Board of Directors

Bob Brown

Bob Brown was born and educated in rural NSW and worked as a doctor before becoming the face of the campaign to save the Franklin River in 1982.

He was elected to the Tasmanian state parliament in 1982 and during his ten-year tenure most notably achieved gun law reform, gay law reform and the expansion of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area.

In 1996 Bob was elected to the Senate, where he led the national debate for 16 years on issues including climate change, water, preventative healthcare, conservation, and human rights.

Bob resigned from the Senate in June 2012 to establish the Bob Brown Foundation, a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting environmental campaigns and green causes in Australia and our region.  He is a published author and acclaimed photographer.

Jeff Hansen

Jeff joined Sea Shepherd in 2006 as a ground support volunteer in the Perth Chapter and his passion for marine conservation was quickly noticed. 

Jeff was subsequently invited to serve on board the M/Y Steve Irwin during SSCS’s 2007-2008 Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign called Operation Migaloo. His role as Quartermaster, based on the bridge, saw Jeff make a strategic call which resulted in discovering the location of the centrepiece of the whaling fleet, the Nissan Maru factory vessel.  Upon returning from the campaign SSCS’s leader Captain Paul Watson offered Jeff the position of Australian Director. During Operation Migaloo the direct action by SSCS spared 500 whales from the harpoon - around half the whalers’ quota.

The following year Jeff again served on board the M/Y Steve Irwin as Quartermaster during Operation Musashi where the Steve Irwin and crew survived a harrowing ordeal of being trapped in pack ice in the freezing waters of Antarctica. Again, Jeff was instrumental in    locating the Japanese whaling vessel the Keiko Maru. As a direct result of the brave crew, dedicated volunteers and supporters around the world, 308 whales were saved.

Jeff is a big believer in direct action and is very proud to be part of the whales’ navy, making sure that there is a future for everyone.

Jeff is a qualified Electronic and Computer Engineer and great nephew of Teddy Sheean, a famous World War II hero who served upon the HMAS Armidale.

Born in Melbourne, but now living in Perth, Jeff likes to keep fit and has completed two Ironman Triathlons. He and his wife are also wildlife rehabilitation carers, caring for sick and injured Bobtail lizards in their home in Perth’s southern suburbs. Jeff is also recently a proud dad of his little girl Abby who was born December 16th 2010.

Michelle Mossfield

As a child, Michelle Mossfield was taught to always speak up for what she believes to be right and true. As an adult, on these matters, she has committed to never shut-up.

Michelle has worked in the entertainment industry for fourteen years. In early 2012 she left her position as director of Reckoning Entertainment, an independent music publicity, marketing, management and consultancy company based in Sydney, in order to direct her energies to ocean conservation. She continues to have strong links to the media and wide reaching national and international connections.

After joining Sea Shepherd as an onshore volunteer in 2011, Michelle’s life changed – quickly.  She had supported a number of different environmental organisations until that point, but in Sea Shepherd – and its Founder, Paul Watson – Michelle found the hands-on, direct action approach to the protection of our planet that she had been looking for. She became heavily involved in the Sydney chapter and in 2012 joined the Cove Guardians campaign in Taiji. Shortly after returning to Australia from Japan, Michelle took the position as media lead in Sea Shepherd’s ninth Antarctic whale defence campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance.  She is currently undertaking post-graduate studies in Environmental Law at Macquarie University in Sydney, and is looking forward to putting her legal knowledge into practice.

John McMullan

John McMullan is a Melbourne lawyer, with degrees in engineering and law. He has been lead construction lawyer for private and public sector principals on a number of major projects, lead lawyer to developers/bidders on several Melbourne Docklands projects, a construction contract adviser to road and water authorities in Victoria and other states, and has acted in major construction disputes, in litigation and arbitration, in Australia and in Hong Kong. He has been a director of a number of listed companies and not for profit companies and advises regularly on Corporations Law.

Laura Dakin

bio coming soon