Effie has been a Board Member since 1991, but first joined SDN in 1989 and was elected President of the Redfern and Waterloo Branch Committees. Effie led the planning for SDN’s centenary celebrations in 2005, and has overseen the task of preserving, cataloguing and presenting SDN’s archives and history as a provider of education and care since 1905.

In 2002 the former History Committee established the SDN Archive at the History Room at SDN Woolloomooloo, to preserve SDN’s records and the broader history of the development of early childhood education. The Archive is unique in the early childhood sector in Australia and is largely the result of Effie’s tireless commitment. Effie brings extensive business experience to her work on the Board. She worked for 40 years in the business operations of S McN Bland Pty Ltd, of which she is a Director.