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ANZMES welcomes contact from members and non-members alike. If you have any questions you would like to ask or any comments to make, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

                                     info@anzmes.org.nz

ANZMES Inc., P.O. Box 36-307, Northcote, Auckland, New Zealand
ph (09) 269 6374 -
 
if there is no answer, please leave a message and someone will call you back.

The  ANZMES Executive Committee.

Heather Wilson
President
hw

Heather who has been an ANZMES committee member for over 6 years was elected President in 2007 after being acting President for most of 2006. She is also a member of the Dunedin support group (MEISS) where she has been co-coordinator since 2002.
For ten years Heather worked at the Otago Medical School as an Electron Microscope technician where she helped with ME research as well as many other projects.
A member of the Dunedin Model Railway Club and  secretary  of the Otago Miniature Road and Rail Society, Heather drives model live steam trains; and makes time to sit on the Community House Committee in Dunedin.

Frankie Letford

frankie

Frankie is a long-time resident of Hamilton with an adult family.   She has been a sufferer of ME/CFS since 1992 when she caught a very virulent flu from a sick baby, but has improved to the point where she now has no real symptoms.
Frankie gained a degree in history and Maori, studying as a  mature student.
Since then she has worked as a high school teacher and as a Community Development officer with Hamilton City Council.
She is active in the Hamilton ME Support Group, which she founded in 1992. While she is now enjoying life after have lost so much time to ME/CFS, Frankie is keen to contribute to the quality of life of other sufferers.

Phil Letford
Treasurer

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Phil an accountant, joined the ANZMES committee in 2008 and is serving as Treasurer. He lives in  Hamilton with his wife Frankie the Vice President of ANZMES.

Dr Ros Vallings
Medical Adviser

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Ros has been on the ANZMES committee a number of years, serving as President from 1997 to 2001.  She is a GP in Auckland    and 80% of her practice is involved with diagnosis and management of patients with ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, hyperventilation syndrome, and sleep problems.
Many GPs throughout NZ refer their patients to Rosamund because of her expertise in this area.
She has gained a high degree of knowledge about the particular needs for New Zealanders relating to CFS/ME, and was a member of the team which reported to the MOH on "The international guidelines for the care and treatment of people with ME/CFS."
Ros  who lives with her family in Auckland was awarded the MNZM in the 2008 New Years Honours awards for her services to the New Zealand community in the field of ME/CFS

Dr Ken Jolly
Medical Adviser

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Ken has been on the ANZMES committee since 1995 and serves as a medical advisor. A sufferer of ME/CFS since 1971, he tries to be involved in as much ME politics as possible, both through ANZMES and elsewhere, and researches news and articles from around the world to keep  up to date with  the field of ME/CFS.
Ken, a GP who gave up his general practice in Nelson twelve years ago because of his illness
also has a degree in biochemistry and is a Fellow of The Royal NZ College of GPs. He was a member of the team which in 2003 reviewed and reported to the Ministry of Health on "The international guidelines for the care and treatment of people with ME/CFS" for applicability of use in New Zealand.
Ken lives In Nelson, where his wife also a GP, runs a general practice; and he writes the regular 'Medical News and Views' article in the Meeting Place magazine.

Libby Boone

 
libby

Libby formerly lived in the USA and moved to NZ in 2002 with her Kiwi husband, Ron Ngata, and has been a member of the ANZMES committee for some years.
A gradual onset of ME began in 1994, reaching a crisis level in 2004 at which point she considered herself very fortunate to have found Dr Ros Vallings and ANZMES.
Prior to moving to New Zealand, Libby worked for 20 years as a professional actress, mostly in America's regional theatres and also served as a volunteer technical writer and editor for a publishing house in Los Angeles. Libby lives with her husband in rural Waikato and very much enjoys gardening when she is able to.  Her aim is to do whatever she can to bring hope, help, and a sense of caring community to those who are living with this illness

Eleanor Robinson

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Eleanor, who joined the committee in 2007 has many years experience working in the charitable environment.
She was District Commissioner for St John (UK), a magistrate judge for 6 years in the UK, served on many types of church council.
Eleanor completed her Masters degree in Law at Auckland University and decided to remain in New Zealand, where she now specialises in employment law.
She lives with her family in Auckland and following her time in The UK National Youth Theatre continues to enjoy the theatre and English Literature especially the William Shakespeare tragedies.

Suzanne Duffy

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Suzanne who joined the ANZMES committee in 2007 ran the North Otago support group for many years and remains the contact person while the group is in recess.
 
Suzanne lives in Waimate.

