An introduction to our Committee members:
Executive Members:
Julie D'Arcy - Chairperson
Julie was one of the first exchange students to Susono in 1983. She has kept in contact with her host families and taken her own family, including her four children, to Japan many times. She is passionate about FSFA and our association with Susono and looks forward to working with the Committee to continue strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two cities, plus sharing our knowledge and love for Japan!Simon Hast - Vice Chairperson and Secretary/Public Officer
hasts@tpg.com.au
Bev Hannan - Treasurer
bevhannan@optusnet.com.au
Bev is the longest serving member of our committee, a FSFA Life Member and currently performs the role of Treasurer. She has a great love of travel and particularly enjoys her trips to Japan and our sister city Susono. Bev's past roles have also included serving as a counsellor to the many students who have come to Frankston on long term exchanges.Committee Members:
Therese Sakamoto
therese_sakamoto@yahoo.com.au
Therese is a Japanese language teacher who completed her student exchange to Susono in 1986. After more than 35 years she has maintained a strong connection to the city and thinks of Susono as her "second home"!
Vic Webster
Vic was introduced to Japan and in particular Susono, our Sister City, through his wife Bev
Hannan. He has been an active member of the FSFA Committee for over fifteen years and he especially enjoys our Japanese Festivals, visits to our Sister
City, the Japanese culture and the variety of Japanese foods. Vic and
Bev have home hosted many of our Susono visitors and also guests from other
parts of Japan. Vic also enjoys travel and cruising to many overseas
destinations.Peter Bargholz
pbargholz@gmail.com
Peter has a long association with Japanese culture and has enjoyed many visits to Japan. He enjoys their polite and humble style of communication, their pragmatic approach to situations and challenges, and their appreciation and enjoyment of nature, beauty and quiet. But most of all Peter enjoys their magnificent cuisine! He believes that everybody needs to know about, and experience, the culture and food of Japan.
Yoshio Noda
Yoshio has been a Susono residence for 43 years, and worked at YAZAKI Corporation for 40 years. He had the opportunity to be assigned at Australian Arrow Pty Ltd in Frankston from 2002 until 2005. He worked with FSFA as a member of the local Japanese company AAPL and re-created the relationship between YAZAKI group and FSFA.After Yoshio’s assignment was completed, he went back to Susono and since then he has helped FSFA locally particularly when our delegations visit Susono.During 2025, when FSFA Chairperson Julie D'Arcy was in Susono, he supported her and FSFA to have more communication with the people and organizations in Susono.Yoshio has also been volunteering as a Boy Scout leader for more than 30 years to educate young boys and girls to help others in our society.
After Yoshio’s assignment was completed, he went back to Susono and since then he has helped FSFA locally particularly when our delegations visit Susono.
During 2025, when FSFA Chairperson Julie D'Arcy was in Susono, he supported her and FSFA to have more communication with the people and organizations in Susono.
Yoshio has also been volunteering as a Boy Scout leader for more than 30 years to educate young boys and girls to help others in our society.
Nicole Mahl
Nicole joined the FSFA committee in 2023 to get involved and help grow taiko drumming in Frankston. The drumming group meets twice a month to practice and tweak our mind, body, rhythm, musicality and learn new skills. Her daughter's fascination with Japan as a child through to adulthood included manga, anime, reading books "back to front", cosplay, drawings, film making and travel, along with her own study of different cultures, history and ways to heal and stay healthy, keeps Nicole interested in learning about Japan and its people and how we are each shaped.
Cam Heyes
cheyes@fhs.vic.edu.au
Cam is currently a Campus Principal at Frankston High School having worked there for more than 15 years. He is proud to continue the strong relationship between Frankston High School, Susono and the Frankston Susono Friendship Association. He fell in love with Japan while travelling on his honeymoon more than 20 years ago, and recently travelled to Japan with his family in 2024 and to Susono with a school group in 2025.
Nicole Moyle (Germie)
With a love of Japan for as long as she can remember, Nicole first visited in 2007 on a group tour and solo adventure, nearly 20 years on, that love hasn’t changed and she continues to visit regularly.
Nicole visited in October 2025 to cheer on the local school delegation during their performance at the Osaka World Expo at the Australia Pavilion, and continued on to visit Susono, where she did a homestay with a member of the Susono Committee. She treasures this as one of the major highlights of all of her trips to Japan. Nicole joined Taiko Drumming at the end of 2024 and became a committee member in 2025.
Marcia Hayes
marciahayes1@optusnet.com.au
Marcia joined the Frankston Taiko Drumming group in mid-2023 and enjoys the fun, friendships and joy of playing together and especially the sense of community she feels when she plays taiko with the group. She decided to join the FSFA committee in 2024 and is looking forward to getting involved and hopefully being a member of a future delegation to Susono and Japan and building the friendships between the citizens of Frankston and Susono.
