Lifetime Members – The highest award for contribution to the profession.
David Fitts – ANPA Lifetime Member
The Association was originally founded in 1976 and went by the name of the Australian Naturopathic Practitioners and Chiropractors Association; after the Chiropractic Registration Act was passed in 1996, the term Chiropractic was dropped from the title and the Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association was born.
I first became involved with the organization around 1983 as a student member, and remained on the committee in that capacity till I graduated in 1986; after graduation I took on the position of Public Relations Officer which I held for two years.
At the time of my induction onto the committee the Association was very small and not overly active in the areas of politics, media and inter association dialogue; this in turn provided me the opportunity to market and promote the name of the organization with government, business, media and other associations that had naturopathic memberships. Around the same time we were able to move the committee meetings from a lounge room environment to a board room which gave the Association a much higher professional profile and access to a more sophisticated array of office technology and support.
In 1988 I was elected to the position of Chairman of the Management Committee which I held for 10 years and in 1998 I was elected National President of the Association which I held till 2003. In the 20 years of my active participation with the ANPA, I saw it grow from a small Victorian organization to a nationwide purely Naturopathic Association.
The significance of a purely Naturopathic Association became evident quite early in my time on committee, and I saw a great opportunity to hallmark this as a distinguishing feature as to what differentiated the ANPA from other associations. The ability to commit energy, focus and resources to supporting and developing Naturopathy without distraction from the needs of other modalities was a major strength for the Association that ensured that the welfare of its members and future members would be the primary focus of of all endeavours.
Today the ANPA is a well-established organization of 40 years standing representing the interests of practitioner and student members’ nation-wide.
Maintaining a strong a reputation for excellence and commitment to the future development of Naturopathy in Australia, over a broad range of issues, it has been my privilege to be part of this Association’s history and very gratifying to see how successive generations of members have taken it forward to the position of respect and professional standing it currently holds.
Karen Martin ND, BTeach MDEd – ANPA Lifetime Member
Karen graduated from the SA College of Botanic Medicine and Natural Therapies in 1990. After graduation she lectured in Naturopathy at various training institutions in Adelaide for 18 years and was employed as Deputy Principal and Principal of two prominent Adelaide Complementary Medicine Colleges. In 2003 she was appointed as the first lecturer in Naturopathy at the University of South Australia and later continued there in a research role. Karen has written regular complementary health columns for National Pharmacies magazine and The Advertiser and for the past 20 years has been ‘resident naturopath’ for radio 5RPH.
Karen was President of the ANPA from 2002 to 2007, also representing the ANPA as Secretary of the Federation of Natural and Traditional Therapists (FNTT). During this time she served on numerous Government and non-Government consultative committees for Complementary Medicine nationally. In January 2008 she was appointed to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Advisory Committee on Complementary Medicine (ACCM) and served on this committee until 2016.
For the past 12 years Karen has been Naturopath and Director at Well2, a multidisciplinary Natural Therapies clinic in Norwood South Australia specialising in Women’s health, fertility and IVF support. Well2 is one of the first clinics to run an integrated clinical team comprising of naturopath, acupuncturists, massage therapists, psychologist and dietitian. Recently Well2 have developed a specialised organic pregnancy and baby skincare line to complement their clinical work and these products are currently moving into retail outlets across Australia.
Eta Brand – ANPA Lifetime Member
B.Naturopathy, BSc Public Health, Med.Tech
ANPA President 2012 – 2019
Eta Brand graduated from Southern Cross University and has been in clinical practice for thirteen years as a naturopath. Prior to studying naturopathy she completed a Bachelor of Science in Public Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast. During that program she studied Evidence Based Medicine at a Masters level as an elective offered by the University of Queensland school of Public Health. In addition, her initial training was as a medical technologist where she had many years experience working in haematology, biochemistry and microbiology. She has more than 30 years experience in the field of health. She has lived in South Africa, Canada and now home is on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Eta’s family always placed a high value on community service. She has been an ANPA member from the time she was a student naturopath. As soon as she qualified she joined the ANPA committee. Her initial focus was marketing for the association. The ANPA has developed many new areas over the years as a result of her focus and dedication. Writing submissions for government reviews at both state and federal levels has been part of her contribution to the profession.
She continues to play an advocacy role on the Natural Therapies Review being vigilant ensuring a transparent process for naturopathy. She has been in advocacy roles meeting with government officials for the last 13 years on behalf of naturopaths. She has edited the ANPA e-newsletter, facilitated ANPA webinars, been interviewed by media, written press releases, mentored students, sat on advisory panels for education providers, presented at international conferences, created and participated in alliances with other professional associations, initiated corporate sponsorship for the ANPA, and more recently initiated the ANPA annual Student Bursary competition in 2019. Eta sees the clear role for naturopathy because so often naturopathic care has better outcomes than mainstream approaches for acute and chronic conditions. She remains passionate about protecting naturopathic philosophy because it is central to what makes the naturoapthic profession unique. We must protect and preserve our past to ensure our future.
Fellowship Members
Fellowship candidates have a minimum qualification of an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy from an ANPA accredited education provider. Many fellows have higher qualifications. The candidate may be working towards a higher degree in naturopathy or a related health science area. Candidature is conferred by the ANPA Fellowship committee after 10 years of full membership with the ANPA. Fellowship status is dependent on the candidate demonstrating a significant contribution to the Naturopathic profession, Naturopathic research, Education, and the ANPA association. The fellow must have an impeccable record of conduct with no activities that could bring the ANPA into disrepute. The candidate agrees to participate in ANPA’s mentorship and education programs.
