Beverley Pinder

Beverley Pinder (born 12 July 1955) is an Australian public relations executive, who was a former civil servant & 1978 Miss Universe Australia.^[1]

Biography

Beverley Pinder (born 1955) is an Australian public relations executive, who was a former civil servant and 1978 Miss Universe Australia ^[2]. Migrating from Sri Lanka with her family in her early teens, Beverley always had her sights set on immersing herself in the worlds of community and business. Her early days at Elwood High School reinforced her desires to meld people, place and purpose into her cosmopolitan way of thinking and being ^[3]. Since 1985, she has been the Managing Director of Rowland Pinder Communication Consultants ^[4]. Beverley is also a green-belt in Karate ^[5]. Beverley, from an early age, had a goal to ‘keep on giving’ to others who are less-fortunate while fostering a life of immersion into the Australian culture. Her call to civic duty had been germinating since the age of 13. Following her first term as a Councillor with the City of Melbourne 2012 to 2016, Beverley returned to the City of Melbourne on 15 January 2018 on a countback following the resignation of a councillor on 15 December 2017. As the Chair of the People City Portfolio, she looks forward to delivering the very best outcomes for our city and the community ^[6].

Beverley Pinder-Mortimer was originally elected as a Melbourne City Councillor on then Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle’s “Team Doyle” ticket in October 2012. She joined Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley and her other councillor colleagues in committing to the residents, business owners, students and visitors to Melbourne for the period of 2012 to 2016. Beverley was the Chair of the Marketing Melbourne portfolio, responsible for guiding Events, Tourism and Marketing for the city and as deputy chair of Arts and Culture at the City of Melbourne, Beverley overlaid her events, tourism and retail bent – working hand in hand with the very best that Melbourne’s rich plethora of arts and culture initiatives have to offer. Beverley returned as a Councillor in January 2018, as the Chair of People City portfolio and she looks forward to delivering the very best outcomes for our city and the community ^[7]. As part of her role as Chair, People City, Beverley also chairs three important advisory committees, namely: • Homelessness Advisory Committee • Disability Advisory Committee • Family and Children’s Advisory Committee Beverley is also the Deputy Chair, Small Business, Retail and Hospitality. Beverley is married to businessman and IT entrepreneur Russell Mortimer and has twin stepsons - Jake and Andre - the latter who is autistic and provides her with lessons daily that she incorporates into her knowledge, understanding and empathy of those who are vulnerable in our community.

Moving to Australia

Moving to Australia in the 60s was not an easy journey for Beverley, her parents and four siblings. Beverley knew that she was always ‘going to make it here’ – owing to the vast opportunities that Australia presented in what was deemed the new age of business in Australia. This young teenager had her sights set on making Melbourne her home and the place where she would later come to attain success that was defined as a combination of a large dose of giving back to those less fortunate and absorbing all that was available to a young, migrant teenager ^[8].

Modelling (as a Teenager)

Starting out in 1970 with her win in the Junior Miss Victoria Contest (14-16 years). She entered many pageants in her career, from the Victorian Beach Girl, Miss Sportsgirl, Young Teen, Miss Springvale, Waverley Queen of Hearts, Quest of Quests and much more. She was a regular on the front page of the Herald and Sun News Pictorial and even scored a page three in The Age. Her final swansong was the Australian Beauty Queen (1978) with judges Ita Buttrose, Sir Robert Helpmann, Kym Bonython and John Waters. This was the pinnacle for Beverley and the one that lead her to a path of public relations and her business life ^[9].

The Shift from Runways to Boardrooms

Beverley founded Beverley Pinder Pty Ltd in 1985. Her acquisition of the Rowland Company’s Melbourne office in 1992-93 meant a sudden and welcome expansion although this was tempered by ‘the recession we had to have'. Beverley has nearly 40 years’ experience in the field of Public Relations. As an experienced communicator, she has undertaken extensive work for clients in corporate and marketing communications. She is a specialist in Corporate and Marketing Communications, Reputation Management and Strategic Counsel – with a strong belief in ‘preserving reputation at any cost’ ^[10].

Civic Duty

As a Councillor of the City of Melbourne, Beverley Pinder is currently the Chair, of the People City portfolio. She is steeped in this portfolio even to the extent of taking to the streets in June 2018 during the City’s bi-Annual StreetCount program (a point-in-time count of those people sleeping on the streets). Her deep sense of commitment to family and community saw her vigorously advocate in June 2018 against the abrupt withdrawal of services of a childcare centre in the central CBD; the result of which was a unanimous vote by Councillors to have the Centre open until 21 December 2018, four months after the recommended closure date.

City of Melbourne

Intending to stand as an independent, she met with Irene Goonan – a former Councillor for City of Melbourne to discuss her prospects. Soon she received a call from sitting Mayor Robert Doyle, offering her the third spot on his ticket. “If I get in, so will you” he said. Beverley was elected to Council in October 2012 as the Chair of the Marketing Melbourne portfolio and Deputy Chair of Arts and Culture. After completing her first term as a councillor in 2016, Beverley returned to attend to her business full time and to look after her aging mother, only to return to council in January 2018, as the Chair of the People City portfolio and Deputy Chair of Small Business, Retail and Hospitality.

Portfolio: People City

Chair: Cr Beverley Pinder

Portfolio includes: • Family services: • Children’s services • Youth • Community Care: • Aged Care • Disability services • Ethnic services • Emergency management/services • Social and affordable housing • Homelessness • City safety • Health and wellbeing: • Community sports • Recreation services • Multiculturalism • Public space (including streetscapes but excluding parklands and trees) • Diversity and inclusion • Social policy • Community grants • Community engagement relating to the above (11).

Involvement with Charities

Beverley has devoted significant time, energy and effort - over the years to the not-for-profit sector and has been involved in numerous charities such as Harold Blair Aboriginal Children’s Holiday Project and Sacred Heart Mission. She has also been involved with the LightHouse Foundation, Crisis Line, Vicdor Living Centres, HELP Sri Lanka and the Gawler Foundation. She currently sits on the Board of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine and is a Patron of the Bob Maguire Foundation. Beverley donated her salary for the first six months of her second term on Council to the Father Bob Mcguire Foundation ^[11].

Portrait

Beverley’s high school friend and a known artist Rachael Rovay painted her portrait for two Archibald Prize entries: once in 2009 and the other in 2014. Both portraits were hung in the Archibald Prize's Salon des Refusés exhibition ^[12].

Book

Big Girls Don't Cry - expected to be published in 2020 The struggle of life in a third world country and the challenges she faced in her early teens as a migrant to Australia under the White Australia Policy. It also charts many of her successes, particularly in business.

References