Agribusiness Taskforce – FWF Horizon Campaign

The Agribusiness Taskforce Leading the Campaign

Tim Haslam

Chair

Tim is a farmer from the Great Southern region of WA and Chair of the campaign committee. A burn survivor following a 2023 farm fire, he brings lived experience and leadership to support a new era of research where people are not defined by their injuries but can survive and thrive.

Tim is a farmer from the Great Southern region of Western Australia. In December 2023, only days away from completing his harvest, he was caught in a fire on his property and sustained life-threatening burns to 38% of his body. He was airlifted to the Burns Service of WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital, where he spent 10 days in intensive care and a further 74 days in the Burns Ward, undergoing 15 surgeries and receiving advanced treatments including spray-on skin and laser therapy. He credits the expertise of the burns team, the support of his wife Sally, and the strength of his community for giving him the chance to return to farm life.

His lived experience has reshaped his outlook. Tim has become a strong advocate for farm safety, openly sharing the lessons learned from his accident to help protect others in the agricultural community. He has also contributed to burns research by participating in clinical studies, recognising first-hand the impact of innovation on recovery and quality of life.

As Chair of the campaign committee, Tim combines his professional expertise as a farmer and his personal journey as a burn survivor. He is committed to ensuring the Fiona Wood Foundation leads a new era in research where people are not defined by their injuries but are given every opportunity to survive and thrive.

Jane Fuchbishler

Committee member

Jane is a wife and mother who became a carer after her husband Kevin sustained life-threatening burns on their family farm in 2005. Her lived experience provides powerful insight into the impact of burns on patients, their families, and regional communities.

When Kevin sustained life-threatening burns in 2005, Jane’s life changed instantly. As his wife and the mother of two young children, she became both caregiver and anchor, holding their family together through years of treatment, rehabilitation, and uncertainty.

Jane managed countless trips between their regional home and Perth for specialist care, balancing the demands of raising Lucy and Josh while supporting Kevin through intensive rehabilitation. She recalls that time as one where every decision centred on survival, healing, and maintaining a sense of everyday family life.

Her role went far beyond physical care. Jane was Kevin’s advocate in hospital corridors, his strength through setbacks, and the steady presence that reminded him why recovery mattered. She often reflected that had Kevin not survived, the trajectory of all their lives would have been dramatically altered. That thought fuelled her resilience and determination to see their family through.

Today, Jane speaks from the perspective of a caregiver whose life was irrevocably reshaped by burns. Her lived experience is a reminder that recovery is not an individual journey but one carried by families, and it is this shared reality that underpins her support for the Fiona Wood Foundation’s mission to improve outcomes for patients and the people who stand beside them.

Kevin Fuchbishler

Committee member

Kevin is a farmer from regional WA and a former CBH director who survived life-threatening burns in 2005. His professional experience and lived journey as a burn survivor drive his commitment to improving quality of life outcomes for patients now and in the future.

Kevin was working on his family farm in the Bruce Rock and Merredin Shires in 2005 when he sustained life-threatening burns to 35% of his body when a fuel container ignited in the back of his vehicle. He was airlifted to the Burns Service of WA, where he underwent intensive treatment, traditional grafting, and was among the early patients to receive ReCell® spray-on skin technology. Years of rehabilitation followed, supported by his family and the burns team, giving him first-hand experience of the impact of expert care and pioneering research.

His recovery reshaped his path, leading to 15 years as a non-executive director of CBH, where he became a strong advocate for safety in agriculture and regional communities. Kevin is a farmer from regional WA and a former CBH director who survived life-threatening burns in 2005. His professional experience and lived journey as a burn survivor drive his commitment to improving quality-of-life outcomes for patients now and in the future.

Sally Haslam

Committee member

Sally Haslam supported her husband Tim through his burn recovery after a life-threatening farm accident in 2023. Her lived experience has given her a powerful understanding of the ripple effect of burns on the individual, their loved ones, and the wider community.

Sally Haslam’s connection to the Fiona Wood Foundation began in December 2023, when her husband Tim was airlifted to the Burns Service of WA after sustaining severe injuries in a fire on their Great Southern farm. Thrust into an unexpected and confronting situation, she found herself navigating the realities of trauma, hospital systems, and long stretches of rehabilitation while supporting Tim through multiple surgeries.

During this time, Sally also witnessed the extraordinary impact of the Foundation’s research and innovation, from spray-on skin to scar management techniques, and how these advances directly shaped her husband’s recovery. That experience left her determined to ensure other families benefit from the same expertise and care no matter who they are or where they live.

Today, Sally brings this lived experience to the Taskforce, ensuring that the perspective of families is firmly embedded in the Foundation’s mission. She is passionate about highlighting the often-unseen role of supporters and carers, and about contributing to a future where families feel supported, connected, and empowered throughout every stage of the recovery journey.

Stephanie Smith

Committee member

Stephanie is an Associate Director at Birchstone Legal with expertise in estate planning and farming succession. Having grown up in a farming family, she is a passionate advocate for the Farming Collective, connecting her professional expertise with her commitment to supporting world-class burn care across Western Australia.

Stephanie is an Associate Director at Birchstone Legal, with more than 15 years of experience in law, commerce, and estate planning.

With a strong professional focus on preserving family relationships through succession planning, Stephanie has guided many farming families through the complex decisions that secure their legacy for future generations.

She holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Commerce, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Having grown up on her family farm in West Kendenup near Mount Barker, Stephanie understands the resilience and challenges of life on the land. This connection makes her a passionate advocate for the Farming Collective, where she helps bridge the values of farming communities with the Fiona Wood Foundation’s mission to deliver world-class burn care across Western Australia.

https://www.birchstone.com.au/