Dave O'Hara

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David O’Hara joined the ANZMES committee in May2009 and is a current member of the Christchurch ME support Group and served on their committee until recently when he and his family relocated to Rangiora. He was diagnosed with ME/CFS in January 2008, soon after his third stay in hospital and a year of ill health.
As a result, he retired early from full time employment managing security companies in Wellington and Christchurch but continues to work as an electronic security advisor, in a consultancy role. 
A  family man, David is married to Stephanie and between them they have 5 adult children and "almost" 9 grand children. He has an interest is Trams, holds a tram drivers license,  and hopes to find time for rail modelling and to get back to radio controlled yachting.                   

Dan Williams

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Dan, who is an honorary life member of ANZMES, has the distinction of being the longest serving committee member, joining the committee in 1983!
His wealth of knowledge on the history of ANZMES is invaluable, as is his experience in the development of ME/CFS in New Zealand.
Dan who has been an ME sufferer since 1981 lives in Auckland and has a hope that one day research into ME will one day be carried out in new Zealand.

Paul
Allen
Vice President

paul allen

Paul joined the committee in 2010 and was elected Vice President in 2011, he currently works as a business adviser at the Otago Chamber of Commerce providing information and support for small and medium enterprises, having previously worked in the banking and broadcasting industries.
He gained a bachelors degree in Applied Management, is active in local community affairs and is also the regional coordinator for the Young Enterprise Scheme, a programme that assists year 12 and 13 students (16 – 17 year olds) to set up and run real businesses.
Paul who lives in Dunedin with his wife Wendy, (an ME/CFS sufferer for over twelve years), is a singer/songwriter, never goes anywhere without his camera and is passionate about Dunedin and the Otago region.

   Elizabeth Dick

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Elizabeth, who joined the committee in 2010 was for many years involved in assisting young people who had very few work skills and minimal school qualifications to gain work experience and find employment: until recently she was the manager/coordinator of the Adult Literacy Programme in Hawkes Bay.
Born in Nelson, Elizabeth lives with her husband Alan in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of
New Zealand; they have two daughters one of whom has ME/CFS, which prompted Elizabeth to start the Hawkes Bay Support Group.
Most of her spare time is spent with her extended family and getting involved in trying to be an artist.

 

 

Wendy Matthews

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Wendy, who originally worked as a registered nurse, lives in Auckland with her husband, Peter, and has a blended family of seven adult children.
Early in 2010 she started the East Auckland ME/Fibro support group which is a fairly informal group with over 30 people on the contacts list. She has suffered from ME for over 17 years and twice during that time was bedridden, but Wendy is now reasonably well and functions at about 70% of normal.
Her hobbies are spending time in the garden, finding subjects to photograph, writing, and designing Greeting Cards and Wedding Invitations.
Wendy’s youngest daughter, who also has ME, helps with the greeting cards, and Wendy considers that she has been very fortunate in that her family has been very supportive throughout her illness.

     Dr Don     Baken

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Don, who lives in Palmerston North with his wife Margaret and three daughters, is a senior Clinical Psychologist / Research Consultant at Massey University and works in the cancer area.
He sees the Gupta type approaches similar to his work with cancer patients – “They can reduce the impact of the illness but will not cure it.”
Don keeps up to date with the latest ME research, and spend a lot of time on ME forums such as Phoenix rising (mostly reading) and therefore knows the evidence of the many somatic problems found in ME.
He believes that ME is a somatic condition and that the cure will most likely come from medication.
Don has 3 (maybe 4) family members with ME, and therefore has a vested interest in what works towards a cure for ME.

John Kelliher

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John was born and raised in Napier, and worked for 7years in the building industry completing an apprentice, and then served for 4 years in the NZ Police.
He then moved to the insurance industry as a trainee assessor, and became a branch claims manager transferring to Auckland in a claims specialist role.
Following which he became a fire ‘origin and cause’ investigator, and qualified in the High Court in New Zealand as an expert in this field. Subsequently setting up in his own loss adjusting business.
Unfortunately Ill health set in 1995 and he developed ME in 1998, retiring early on medical grounds in 2000.John moved to Tauranga and joined the ME Bay of Plenty Support Group becoming secretary in July 2003.
In January 2004 he became secretary manager on a part time basis.
He joined the ANZMES’ Executive Committee in 2005 and subsequently became Treasurer.
However, cancer forced John to stand down from this role in 2007, but having since dealt with yet another bout of cancer, he now feels able to join the Executive Committee, and put his previous business experience and that with ME BoP to good use with ANZMES.

 
National Coordinator: 
email: info@anzmes.org.nz

your first point of    contact with ANZMES, Telephone on (09) 269 6374 - if there is no answer, please leave a message and he will call you back.