Richard Thode

TREASURER

Richard has been part of the Sydney LGBTIQ community since the late 1960s and is an original member of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP). He was an early volunteer with Phone-a-Friend, the phone counselling service run by CAMP NSW that later became the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service.

Richard was standing on the footpath near Taylor Square on the evening of 24 June 1978 when friends called him to join the parade that became the first Sydney Gay Mardi Gras, and later that night joined the vigil outside the Darlinghurst Police Station.

Originally from New Zealand, Richard moved to Australia in 1966 and had a long career in the Australian electronics industry. He made a career transition to the health sector by way of a Masters Degree in Community Health completed in 1997. This second career focused on medical education and e-Learning in oncology with additional experience in drug/alcohol and paediatrics. He has been a member of the Public Health Association of Australia since 1997.