The Hub Foundation
Founded in May 2014, the The Hub Foundation Castlemaine Ltd is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It was set up to help reduce our Shire’s – and our planet’s – CO2 emissions. Since we started, our solar bulk-buy project alone, called MASH, has cut emissions in our region by over 2,500 tonnes per year (equal to around 500 cars off the road) with 1.6MW of solar installed between September 2014 and February 2016. The Hub is an office and restaurant complex on the corner of Barker and Templeton Streets in Castlemaine, Victoria.
The Board
Neil Barrett
Neil Barrett
Heather Barrett
Heather Barrett
Mark Carter
Mark Carter
The chair, Neil Barrett, has worked as an economist, state coordinator of FOE, CEO of Video Education Australasia, and founder and inaugural chair of the local sustainability group, MASG. He has also co-authored a book on uranium mining and produced many educational and public interest videos. He is currently manager of the Hub building.
Heather Barrett has a background is in both business and community development. In 1994 she won the inaugural Victorian Business Woman of the Year. Currently, she is a committee member of the Growing Abundance Project, coordinator of the Hub Plot community garden and treasurer of the Foundation.
Mark Carter has worked as a graphic designer in Melbourne and Castlemaine for mainly public sector clients, NGOs and trade unions. Since working with Neil at FOE over 40 years ago he has maintained an interest in political and environmental campaigning and now contributes to the Foundation’s print-based marketing.
Jo Kaptein
Jo Kaptein
Project Officer
Jo Kaptein has been the Foundation’s project officer since mid 2014. With a Masters in Marketing and a solid background in marketing in the UK, she has been instrumental in the success of the two MASH bulk-buy projects and the now-rejuvenated Ride to Work day in October each year. She has also been very successful in forming partnerships with other organisations in the region.