Lionel Cole

Pianist, songwriter, composer, music editor, music supervisor, singer and public speaker, Mr. Cole comes from a storied family of American music including uncle Nat King Cole and father Freddy Cole. His career includes collaboration with artists and filmmakers such as Mariah Carey, Ricky Lee Jones, Randy Jackson, Robert Downey Jr and Tim Reid. Resident in Sydney, he is a Fulbright lecturer and as part of that role worked with incarcerated youth in the NSW Justice system. He brings lived experience of some of the issues addressed by Life Dance Community. 

Naomi Derrick 

Ms. Derrick has spent the last 10 years as a nurse in Australia's busiest Emergency Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney, the last 5 in charge as Nurse Unit Manager (L3). She is currently working as a clinical nurse consultant at the RPA Green Light Institute doing research in Emergency Medicine. She shared her nursing skills internationally while volunteering at a remote Q'eqchi Mayan run health clinic in Guatemala and, locally, specialised in disaster training through membership in the Australian Medical Assistance Team and leading in the RPA City To Surf medical response team. Ms. Derrick's creative side expressed itself in work as a multi-disciplinary artist in the mediums of performance, installation and costume making and the publication of two comics based on her nursing experience. She has graduate and post-graduate nursing qualifications (UTS & Sydney) and a Bachelor of Arts (UNSW). 

Michael Derrick 

Mr. Derrick spent most of his career working with IT in roles including programming, sales and consulting. In his mid-50s he transitioned to Human Services, training as a counsellor and psychotherapist, then establishing and working in his private practice in Sydney's CBD for 3 years. This was followed by 10 years in aged care, both community and residential. Roles included one year of client-facing work in the community, Quality / audit, research and policy, tenders, medical records systems support, volunteer management and staff training. Mr. Derrick wrote the winning tender for and then put protocols and systems in place for the establishment of the NSW Elder Abuse Helpline. He spent 3 years as volunteer IT Manager for Sailors with Disabilities (now Making Waves Foundation). He has a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy and was a former Member of the Australian Counselling Association. He brings lived experience of some of the issues addressed by Life Dance Community.