Our Co-Patrons

Professor Fiona Wood

The Peter Hughes Burn Foundation welcomes our new Co – Patron Professor Fiona Wood. She has saved and changed the lives of many and in the short time I met her she has changed mine. Fiona Wood said, “Every intervention from the point of injury influences the scar worn for life and the healing continues way beyond the hospital stay. The support of survivors is a key aspect of recovery therefore I am right behind the Peter Hughes Foundation supporting survivors to live beyond the burn.”

Grazi Lisciotto
CEO
Peter Hughes BURN Foundation
 

Professor Fiona Wood, AM is a mother of six, a plastic surgeon, Director of the Burns Service of WA at Royal Perth and Princess Margaret Hospitals. She cofounded a cell culture business now a medical device company Avitamedical.

In October 2002 she was tested. As the head of the burns unit at Royal Perth Hospital, Dr Fiona Wood found herself right in the spotlight in the aftermath of the Bali bombings when she coordinated the treatment of 28 of the Sari Club victims suffering from between 2 and 92 per cent body surface area burns, deadly infections and delayed shock. Her exceptional leadership and surgical skills and the fact that she had the vision to plan for a large-scale disaster five years before the Bali tragedy, brought world-wide praise and recognition to the Royal Perth Hospital Burns Unit and highlighted the ground breaking research into burns treatment taking place in Western Australia.

Fiona is Chair of the McComb Research Foundation dedicated to research into burn injury and recovery. She was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia in 2003. She was named Australian of the Year for 2005 by Australian Prime Minister John Howard at a ceremony in Canberra to mark Australia Day.

Fiona is world renowned for her patented invention of spray on skin for burns victims and through her enthusiasm, innovation and vision saved countless people`s lives and inspired a nation.

Our Co-Patron Patron Peter Overton

The Peter Hughes Burn Foundation has approached Peter Overton to become a co-patron alongside Dr Fiona Wood. Peter recalled the meeting he had with Peter Hughes not long after Bali Bombings and said how inspired he was by him.

Peter gladly accepted the position and said “It is a great honour to be co-patron of the Peter Hughes Burn Foundation. To stand alongside Dr Fiona Wood in this role is inspiring and I hope that I can, in some small way contribute to helping BURN Survivors Live Beyond the BURN”.

Grazi Lisciotto
CEO
Peter Hughes Burn Foundation

Peter Overton became the chief newsreader for Sydney’s 6pm edition of Nine News in January 2009.

Overton returns to the Nine newsroom after spending eight years as a reporter for 60 Minutes. Prior to joining 60 Minutes, Overton spent 10 years with Nine News as a reporter and regular presenter.

Born in 1966 to Australian parents in England, Peter was two when his family returned home to Australia.

He attended North Sydney Boys High School and completed a Bachelor of Economics degree at Macquarie University.

At university he received his first break in the media. While doing work experience at Sydney radio station 2UE in 1985 he found himself reading weekend sports reports after the regular presenter became ill.

Overton continued this role until 1987 when he moved to Australia’s first satellite television channel, Sky Channel, where he spent four years reporting and presenting.

In 1991, Overton joined Channel Nine in Sydney as a sports reporter for National Nine News. He co-anchored Channel Nine’s coverage of the Thredbo disaster from the Sydney studios with Tracy Grimshaw. He also anchored the major super league ARL court decisions.

Peter has a strong sense of community and is Patron of the Mental Health Council of Australia, Patron of the Monstar Foundation (Motor Neurone Disease), Patron of The Peter Hughes Burn Foundation, Ambassador for the George Gregan Foundation, Ambassador for the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, Ambassador for the Sony Foundation (Teenage Cancer) and Ambassador for Special Olympics Australia.

Peter Overton is married to Jessica and they are parents to young daughters Allegra and Giselle.