The first official meeting of the Pride Committee since their election at the recent AGM has seen the election of new male and female Co-Presidents.

Sharlene Dixon, an existing committee member who joined in July 2007, has been elected female Co-President.

- Advertisement -

Andrew Baietta, who was elected onto the committee at the recent AGM, has been elected male Co-President.

Baietta sees “the year ahead as an exciting time for Pride. We have a skilled committee, a great deal of enthusiasm, and an opportunity to re-launch Pride as an organisation committed to becoming more relevant and more attractive to the GLBT community in Perth”.

Behind them, a predominantly new team has filled the remaining committee positions with the desire and drive to rejuvenate Pride WA Inc. and the community as a whole.

Pride struggled in 2007, finishing the year more than $51,000 in debt. But due to some successful fundraising and a generous interest-free loan, Pride WA Inc. is now back in black and ready to take on the year ahead.

Maintaining her portfolio as Women’s Officer, one of Sharlene’s first hurdles is to fill the remaining four female committee positions and regain the trust of the female members and community.

The only other female committee member thus far, and the youngest, Leigh Jacobs, will take on the role of Youth Officer, connecting with another key sector of the community the organisation has lost touch with.

Baietta will also be taking charge of marketing and IT for the organisation, with one of his first priorities being a much needed makeover for the Pride WA website.

Former treasurer Iosefo Tapusoa will take on Membership, another immediate focus of the new committee, handing his former portfolio to new committee member Colin Beeck.

Fellow new committee members filled the remaining positions, with Bevan Marwick tackling Sponsorship and assisting Leigh on youth issues, Charles Denham taking Secretarial duties, and Kieran Bycroft becoming Media Liaison Officer.

With only five months until the annual Pride Festival Month, the committee has a lot of work to do, but as Dixon says “the Pride Committee are aware of the huge challenges ahead and the need to improve the structure and relevance of Pride, to ensure all of the GLBT community are represented – especially our youth – but without ever forgetting the roots of Pride and how we came to be in the first place”.