Our Team

Reverend Graham Long, Pastor and CEO

At the time that Wayside called him into Ministry, Graham was a postie. He'd almost perfected riding a little motor bike when Wayside called him to be their next Minister. In his first life, Graham was a social worker in South Australia, specialising in the field of child protection.

Graham trained for ministry from 1979 to 1982. After a few years in church ministry, Graham became a chaplain to Parramatta Prison and he ran a church welfare agency. Academically, after ordination, Graham pursued studies in philosophy achieving degrees from Catholic Theological Union and from the Catholic Institute of Sydney. A Masters with honours degree was halted when a near fatal motorcycle accident changed all of life's priorities in 2001.

Graham has been married to Robyn for 40 years.

Graham is supported by the Executive Management Team (below) and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

	Richard Vaughan, Business Manager Richard joined Wayside in 2009 as Business Manager, responsible for all aspects of Wayside’s financial planning and reporting, as well as managing risk and governance and overseeing the redevelopment project. Prior to joining Wayside, Richard held a number of finance and commercial management roles at Optus, Oregon Scientific (Aus) and ACP. Richard has a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons). Richard caught the Wayside bug almost 10 years ago when he did a volunteering stint in the Community Service Centre. Years later, when the role of Business Manager was advertised, he jumped at the opportunity to draw on his financial management experience to make a difference.
	Dean de Haas, Manager, Community Engagement Programs Starting at Wayside in 2008 as the manager of Wayside Youth, Dean progressed to hold the current position of Manager, Community Engagement Programs. Dean oversees the management of the Community Service Centre, Wayside Youth and the Aboriginal Project. After completing a Bachelor of Education, Dean went on to manage a number of community centres, including childcare centres, centres supporting people with intellectual disabilities, a migrant resource centre, and tenancy and legal advice service.
	Wendy Suma, Manager, Community Building Programs Wendy joined Wayside in 2007 to design and implement the Day to Day Living program. Wendy is now Manager, Community Building Programs and is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Wayside Café, along with the Day to Day Living program. Wendy has held a wide range of roles in the welfare sector including support worker, crisis centre co-ordinator, outreach services manager and logistics manager. Wendy spent two years living in the Klong Toey Slum in Bangkok, where she taught English and implemented a youth football league for slum children. She also volunteered in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Wendy is a board member of the UnitingWorld’s Relief and Development Unit and holds a Bachelor of Theology and Diploma of Counselling (Hons).
	Guy Cooper, Community Development Manager With over 20 years experience as a youth and community worker, Wayside was a logical next step for Guy. He started in 2011 as Community Development Manager and is responsible for transitioning Wayside from being seen primarily as a crisis centre into a broader community centre serving the needs of all members of the local community. Before joining Wayside, Guy worked for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service and had his own consultancy focusing on workplace training and managing traumatic stress. Guy holds several diplomas in management, OHS, welfare and theology, as well as a Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training.