Manly Writers' Festival Board

Founder, Chair, Artistic Director
Bonita Mersiades
Bonita is a publisher, and former senior government and non-profit executive working in strategic policy, budgeting, and communications. She is known internationally as a FIFA whistleblower and advocate for greater accountability in sports administration. Bonita is the author of three non-fiction books and editor of an anthology. She also chairs the Northern Beaches Community Cancer Charity.

Deputy Chair
Jaimie Fuller
Jaimie has built a successful business career around his greatest passion – sport. The CEO of international compression apparel brand SKINS from 1998 to 2019, he is now Chair and co-founder of eo, an Australian-based sports technology lab. Jaimie is also a prominent sports activist, initiating campaigns and speaking out against cheating, systemic corruption, and human rights abuses at the highest levels of several international sports.

Treasurer
Golasa Nahid
Originally from Iran, Golasa moved to Australia in 2011. She brings a rich background across education, finance, and community work to her role as Treasurer of the Manly Writers Festival. Passionate about books, human rights, and creativity, she is proud to support a festival that celebrates diverse voices and stories.

Member
Rananda Rich
Rananda is a Chartered Accountant, and the founder of The Ink Rat, a consultancy that empowers business owners and writers to transform their useful and unique ideas into compelling narratives using strategic copywriting, editing and ghostwriting. Her latest initiative, The Creative Splurge, supports writers of all ages and stages to achieve their writing goals.

Member
Trevor Thompson
Trevor has been a journalist for 40 years, working mainly in radio but also in television and online. He was Chief of Staff in the ABC's Sydney newsroom for more than ten years. He has also written four books on sports history and enjoys recruiting and training young reporters.





