MPJP leaders “passing the baton”
June 2020 saw the announcement of two Ministerial PJPs having significant changes in leadership. From 01 July 2020, Mr Graham Goerke will replace Br Paul Oakley cfc as President of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and Chair of the EREA Council. Kathy McEvoy will replace Sr Maree Marsh csb as Co-Chair of the Trustees of Kildare Ministries.
Kildare Ministries said:
Maree Marsh csb, currently Co-Chair of Kildare Ministries with Rosemary Copeland, has been appointed 
Community Leader of the NSW Brigidine Sisters. Maree will take up this appointment on 1st July, 2020. We congratulate Maree on her new appointment as the Community Leader.
Maree has been integrally involved in the development of Kildare Ministries since its inception. She will remain a Trustee of Kildare Ministries until December 2020. However she has resigned from her role as Co-Chair of the Trustees of Kildare Ministries which she shares with Rosemary Copeland.
Kildare Ministries will miss Maree’s gracious presence and many gifts and has deep appreciation for work she has done to ensure all the administrative, legal and financial matters have been addressed in these foundational years.
The Members Council of Kildare Ministries has appointed Kathy McEvoy to the role of Co-Chair, effective from July 2020. Kathy, as a founding Trustee was appointed in 2014 and has given great wisdom and energy to the development of the narrative and mission of Kildare Ministries. Kathy comes with extensive experience in leadership in education and has been for most of her life highly involved in Parish life and leadership.
EREA said:
Following the AGM of the EREA Council held on June 2 there is a significant change in the Council of Edmund Rice Education Australia. Brother Paul Oakley will conclude his time as Chair of the EREA Council and as President of EREA at the end of June. However, Br Paul will remain as a Council member for the foreseeable future. The EREA Council has elected Mr Graham Goerke to succeed Paul as President of EREA and Chair of the Council on July 1, 2020.
Paul has been a member of the EREA Council since its establishment by the Christian Brothers in October 2006 and has chaired the EREA Council since April 2007. Prior to being on the EREA Council, Paul, while on the leadership team of St Mary’s Province of the Christian Brothers, was a member of the National Planning Committee for Schools Governance which led to the establishment of EREA.
When Edmund Rice Education Australia was recognised as a Church body by Rome at the end of 2012 and Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia was incorporated in New South Wales at the start of 2013, Paul was re-elected as President.
During his time as President, Paul has been one of the driving forces in bringing the eleven new Church bodies called Ministerial Public Juridic Persons together in an Association, incorporated in 2016. This Australian Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (AMPJP) is the only such Association in the Church. Paul chaired the Council of the Association during its first two years.
Paul has also been instrumental in bringing the Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person Catholic School Authorities in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory together to form a Federation for the purposes of a more active voice in the provision of Catholic Education in the State and Territory. He chaired the Council of the Federation for its first two years.
Paul has been a member of the Catholic Education Commission in New South Wales. Among the committees of which Paul has been a member was the Catholic Religious Australia National Education Committee. Paul’s membership of the associations and committees has allowed him to contribute to the increased recognition of the place of Edmund Rice Education Australia and other Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person Catholic School Authorities in Catholic education in the changed environment in Australia.
Br Paul has made an extraordinary contribution not only to EREA but to Catholic Education across Australia the legacy of which will endure for generations of leaders, staff and families.
The incoming Chair of the EREA Council and President of EREA, Graham Goerke was until December 2015 a senior partner in a West Australian law firm with 35 years’ experience in commercial law. He holds Bachelors’ degrees in Jurisprudence and Law from the University of Western Australia. He is a graduate of the Company Director’s course of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture from the Australian Catholic University.
Graham commenced his journey in the governance of Catholic educational bodies in 1994 when he joined the School Board at Aquinas College, Perth, his alma mater, where he served for 10 years with 6 years as chair.
In August 2006 he was appointed a member of the inaugural Council of Edmund Rice Education Australia and with Br Paul Oakley was a Council appointed member of the Canonical Joint Working Party with the Christian Brothers. This group developed the Constitution and Statutes of EREA and the Master Agreement between EREA and the Christian Brothers, which included the mechanisms for the eventual transfer of school property to EREA.
Graham served in the role of Chair of the Board of EREA from 2013 – 2019. He was reappointed as a member of the Council of EREA from the start of 2020.
Graham brings to this significant role, governance experience as Chair of the Partnership Board at his former law firm from 2001 – 2011; a Board member of the West Australian Sports Centre Trust since 2007 and Chair since 2018; member of the Council and Executive Committee of the National Trust in WA and Chair since late 2019 of the Australian Council of National Trusts.
Graham and his wife Gabrielle recently celebrated 40 years of marriage. They have 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren.
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