DebRA(SA) proudly supported by the Adelaide Crows

Our History

May 2003: DebRA (SA) hosted the inaugural national EB conference called Gossamer - a conference to get under your skin. The conference was opened by DebRA (SA) Patron Margaret Rohan-Kelly, former Miss Australia, author & mother of eight. This was a wonderful event which set the stage for the next national conference which was held in Sydney in 2007.

March 2005: the 1st Edition of DebRA (SA) News hit the press - to view all copies of the newsletter please visit the SA News page on this site.

November 2005: DebRA (SA) celebrated the inaugural National EB Butterfly Day with an afternoon tea in the leafy suburb of Burnside. Our Patron, Margaret Rohan-Kelly was our guest speaker and some 20 guests attended the occasion.

November 2006: DebRA (SA) celebrated the 2nd National EB Butterfly Day with an afternoon tea in the exquisite ballroom of Auchendarroch House, Mt Barker. Our Patron, Margaret Rohan-Kelly was the guest speaker once more and we were excited to entertain 60 people!

November 2007: DebRA (SA) celebrated the 3rd National EB Butterfly Day at Carrick Hill, Springfield with a sumptuous morning tea and a guest speaker, Diane Watts, introduced by our Patron, Margaret Rohan-Kelly.

Past Committee
Inaugural President: Sherrel Boyd.
Past Presidents: Roger Trevor; Robert Puckridge; Karen Rix.
Publicity: Shirlee Lindner
Secretary - Linda Turner
Treasurer - Laraine Frost
Both Linda & Laraine have held their positions since the inaugural meeting.

2008-2009 Committee
President: Carmela Lucia
Vice-President: Roger Trevor
Secretary: Linda Turner
Assistant Secretary: Patsy Trevor
Treasurer: Laraine Frost
Editor: Meredith Yates
Committee Members: Shirlee Lindner, Karen Rix, Kate Turner, Paolo Lucia, Zlatko Kopecki

PATRON: Margaret Rohan-Kelly

Zlatko Kopecki
Zlatko is a PhD student at the Wound Healing Laboratory of the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute under the supervision of A/Prof. Allison Cowin. In collaboration with Prof. Dedee Murrell in Sydney, his project involves investigating the role of Flightless 1 protein in patients suffering from EB.

Zlatko has a stong passion for wound healing and blistering diseases and is dedicated to community work and improving the quality of life for patients suffering from EB. Together with other committee members, Zlatko is proud to be an organizer of the Wings of Hope conference celebrating National EB Butterfly Day in November 2008.