Toni Appleton is a building designer, project manager and community facilitator who has lived and worked in the North Coast area of NSW for 35 years.
She has designed housing, schools and other community infrastructure. As a community facilitator she has worked closely with local and state government as well local communities including Aboriginal communities. She has directed and been involved in a number of innovative programs helping people on low incomes create their own housing. She is respected in her own community as a facilitator and is an active committee member.
Experience includes:
- Design and project management of the Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School, a K-12 campus at Ewingsdale, 1988 – 2008.
- Design of Byron Community Primary School, 1993- 1996.
- Key community facilitation and building design role in the preparation of Mulitple Occupancy development application for the Jubal Aboriginal Corporation to settle their 700hectare property near Tabulam, 1999-2008;
- Key community driver of the development of Federal Development Control Plan, Federal Village Park and continuous association with the development of the village of Federal for more then twenty-five years;
- Designer of significant single dwelling houses including: Goldstein/Kuhn house, Goonengerry; Milenko house, Federal; Blackwood house, Teven; Alfred Lodge, Cooper’s Shoot; Campbell house, Federal. 1995 – 2008.
- Active committee member of the Bangalow Parks Trust, including key role in the upgrading of the facilities on the Bangalow Showground;
Professional Theatre Set
- Toni designed and stage managed two university revues at UNSW. After leaving the course she worked as a set designer’s assistant, ABC TV, Sydney; as a set designer HK TVB Hong Kong and as an assistant set designer, BBC TV, London. She did the stage design for charity concerts at Mermaid Theatre and Hammersmith Town Hall in London.
- She was the assistant Art Director and Location Manager for a six month film shoot of a children’s TV series on Penang.
- On the North Coast she has voluntarily produced fund raising talent showcases and designed sets and lighting for school productions and the Federal Theatre Company.
- She designed the Durrumbul Hall and the restoration of the Bangalow Community Catholic Hall.
- She was seconded on to the Byron Bay Community Centre committee to advise on the design of the theatre.
In the 1970’s and 80’s she was involved in the rural land sharing movement including:
- Editing the Low Cost Country Home Building Book for the NSW state government in 1980
- Was part of core group that wrote the original document that became SEPP 15 – (originally Multiple Occupancy of Rural Land 1984) Rural Land Sharing Communities 1998.
- Building designer, CYS home building (sweat equity) employment/training program 1985.
- Building designer, community housing project for International Year of Shelter for the Homeless at Federal.
She has designed housing and community projects in Byron/Lismore/Tweed/ Kyogle shires since 1975 have completed well in excess of 100 buildings and has an intimate understanding of development controls and local planning across the North Coast.