Spinal Life Australia Farewells Frances Porter
Spinal Life Australia Farewells Frances Porter
After a remarkable 37 years of service Frances Porter, current Executive Manager of Business Development is moving on from Spinal Life Australia (SLA).
Frances has been a champion of The Hopkins Centre from its earliest days. Long before our official launch, she was deeply involved in foundational discussions and has consistently advocated for our research for more than two decades. From the moment the idea of The Hopkins Centre was first raised, Frances emerged as one of our most passionate and committed supporters, a role she continues to play even in retirement.
To realise the vision of The Hopkins Centre, we knew we had to embed researchers within rehabilitation and community settings and work closely with key partners. Creating knowledge close to practice has always been central to our mission, and this approach is only possible through strong, sustained collaboration with frontline practice. Frances not only understood this, she embodied it. Her commitment was matched by an unrelenting curiosity and a deep appreciation for bold, transformative ideas.
The phrase Bold Ideas, Better Solutions (now the name of our annual symposium) was born from a conversation with Frances. She had a gift for recognising the potential of ideas that pushed boundaries and reimagined what was possible in disability and rehabilitation services. She was always on the lookout for innovations that could fundamentally improve the way we work.
Over the years, Frances was a steadfast ally. She served on our inaugural advisory board alongside other key sector leaders and was one of our first active research partners. Her early support was instrumental in translating research into real-world impact, including the establishment of the Singing Cords service, which continues today. She also played a critical role in the early development of HabITec and the Citizen Challenges that have since evolved into our Design Cafe spaces, where innovation and lived experience meet.
The partnership with Spinal Life Australia, where Frances’s influence was profound, has underpinned many of our research initiatives, spanning equine therapy, accessibility of medical offices, virtual reality applications in pain management, and other cutting-edge innovations in rehabilitation and personal care. Frances approached every project with enthusiasm, but her support was always principled and thoughtful. Her guiding questions were clear: Is this something people with spinal cord injury want? Are they actively involved in leading the change? Will they benefit meaningfully from the outcomes? If the answer was yes, Frances would do everything in her power to help make it happen.
Frances has been behind so many advancements in disability and rehabilitation, most of which are now embedded in practice and feel like they’ve always been there. Her retirement is the end of an era. Many people in the Queensland rehabilitation sector have been around for decades and Frances has always been a central part of the story. She has been a tireless advocate for people with spinal cord injury, and her vision, passion, and presence will be deeply missed.
Director of The Hopkins Centre, Prof Tim Geraghty said that “it had been a pleasure and honour to work with Frances over many years in his roles with Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Health and The Hopkins Centre. For Frances, her work to improve the community for people with spinal cord injuries and other disability was so much more than just a job— it was a vocation."
While we say goodbye and thank-you to Frances, we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with SLA, bringing together those with lived experience of SCI, practicing clinicians and researchers, to drive and implement positive change.
These kind words provided by Professor Elizabeth Kendall , former Director of The Hopkins Centre, and Professor Tim Geraghty, Director of The Hopkins Centre.
Photos courtesy of Spinal Life Australia
