Community Advisory Committee

Nicole has been involved with Sands since her first child, son Nicholas, was stillborn in 2006. Nicole has held many roles including Chairperson of Sands Queensland. She has attended many events, overseen the running of others, and remains an active and supportive member of the organisation. In her professional life, Nicole provides strategic stakeholder engagement, government relations and communications advice through her company, Nicole Ireland Communications.

Nicole says, “As a long-time member of the Sands family and a passionate advocate for our grass roots activities, I am delighted the Board of Red Nose, including Sands, has endorsed the formation of the Community Advisory Committee. I feel honoured and privileged to chair this Committee as I truly value the collective support of bereaved parents and the community we have created, and will continue to grow, together. To me, this Committee provides a strong link between this community of bereaved parents from both Red Nose and Sands right across the country to the broader organisation and to our external stakeholders. I believe we have a fantastic opportunity to share best practice events, ideas and programs to support our community and ensure everyone remains connected, engaged and included – and to make sure that all bereaved parents, including those who will unfortunately join our community in the future, will be able to access the care and support they deserve.”

Anastasia Auld is a bereaved parent from Victoria. Anastasia experienced the loss of her baby girl, Aphina, at full term. This experience shaped her life towards a career in the perinatal space.

Anastasia is a registered counsellor and psychotherapist with experience supporting diverse communities through volunteering with Griefline and working as a mental health coach for Beyond Blue. Anastasia’s own multicultural background and growing up in Russia, brings a unique perspective to grief, pregnancy loss and community engagement.

She believes that nothing is more important than offering support to those during their darkest times by bringing kindness and compassion to the table.

Giving back to the community reflects one of Anastasia’s core values.

Emalynne is a bereaved parent from NSW. Her first born child, Annabelle Catalina was stillborn in 2012 and Emalynne subsequently experienced an early miscarriage in 2013. Emalynne’s connection to Red Nose began when she attended counselling and joined support groups. The connection has continued through volunteering for Heart Strings and as a Red Nose Peer Supporter. Professionally, she is a psychologist and currently works in public health focusing on building the clinical capacity of mental health services in working with individuals from refugee and migrant experiences. Through her professional and personal experience, Emalynne feels privileged to bring voice to diverse communities as a member of the community advisory committee.

Ari Magalhaes is a bereaved parent from Tasmania. Ari experienced the 2019 and 2020 stillbirths of daughters Mia and Lily due to a genetic condition.

Originally from Brazil and educated in Europe, Ari is an economist with a Masters’ Degree in International Management. She has been highly engaged with local not for profits in Tasmania.

Ari has been engaged with Red Nose and Sands remotely and is thoughtful about way that we can be more engaged with people in communities like Tasmania where we don’t currently have any paid team members.

​Samantha Jager is a bereaved parent from Queensland. Samantha experienced the stillbirth of her son Gabriel in 2014 and has also experienced early pregnancy loss.

Samantha is a volunteer peer support group facilitator in Brisbane and has been highly engaged with a range of Sands community engagement events. She is a former lawyer who is now a teacher.

Emma Hain is a bereaved parent from NSW. Emma experienced the death of her infant son Eli at three months. Eli was born with a rare lung disease, Pulmonary Hyperplasia, a condition which was only diagnosed after he passed away. Emma received precious hand and foot casts from Red Nose and her family have become highly engaged members of the Red Nose community in the Hunter region.

Emma describes our community as important to her whole family, “my children have other children around them who understand, my husband has other men and supportive people around him, we have a tribe where we have a sense of belonging and understanding.”

Emma brings 12 years’ experience as director and manager of a children’s entertainment company.

Bonnie Carter (OAM) is a bereaved parent from the ACT. Bonnie tragically experienced the stillbirth of Grace in 2016 and then Matilda in 2017, and has also experienced early pregnancy loss.

Bonnie and her husband have been active in advocacy through the stillbirth inquiry and community events through Red Nose, local family led initiatives. Bonnie’s key interest is holding space for bereaved families in the community. Drawing on her experience as Assistant Director in DFAT’s Diversity and Inclusion space, Bonnie believes there are small, but meaningful steps to make our community activities more inclusive.