About Bevan

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 Bevan is living with a spinal cord injury as a result of a motor bike accident 30 years ago.

Bevan is a qualified buider and was registered with the QBCC for 40 years. At the time of his accident he was working as a "Sales Consultant" in Toowoomba selling building materials like Kitchens and Aluminium windows. His employer valued Bevan's experience and committment so much that they modified the workplace to accommodate his disability.

Not long after a downturn in the building industry and redundancy Bevan started his own business selling a different line of building materials from his wheelchair which he ran for 20 years. After moving to Brisbane for a warmer climate Bevan became an Access and Advocacy Consultant and at the age of 68 he is attaining his Certificate IV in Access Consulting with the Access Institute of Australia

  Bevan Created Miller Chase Foundation in 2019 to Help organisations like Spinal Life Australia, the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation, to provide immediate support to others living with a disability while providing hope for the future - a future that will be more inclusive and accessible for all.

 Dane is a qualified Access Consultant, member of the Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA) and has over 20 years of lived experience with disability.

 Dane is an avid traveller and advocate for Accessible Tourism. Dane currently sits on the steering committee for the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference for the Asia Pacific (AITCAP) Conference, the Sunshine Coast 2032 Taskforce, and the Sunshine Coast Council Community Strategy Leadership Group, amongst acting in various advisory roles with respect to design and compliance of buildings, precincts, transport, and infrastructure.

 After sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury in 2001, Dane has met and married his wife, Stacey, and together they have two sons and are expecting a daughter in June! Dane’s passion for equitable access and advocacy for people with disability, which reflects in his directorship with the Miller Chase Foundation.   

Hi, I’m Nathan but prefer Nate. I was in a car accident 25 years ago and suffered a C6/7 spinal cord injury which left me a tetraplegic. 

Before my accident I worked in the hospitality sector as a reservations agent for a hotel chain Sydney . After my accident I have worked extensively in the disability sector as a peer mentor / advocate and in the travel and tourism sector, 

I currently work for Spinal Life Australia as a disability Advocate. My main goal in life is helping those with SCI to set goals, aim big and reach their fullest potential. I have travelled to 30 countries since my disability, some accessible and others not so accessible, I like to break the stereotypes put on people with SCI, this is one way I do it by immersing myself in new cultures and trying new things on offer around the world. 

When I was in hospital there weren’t many services out there, it has gotten better but there is still massive amounts of work to be done. I am fully on board with the Tour of Australia that Bevan is doing and can’t wait for the outcomes to assist many people during a traumatic time in their life.

“Kate and McCulloch are beyond excited to be joining the Miller Chase foundation as support crew for Bevan on his trip around Australia.

Kate grew up in Lismore, NSW where she spent her time running around outdoors. She developed a love of nature and adventures that continues to be a passion to this day. She studied Outdoor Education at La Trobe University in Bendigo where accessibility in the outdoors was an interest. 

McCulloch spent her early years between the US and Canada, exploring and rescuing animals. She studied Social Justice at University in Canada. Seeking further exploration and adventures, moved to Australia over five years ago.

Together the two have travelled all over Canada and eastern Australia, they are no strangers to traveling. Bringing their passion for accessibility, inclusivity, and their love of the outdoors and food, they are ready to jump aboard this trip!” 

 We focus on making the maximum positive effort for our community. Our members and volunteers provide the momentum that helps us affect change. Using data driven models, we provide solutions that make a long-lasting difference. 

With  building a cutting edge Rehabilitation and Healthy Living Centre showcasing these abilities, to patients with Spinal Cord Damage and thier families through the “Spinal Life Peer Support Program” what they can be capable of after such a life changing incident. This program also provides ongoing mentoring so they can achieve an accessible, equitable and empowered life.

As a charity we believe by doing this continuous year after year fund raising on this long term basis, it will allow the researchers looking for a cure to Spinal Cord Injury to achieve this goal in the very near future without having to worry about fundraising and in the meantime it allows such groups as their “Peer Support Programs” to continue with their valuable Mentoring, Support and Advocacy work for people with disabilities.

Let's introduce Neil (Tilly) Townsend one of our founding members, Tilly was Bevan's support driver for his fund-raising trip around Queensland.

Tilly was born in Brisbane, grew up in Maryborough and has lived in Toowoomba from the age of 20 and has been married for 44 years with three children and 4 grandchildren,

Tilly has had a varied working life starting as a Aircraft Mechanic to Publican to managing his own Wholesale/Retail business selling petroleum additive products successfully before selling it after 27 years.

Tilly says the two constants in his life have been Family and Sport, Playing, Coaching, and Administration earning him Life Memberships with two Sporting Clubs, which he claims had only happened with the never ending support of his wife Norma.

Tilly has known Bevan for 35 years crossing each others path through their work commitments, and as Tilly puts it a neighbour from heaven as Bevan was a qualified "Chippie" from the bush and as such, having a vast trade knowledge and a "shed full of tools to die for". Bevan was always available for advice and willing to give a helping hand when needed.

Unfortunately Tilly himself has known three friends who have suffered from Motor Nuerone Disease. With this in mind Tilly is proud to help Bevan achieve his goal to help raise funds to build a Rehabilitation Centre.