Paul Roche
Co Chair
B.Bus (Acc), F.C.P.A., MBA.
After a career in State and Local Governments, Paul has moved towards ‘retirement mode’ whilst still maintaining a professional interest in financial and strategic planning for organizations. These practices are informed by effective community engagement all within a framework of responsible corporate governance.
The clarity of an organization’s purpose, the consistency across policy and priority areas and the commitment of individuals, remain key ingredients for high performing organizations and an area of professional interest to Paul.
This experience supports Paul’s participation on the Eastern Health Community Advisory Committee. A longtime resident of the Out East of Melbourne, and now living in Menzies Creek, Paul, his wife, children, and now grandchildren have been frequent recipients of the quality health care provided by the Eastern Health Network.
Bill Bennett
A member of the Community Advisory Committee since 2022. I am retired and have a strong interest in ensuring that Eastern Health provides the best possible health care to our community. I have lived in Vermont South & East Burwood for over 50 years and have been involved with numerous community organisations during that time. I served as a Whitehorse Councilor for 8 years and was Mayor in 2019. My professional career included over 20 years as an industrial chemist and over 10 years as a small business owner. My other current community interests are with the South Vermont Lions Club and the Vermont Men’s Shed.
I have been married to Carol for over 50 years and we have 2 adult sons living abroad.
My interests are gardening, current affairs & environmental issues and following the fortunes or otherwise of the mighty Blues!
Roberta Styles-Wood (she/her)
Roberta has extensive experience understanding and engaging communities and amplifying voices on the issues she works with.
She has worked across campaigns and advocacy at national, state and local levels for issues like cancer research, tourism and small business, road projects, sustainability and more recently social issues such as mental health and family violence.
She has also studied cultural heritage and creative therapies and believes in the power of the arts and storytelling to build community and heal.
She advocates for trauma-informed, holistic responses across health, education and social services. She has a heart condition and autoimmune disorder and supports a husband with a neurological disorder while raising 2 teens.
Karen Pomeranz
After a long career in education starting as a secondary teacher and spanning areas which included career education, gender equality and engaging education and industry, I retired from Swinburne’s Lilydale campus . However during those years living in Sherbrooke and sharing the raising of 2 boys, my interest in health related matters especially nutrition, coaching, health literacy and consumer rights was festering.
So when the opportunity to take up volunteer roles in the health sector arose, it seemed like an obvious move .
Over the past 14 years, I have faced the challenge of managing an eye related diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa which left me unable to drive and hence highly dependant on others for getting anywhere any distance from home. Hence developed a dangerous passion for serious walking around the district. Activism around social and political issues have also been adopted.
My current membership of ACCESS/Inspiro Community and Yarra Ranges Health and Wellbeing committees ties in well with CAC. The consumer voice has become a basic passion, often extending to encouraging friends and family to feel comfortable in expressing their views and then gleefully reporting any successes to me.
Community, family and friends remain the essence of my actions and thoughts.
Dr Hamish Russell
PhD
Hamish grew up in country Victoria and has lived most of his married life in and around the Dandenong Ranges.
He and his wife celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary in 2025. They have three children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Hamish was Director of Scientific & Information Services in the Agriculture Department before becoming a Senior Executive in the Health Department.
In his retirement, Hamish has held several Board and Community Advisory positions in local health organisations and he is currently a member of the Community & Consumer Council of the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network.
Hamish was the Yarra Ranges Citizen of the Year in 2005 and the Victorian Senior of the Year in 2018.
Radhesh Pandey
Radhesh is a member of the Eastern Health Community Advisory Committee and is committed to ensuring community voices are reflected in health services and service planning. He is actively involved across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs through volunteer leadership roles, including President of the Hindu Cultural & Community Network and Treasurer of the Communities’ Council on Ethnic Issues.
He is a graduate of a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Criminology, and works within the Department of Justice and Community Safety. He also serves in the Army Reserve. These roles have shaped his interest in governance, public policy, safety, and culturally responsive services.
Radhesh works closely with community groups, councils, and service providers to support better engagement and outcomes. As a parent of two young children, he brings a practical, family-focused perspective to his work.
Dilnaz Billimoria
Dilnaz Billimoria is a woman of colour, who migrated to Melbourne 25 years ago. Having lived and worked in India, Middle East, and other countries, she considers herself a global citizen. Dilnaz has done her MBA, specialising in Marketing and Finance, and has worked for over 35 years in Banking and Finance.
Dilnaz’s interest in Multiculturalism and Multifaith was sparked while living abroad and she has continued her passionate volunteering over decades. Having always lived in Whitehorse, she is familiar with the evolving demographics of our Eastern Catchment, works closely with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse [CALD] Communities and Interfaith Networks.
She is on the Board of Governance of Womens Health East, Elder Abuse Strategic Advisory Group, National Steering Committee on Awareness and Prevention of Elder Abuse in Older Persons, Chair of different networks, and others.
Dilnaz is an active volunteer with Eastern Community Legal Centre; Women’s Health; Interfaith and Multicultural Networks of Whitehorse, Manningham, Boroondara; Engaging Communities in Democracy and Multicultural Women’s Leadership with Parliament of Victoria, Whitehorse Manningham Libraries, Deakin Health Institute, Local Government Committees, etc.
Dilnaz has been recognised for her achievements with Excellence in Service to Multicultural Communities Award 2020 with Victoria Police; Chisholm and Menzies Volunteer Awards; Multicultural Honour Roll 2024; Victorian Seniors Premier’s Award for ‘Promoting Multiculturalism’ 2025; Eastern Health Aspire to Inspire (A2i) Awards for Consumer Representative Achievement Award.
Dilnaz believes in Gender Equality, Respect for all and the Prevention of Violence. Her strong commitment to the abolishing of racism, ageism, discrimination and all forms of abuse has helped her to shine a light on the physical, mental, intellectual and emotional health requirements of all residents. “My focus is on empowering Eastern Health clients, consumers and carers to have a voice while simultaneously help strengthen diverse communication channels to enable appropriate messaging of plans. policies procedures. I hope to support and manage Customer Expectations by enhancing effective Consumer and Community Engagement, with empathy, transparency, and participation across the organisation, aligning with shared values of Eastern Health.”
Merryn Carter
Daniele Noel
Daniele Noel is a strategic health communications and advocacy professional with more than a decade of experience working across the health and aged care sectors. Her work brings together communications expertise, consumer advocacy and health-system literacy to create inclusive, patient-centred engagement strategies that aim to improve health outcomes.
With a strong background in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, public relations, governance and community advocacy, Daniele has worked to advocate for multicultural communities, people living with rare and genetic conditions, older Australians and health consumers navigating complex systems of care. She is particularly passionate about inclusive communication and ensuring lived-experience voices are meaningfully represented in service design, policy and public conversations.
Daniele holds a Master of Strategic Communications Management (Health Communications) from Monash University and, as a Consumer Advisory Committee Member at Eastern Health, contributes her lived experience and professional insights to help shape more inclusive, equitable and patient-centred healthcare services.