Fremantle Press welcomes new board members with deep roots in Fremantle

Fremantle Press is pleased to announce that Dr Libby Jackson-Barrett and Ben Paganoni have joined our board, bringing the total number of members to nine. This is a strategic decision designed to consolidate and diversify the already strong leadership team in readiness for the Press’s 50th anniversary. 

Chair Clair Medhurst said the pair have joined at a critical moment in the Press’s development.  She said, ‘As our organisation reinforces its bonds with Fremantle through the acquisition of its first permanent home, it’s important to have board members who represent the community and this place. Libby brings a wealth of leadership experience and a commitment to literacy, while Ben allows us to continue our longstanding relationship with FAJ, a Fremantle accounting firm specialising in sustainable business strategies. Both have enduring connections to Fremantle and its community.’

Dr Libby Jackson-Barrett describes herself as a proud Whadjuk woman. She said, ‘Place is connected to our lived experience, and some of my moort’s (family’s) lived experience is in Walyalup (Fremantle). I was born in North Fremantle, my mother was born in Palmyra, attended Princess May School, and worked in Fremantle her whole life … My father’s family lived in East Street, Fremantle.  We had many family members who worked at Fremantle Wharf.  Connection to Country and stories from moort shape our identities and our relationships with others.’ 

Libby is the Associate Dean (Academic) within Kurongkurl Katitjin, and a Senior Lecturer within the School of Education at Edith Cowan University. She also serves as Chair of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee at WA Museum Boola Bardip. She is an avid reader, passionate about the power of storytelling and literature to bridge cultures and deepen understanding.

Dockers fan Ben Paganoni has been appointed Fremantle Press Treasurer, taking over the role from his colleague Mark Douglas. Now a partner at FAJ, he has been with the accounting firm for three decades, working with individuals and businesses across almost every aspect of accounting and taxation.

For more information about the Fremantle Press board go to https://fremantlepress.com.au/about-us/