Leadership

WATCA’s Leadership Committee and Ambassadors are all volunteers with
a shared passion for protecting and growing WA's urban tree canopy.

Sarah Allchurch
WATCA Chair 

Co-founder of WATCA, Sarah is a Strategy & Communications Advisor with 25 years’ experience.

Sarah provides advice to a diverse range of private and listed companies and individuals throughout Australasia.  She was Director of Communications & Strategy for Kate Chaney’s successful campaigns to win the federal seat of Curtin at the 2022 and 2025 Australian elections.

Sarah co-founded Cottesloe Independent, a community organisation that launched independent candidate for the state electorate of Cottesloe, Dr Rachel Horncastle.

Hannah Lill
WATCA Secretary + Kalamunda TCA Lead

Hannah comes from a background in finance but her passion lies in urban greening, gardening and creating spaces where humans can live in harmony with nature.  She loves her Kalamunda garden and is packing it full of local plants, canopy species and wildlife structures.  Distressed at the rapid canopy loss in her “home in the forest”, Hannah was part of the establishment of the Kalamunda Tree Canopy Advocates group in 2025. 

Hannah is supporting the committee with secretarial and systems projects, whilst upskilling in all levels of government advocacy.

Wendy Garstone
WATCA Treasurer + Community Engagement

A former Local Government Landscape Planner,  Wendy is a mainstay at the Bayswater Urban Tree Network and helped establish the Wanneroo Tree Canopy Advocates Group.

She believes that effective government outcomes must involve the community and that improved planning laws that prioritise tree canopy are the way forward.

The Honourable Andrew Beech SC
In November 2023, Andrew retired after 16 years as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, first in the General Division and then as a judge in the Court of Appeal. Before his appointment, Andrew practised as a barrister at Francis Burt Chambers, being appointed Senior Counsel in 2004.

Since retiring from the bench Andrew has worked (mostly as a volunteer) in various fields. He was judge in residence at the UWA Law School in 2024 and 2025. From 2026 he is Adjunct Professor of Practice in the UWA Law School, and is also Acting Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission. 

Kathy Lees
WATCA Planning Adviser

Co-founder of WATCA, Kathy is an urban planner who is passionate about sustainable development that makes a positive contribution to the environment and community.

She has over 25 years’ experience in local government, both implementing and writing planning legislation and policy. This has provided her with a keen understanding of what is working in our city and what isn't. The failure of our decision makers to adequately respond to increasing environmental pressures is a major concern, but Kathy has a strong belief in the power of community to make positive change happen.

Renee McLennan
WATCA Local Government Lead

Renée has represented her community as a local government Councillor and Mayor of the Town of Bassendean, championing a vision of green, sustainable suburbs.

She recognises the importance of trees to the wellbeing of communities and the enormous benefits they bring. Renée has been a strong advocate for tree preservation in her own patch, but despite the support of her local government and community, she sees the critical role that state government policy and tree protections must play if our kids are to have a liveable city in the future.

Esther Cole
WATCA Community Engagement + Melville TCA Lead

Esther has a background in education and policy. Working across a range of communities within the metro area, she has an amplified recognition of the need for equity and what it takes to grow healthy communities. She has witnessed first hand that when children have access to nature, their mental and physical wellbeing outcomes improve.

Increasingly frustrated by diminishing tree canopy in her own neighbourhood, Esther established one of the OG local TCA groups - Melville Tree Canopy Advocates. She believes that urban planners should be able to do better, allowing for both affordability and canopy coverage - while there is still time to do so.

Gemma Pepper
WATCA Strategy + PSHB Lead

Gemma is a professional chameleon. She’s worked everywhere, from Sydney to Sierra Leone, from Perth Festival to the United Nations. Gemma has a wealth of experience having worked across all levels of government, run an innovative tech business and led large-scale cultural events around Australia.

In addition to running her business Audioplay, Gemma is currently working in the Urban Forest team at the Town of Victoria Park, with a focus on the Town's PSHB response.