensively on aviation issues. Peter is Chairman of Greener Airlines, whose (challenging) goal is promoting greater sustainability in the industry. His five grandchildren hope to enjoy our planet long into the future.
Bill Fulton, Secretary
Bill, a Wagstaffe resident, has 50+ years’ experience in computer software and hardware development and claims to have sent the first email from Europe to North America.
He’s a past president of ORRCA Whale Rescue and, when not engrossed in Electrify Bouddi, leads humpback whale research at marine conservation group Living Ocean. Bill has successfully managed large projects and teams. His smartphone app Behayve is popular with ethologists worldwide.
Abi Couchman, Treasurer
Abi is a Yoga Therapist and Reiki Master who has a passion for the environment. She moved to the Bouddi area in 2019 to support her health and wellbeing by living immersed in nature.
Abi brings financial and technical expertise to her role as Treasurer through 20 years delivering IT projects for large financial institutions and 3 years as a volunteer Treasurer for a community not-for-profit day care centre.
Jon Charles, Member
Jon has been a Bouddi resident for 17 years. He has extensive management and consultant experience in the Commonwealth, NSW and local government public sectors with emphasis on governance, administrative review, ethics and probity, corporate policy development, auditing, program and performance evaluation, compliance assurance; and risk management. Agencies include: Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Office; NSW Environment Protection Authority; and NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Cath Elderton, Member
Cath is transitioning to retirement work, following a career in community development with first nations communities in remote Australia, and overseas.
She also spent a spell training in and practising psychoanalysis, and a dialogue and decision-making method called Deep Democracy. She has visited friends in Killcare since the 1990s and moved here in 2018.
Steering committee minutes
Steering Committee Minutes 13 November 202
Steering Committee Minutes 9 October 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 11 September 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 14 August 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 10 July 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 19 June 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 8 May 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 10 April 2025
Steering Committee Minutes 13 March 2025
If you would like to read the steering committee minutes not published here, please contact us at info@electrifybouddi.org.
Photo Mark Gable
Our project teams
Our project teams join together small groups of volunteers to focus on key areas such as managing our finances, developing our website and helping to provide real-world guidance and trusted information to the community. Each team is led by a co-ordinator and regularly reports their progress to the Steering Committee.
Find out how to volunteer with us.
FAQs
Electrify Bouddi is a not-for-profit community association dedicated to advancing climate action through adapting our energy use and supply to renewable resources in the Killcare, Killcare Heights, Hardy’s Bay, Pretty Beach and Wagstaffe areas.
Electrify Bouddi is a not-for-profit community association for Bouddi residents and local businesses who want to reduce their climate impact, build climate resilience and save money on energy.
We generate and share information, knowledge and guidance to develop individual and community-level energy solutions. We seek to address the challenges of navigating multiple sources of information and the limitations of acting individually or passively waiting for governments to act. We collate and filter information, build a network of engaged community members and offer inspiration and opportunities to take positive action.
The organisers are a mixed bunch of local residents, with varied experience and skills, who are learning as we go along. The names of the current Steering Committee are shown above.
Electrification is our nickname for the decarbonisation of our community energy use. Traditionally, our society has been dependent on fossil fuels, such as coal, gas and oil for the production of electricity, which produces enormous amounts of carbon. Switching to electricity from renewable sources, together with adequate storage and higher levels of energy efficiency appears the best option for meeting our future energy needs.
The word ‘Bouddi’ is the local First Nations name for the area that includes the suburbs of Killcare, Killcare Heights, Hardy’s Bay, Pretty Beach, Wagstaffe and Macmasters Beach. It has various meanings in Aboriginal language; however, it’s most common translation is ‘heart’.
Electrify Bouddi is an Incorporated Association run by its members. It is managed by a Steering Committee that is elected by the members.
Our members collaborate to form project teams which focus on particular topics of interest. These mirror our main priorities and may be added to in the future as Electrify Bouddi evolves.
Electrify Bouddi is run by and on behalf of its membership. Being a member means that you have access to information, resources and peers whose interests are invested in the future of our community energy needs.
You also have a say in decision making when we move beyond research and into developing and sharing resources.
There is no fee associated with becoming a member and membership is open to everyone, whatever their age.
For more detailed information on rules governing Electrify Bouddi, please see our constitution here.
Yes, anyone can join Electrify Bouddi even if you don’t live in Killcare, Killcare Heights, Hardys Bay, Pretty Beach or Wagstaffe. It’s a great way to support us and stay in touch.
We live in a well-resourced, innovative and connected community, inspired to protect the unique nature around us.
Electrify Bouddi offers an opportunity to demonstrate how protecting this environment and our community can be achieved by working together in partnership with government and industry.
This includes contributing to Australia’s overall efforts to reach our target of reducing emissions by 62-70 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035 and net zero by 2050.
We can turn the climate change challenge into an opportunity for our community to grow stronger together and connect with like-minded communities across Australia. We can build a community facilitated process that supports other critical responses to wide-ranging environmental challenges.
The potential to unlock lower costs results from the combination of (a) switching to the most efficient appliances and lighting, (b) maximising the generation of cheaper renewable energy supply options and (c) shifting electricity demand to times when there is less pressure on the supply network. This is easier to achieve in a small community like ours with willing inhabitants.