About the Friends of Port Willunga

Key Objectives

  • Protect and enhance Port Willunga’s natural and cultural heritage
  • Encourage sound planning and challenge poor planning decisions
  • Retain agriculture as the primary land use within the McLaren Vale Character Preservation District
  • Restore creek and coastal ecosystems
  • Build community and promote sustainable lifestyles

Committee

Friends of Port Willunga is managed by a committee elected at its Annual General Meeting.  Contact with members is maintained through the annual newsletter, email updates and via our Facebook page.

The current committee is:

STEPHANIE JOHNSTON Chair

Stephanie Johnston is a former book publisher turned urban and rural planner who writes occasionally for publications like Citiscope, SA Life, Historic Environment and Fleurieu Living Magazine. Stephanie is interested in how good planning can enhance a community, and this is reflected in her involvement with the World Heritage nominations of the Adelaide City Plan and Park Lands and settlement landscapes of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

ANDREW McLACHLAN Treasurer

Andrew joined the Friends of Port Willunga committee in 2024, filling a casual vacancy for the role of Treasurer. His background is in Accounting and not for profit administration. Apart from running his own business he was, until retiring in 2022, the CEO of Australian International Pedal Prix Inc, a role he filled for over 20 years.

Andrew lives in Port Willunga with his partner Di and their Golden Retriever Buddy, dividing his time between beach and garden.

STEWART ROPER Secretary

Stewart graduated from Adelaide University with a BSc Honours in Zoology, before a career change led him to a nursing degree from Flinders. He spent more than 30 years working as a remote area nurse in the Pitjantjatjara Lands of South Australia. 

As an avid photographer his various interests and work eventually led to publishing Palya, a book of photographs of landscape, wildlife, people and memories of his time up north. He lives in Port Willunga with his wife Rita 

DEBORAH BOGLE

Deborah Bogle is a journalist with a keen interest in the natural environment and living sustainably. She was formerly the Books Editor at The Advertiser, where she wrote for SAWeekend magazine and contributed her weekly Garden Path column. With David Milner, she has established the monthly FOPW Bush Gardeners event in the Port Willunga Linear Reserve.

ALEX MCCARTHY

A Port Willunga resident for the past 10 years, Alexandra McCarthy was drawn back from the city by the charm of the Fleurieu Peninsula, where she was raised. She enjoys combining her career in architecture with bringing up her young family in the quiet, friendly community of Port Willunga.

ZANNY TWOPENY

Port Willunga has always been Zanny’s home. The Twopeny family have had a house here since 1957, and Zanny has never missed a summer soaking up the special beauty of the coast and the Southern Vales. From 1997 until 2011 she held the lease on the Star of Greece, transforming it from a beachside kiosk into an acclaimed restaurant. These days she can be found most mornings serving coffee from Zan’s Van on The Esplanade, where she keeps a keen eye on the ocean and an ear to the news and views of the many locals and visitors who stop by. Apart from being a keen surfer herself, Zanny shares her passion with others teaching surfing and water safety to children. Having had a lifetime association with Port Willunga, she is a committed advocate for the preservation and enhancement of its special character.

FIONA LINDQUIST

Fiona Lindquist has had a property in Port Willunga since 1997, where she’s spent every summer since with her growing family. Formerly a Lawyer, she is now the Managing Director of a McLaren Vale winery, which she owns with her husband. She is passionate about the preservation of Port Willunga’s exceptional natural landscape, in an environment of increased urban development and tourism.