Our Committee
Bec Stewart
Bec is the current President of HMA. She was born into a hearing-impaired family with a hearing-impaired father, older brother and extended family members. She was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss at 3 and received hearing aids at 5 years old. Due to the progressive nature of Bec’s hearing loss she received a cochlear implant at 25 years old and continues to wear a hearing aid in the other ear.
Growing up with so many hearing-impaired role models Bec developed a passion for social justice and the power of self-education in managing hearing loss. Bec was featured in an episode about deafness on the ABC TV show ‘You Can’t Ask That’ and was interviewed on Triple J about her experiences.
Bec has been working and volunteering with Hear For You in various roles since 2013, helping teenagers with hearing loss to build their confidence and develop skills to thrive in a hearing world.
Bec also assists her dad, Andrew Stewart, in his company Hearing Connections as the Communications Officer. Bec has a talent for writing about the struggles that can come with hearing loss, and recently started a blog to provide a resource for people to learn more about the challenges navigated by deaf or hearing impaired people living in a hearing world.
Raymond Ong
Ray is the current HMA Vice President and Secretary. He has been helping HMA with general office administration duties, the Hearing Aid Bank, and HMA's social media as a volunteer since 16th April 2021. He also currently works in the healthcare industry. He has a strong passion in helping people so joining HMA enables him to continue his passion in a different way.
Ray was born hearing impaired using hearing aids in both ears until he was 12 years of age when his hearing impairment deteriorated. In the mid 80’s, he then became one of the first five successful candidates to participate in the Cochlear Implant program in Perth, Western Australia. He has now been a Cochlear Implant recipient for over 30 years. The cochlear implant technology has advanced so much over the years, enabling him to better manage his hearing impairment. Without the cochlear implants, he is profoundly deaf.
In his free time, Ray enjoys travel, astronomy, reading books, watching concerts and plays, watching movies, photography, going on hikes and drives. He also loves steam locomotives and will go out watching them, if not being a passenger.
Barry Jose
Barry is the current treasurer of HMA. He is a retired IT Systems Analyst with extensive experience in Retail Banking, Airline Systems and Payroll, is no stranger to overcoming challenges. Despite an acquired hearing loss, Barry maintains a positive outlook and an unwavering determination to live a fulfilling life. With approximately 25% hearing loss in his left ear and 75% in his right ear (treble levels are very difficult to discern), Barry's experiences align with many individuals facing hearing difficulties in Australia.
From an early age, Barry noticed the imbalance in his hearing and the gradual deterioration of his ability to perceive higher-pitched sounds. Over time, tinnitus also became a constant companion. Despite these obstacles, Barry adapted and coped, seeking professional help for his hearing loss later in life.
After trying various hearing aids, Barry finally found a pair that offered both comfort and improved hearing. These aids reconnected him with his community, allowing him to contribute to life in ways he hadn't experienced in a long time. Subsequently, he embraced the advancements in hearing aid technology, acquiring a pair of hearing aids with Bluetooth features that enhanced his ability to adapt to different environments.
Although Barry still faces occasional challenges, he remains grateful for the positive impact of his hearing aids. He appreciates the newfound ability to engage with his surroundings and wouldn't trade his hearing aids for anything. Barry is eager to share his experiences, emphasising the importance of seeking solutions and embracing support to overcome obstacles and lead a fulfilling life, even with acquired hearing loss.
Simone Punch
Simone is one of the current committee members of HMA. She was born severely deaf and her experiences growing up wearing hearing aids and accessing hearing services has informed her work in the field of audiology and her personal passion for advocacy and inclusion.
Simone holds postgraduate qualifications in audiology and public health management. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field Audiology both in Australia and the UK. Simone has experience in adult and paediatric hearing aid fitting and rehabilitation and clinical leadership. She has a particular interest in infant fitting and paediatric audiology and has presented on topics in this area at national and international audiology conferences and seminars.
She is currently a Clinical Coach and Paediatric Audiologist at Hearing Australia. In addition to this role Simone is an adjunct lecturer for the Masters of Disabilty Studies degree at Macquarie University, and a member of Parents of Deaf Children (PODC)’s professional advisory panel.
For the last 5 years Simone has regularly travelled to Samoa as part of a team providing volunteer audiology services to children. In her free time outside of work Simone enjoys the company of friends and family, travel, and exploring the vibrant food, visual arts, and cultural offerings within her home city of Sydney.
Christian Carter
HMA Committee Member Christian does not hold office bearing positions, but serve on the HMA committee assisting with all aspects of committee decisions and responsibilities. Christian was one of two children born into a hearing family with a severe-to-profound hearing loss. Both he and his younger sister get by with hearing aids and lip reading.
From an early age Christian has been a vocal advocate for social justice and has a strong interest in community building. His interest in the power of play to build connection and a sense of belonging led to a community partnership with the King Cross Markets, where – for a number of years – he ran a non-for-profit games event that brought Potts Point residents from all walks of life together to play board games for a gold coin donation. The initiative raised thousands of dollars for local homeless charities Rough Edges and the Wayside Chapel.
Professionally, Christian has worked across multiple industries in a diverse array of service and administration roles, from public relations to banking and local government. He currently owns and operates a commercial outdoor games hire business servicing private and corporate clients all over Sydney.
Christian believes in the importance of being connected to others who have a shared lived experience of disability. He’s passionate about inclusion and providing pathways for others to access suitable support to achieve their goals. In his spare time, he enjoys skateboarding, building bicycles, playing backgammon and exploring interesting new places with his two young sons.
Brendan Lonergan
Brendan starts to serve on the HMA committee in May 2023 with a focus on the Strategy and Operations of HMA. He began losing his hearing on the right side 15 years ago as a result of a growing tumor 13 years ago, following surgeries to remove the tumor he lost 100% of his hearing on the right side. He then began losing hearing in his left ear. He now has moderate hearing loss in his remaining ear and wears a Bi Cros Hearing aid in his left ear and a Cros device in his right ear. He also uses other assistive technology to improve his ability to participate in meetings and in noisy social settings.
Commencing his career in the banking sector he went on to spend nearly 20 years as co-owner of a very successful screen printing, garment manufacturing and music industry merchandising business before taking a “sea change “to move into the disability and community support sectors in 2001.
Brendan has spent the past 20 years working in the disability and seniors support sectors Including 8 years as Chief Executive Officer of Beehive Industries a Seniors and Disability support organisation. 6 years as Business Development Manager of Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Australian Disability Enterprise division and 4 years as Market Development Manager for Disability Services Australia’s supported employment division. He has extensive experience working with the NDIS and the NSW Govt disability and seniors support schemes.
Brendan holds a Masters of Business degree from UTS and has been involved with numerous guest lectures, student projects and internships with UTS and UNSW Business and Social Work students over the past 15 years.
He is also very active in the Social Enterprise sector supporting SECNA the NSW/ACT peak body for the social enterprise sector.
He has also been very active dealing with food insecurity issues, setting up food relief programs in partnership with OZ Harvest as well as numerous news media appearances to promote the issue.
As CEO of Beehive Industries, he launched the Low Cost Meals for seniors cooking class videos with former Master Chef contestant and NSW Seniors week ambassador Kumar Pereira. As well as an accompanying cookbook to aid social isolation support
He is keen to leverage his business, community support sector and tertiary education sector contacts to assist with growing HMAs support programs and membership. As well as seeking to improve funding for HMA’s support programs.
In his spare time Brendan enjoys cheering on The Sydney Swans at the SCG, going to trash and treasure markets with his daughters and finding quiet restaurants with his wife Elena.