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About Neale
Following a long and successful career in the Australian Public Service, Neale retired at the executive level and moved back home to Brisbane from Canberra. Neale is now using the skills and qualifications he obtained during the paid part of his working life to develop and support communities through a variety of charities. Neale has served on the boards of disability charities including IDareU and Campus Life, and has been serving on the board of Blind Citizens Australia since December 2023.
Neale is passionate about supporting communities and their people with disabilities as a volunteer with Red Cross Emergency Services and most recently as a Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Champion with his local council. Having volunteered as a telephone counsellor with Lifeline for over 15 years, Neale has spoken with hundreds of people experiencing life’s challenges and is pleased to be able to assist Vision Australia to support and bring hope to the thousands of Australians living with blindness and low vision.
Neale was born with Albinism leaving him legally blind since birth. Although using braille at school, Neale now uses his limited eyesight with the aid of screen magnifiers and readers along with other adaptive technology to live in a world designed for people with vision. Neale has travelled independently, through most parts of Europe, Asia and North America. Neale describes his adventures as having enough sight to get into trouble and, fortunately to date, enough intelligence and charm to get out the other side.