Rebekah Bryce – Joined 2007
I completed Advanced Diplomas in Naturopathy, Nutrition and Western Herbal Medicine in 2006. I have 14 years of continuous clinical experience. I am proud to have established Naturepure Women’s Health Clinics in Traralgon, Warragul, Moe and Sale in Victoria.
I have employed and mentored massage therapists that work in my clinics. In 2004 I established the Naturepure Natural Skincare range. Developing these products required setting up a laboratory as well as the facility for manufacturing twenty-four products sold online as well as in retail stores and pharmacies. I have conducted numerous community events speaking to and educating groups about naturopathic principles. I have written a naturopathic health promotion book that is currently being reviewed by publishers. In 2018 I was employed by Federation University as a sessional academic to teach Nutrition to Veterinary Science and Biomedical students. I have participated in education events promoted by the ANPA as well as many additional learning opportunities going far beyond the annual required CPE points. I look forward to participating and contributing to ANPA’s mentorship and education programs.
John Coleman – Joined 1999
I graduated from the Australian College of Natural Medicine in Camberwell, Victoria with an Advanced Diploma. Since graduation, I have practiced full-time (except for the first year) while researching better ways to assist patients reverse chronic neuro, autoimmune and infectious diseases. I have conducted 14 Neuro Recovery Programmes for patients, over 20 Practitioner Training days around Australia, Germany, Austria, UK and USA, presented webinars for ANPA. In addition I have presented webinars for ANPA, Health Masters Live the World Massage Conference and the New Zealand Bowen Association as well as producing handbooks for all these events.
“Stop Parkin’ and Start Livin’ – reversing the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease” was published in 2005 and has sold to patients and practitioners in seven countries that I am aware of – probably more. “Rethinking Parkinson’s Disease” will be published in Australia during 2020. In my clinic, I have mentored a number of students completing studies at three different colleges. Part of my work with chronic infectious diseases has been mentoring qualified practitioners (including doctors) in four countries. I spent a short time as a member of the ANPA Committee and have always striven to support the work of the ANPA in every way possible.
Marion Igarashi – Joined 2006
I began my studies in naturopathy in 1999. This was a personal ambition even though I had already completed degrees in education and a PhD in business. My heart is in natural medicine. I completed my naturopathy studies and felt proud to be accepted into ANPA. I then continued studying a Bachelor Massage and joined AAMT, MMA. I worked as a clinical naturopath and remedial massage therapist early in my career, before continuing studies, research and working professionally as an educator in universities, most particularly QUT. I continued to study yoga, neuroscience and health sciences because my passion was to fully understand the complex workings of the mind and natural medicine.
I have taught in the areas of my study at a university level to want to encourage young naturopaths who aspire to follow those that lead the profession. I am committed to ANPA. I believe that we have upheld our values and have a strong membership to withstand future challenges. I would like to contribute to the fiber of leadership as a Fellow.
I will continue my current research in neuroscience especially in areas that relate to brain health. My current Master Neuroscience supports the understanding of mental health, depression, anxiety, aged health, eating disorders and many other pathways to digestion and the nervous system.
Tracey Seipel – Joined 1990
I lectured at the Australian College of Natural Medicine (later Endeavour College of Natural Health) for 15 years, where I was involved in the acceptance of the course as a university-level degree. I wrote most of the nutrition component of the naturopathic degree at that time and lectured in nutrition and herbal medicine, provided clinic supervision, then also lectured practitioners around Australia and New Zealand on treatment approaches with Orthoplex and Eagle Pharmaceuticals. I have contributed to Pizzorno and Murray’s A Textbook of Natural Medicine, covering Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) – overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence (UI).
I was on the board of QNA when we merged with ANPA and was on the board of FONTT to liaise with the government over GST implications with naturopaths (back when GST was introduced) the acceptance of our consults as GST-free.
In 1999 I began researching bladder health and urinary incontinence, including involvement in 5 clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of herbal combinations for urinary incontinence. In 2006 my formula won a USA Nutrition Business Journal Award for Innovation. My latest trial was published in BMC-CAM January 2018 and in 2019 I received a USA NutraIngredients award for Research Project of the Year.
Bronwyn Stewart – Joined 1997
I have been working in the health industry for fifty-five years, starting with nursing in 1963 at the Alfred Hospital (Melb) before moving to Canada with my husband and commencing natural therapy studies in 1970 at UBC University. In 1974 we moved to the UK and lived in Surrey at Sir Edward Tuckwell’s country residence, a surgeon to the Royal family. He encouraged me to study Homeopathy and Bach Flower Remedies in detail while in England. We returned to Australia in 1975 and I had a clinic next to our house where I loved working as a natural therapist while helping to raise a family. I attended Australian College of Natural Medicine from 1994-1997 as I wanted to understand naturopathic practice here, graduating as student of the year. I now work with great pleasure as a natural general practitioner in a beautiful clinic on our farm close to Flinders Victoria called Sea Crest Natural Health.
As a family we “walk the talk”. Our older child is a naturopath in New Zealand, our second studied naturopathy, and our youngest child is a kinesiologist and lifestyle coach. She is married to a naturopath, who also works as a paramedic.
I served on the ANPA committee for several years and still have students coming for clinical placement or mentoring. I have continued to run evening weekly classes in meditation for over twenty-five years, and recently launched a course offering healthy midlife and aging suggestions.