LYNELLE BEVERIDGE
Founder & Director of ICASN (1998 - 2010)

I was adopted from Vietnam in December 1973 when I was 6 months old into an Australian family and given a birth date.  I don't know where exactly I was born, when, or to whom, but I claim Saigon as my place of birth.  My Vietnamese name is Vong Ung Thanh.

My adoptive parents have 4 other children born naturally and we grew up in the rural areas of Victoria on dairy farms.

I now live in Sydney and call it my home.  I'm married to a wonderful Australian-born Chinese man and we live with our son and dog in the North-West of Sydney.  I studied at Sydney University and completed a Science degree majoring in Psychology.  I've also completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Business at Maquarie Graduate School of Management.

I've worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and  IBM - with the most memorable job being a Workforce Planning Manager on the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

My hobbies include photography, music (both listening and playing), travel, and reading (autobiographies, modern literature, classical fiction).

I've been running this network for Inter-country Adoptees (ICAs) within Australia since 1998.  It has been exciting to watch this group expand and to be actively involved in assisting ICAs where I can.  I enjoy providing support and encouraging adoptees to become proactive in education the wider community.

My wish has always been that no ICA would feel isolated like so many of us have been in the past; and to ensure that we find our voices and actively participate in the inter-country adoption discussions within society to ensure iinter-country adoption becomes a more positive experience for future adoptees.