Ken and Shirley Martin - TLM Heroes

Ken started with The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA) as Queensland Secretary in 1978. In 1980. he was appointed National Director of TLMA based in central Melbourne. He held that role for 10 years.

In 1990 he was appointed the director of the Support and Development Department of The Leprosy Mission International (TLMI) based at the Brentford office in London until 1996.

Ken travelled extensively, coordinating the work of twenty-four national support councils located in Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

On the untimely death of Bill Edgar in July 1992, the General Director of TLMI, Ken was appointed Interim International Director for a short time. Ken shared the role along with Mollie Clark, (Personnel Director) and Philip Putman (Finance Director) until Trevor Durston was appointed in mid-1993.

For two years he was the President of ILEP, the umbrella organisation for leprosy NGOs.

In April 1996 Ken left TLMI to take up the position of National Director of Interserve Australia based in Melbourne, Australia (in the same office as TLMA).

Ken was elected to the Board of TLMI and eight years later, in 2008, he was elected Vice Chairman of TLMI. He became Chairman in 2013, concluding that role in 2017. In 2018, Ken was awarded Lifetime Membership of The Leprosy Mission Australia.

Ken has had a long, worthy, and respected role in The Leprosy Mission, and we wish to acknowledge him. Thank you, Ken, for all that you have done and are still doing.

Ken and Shirley still support The Mission and regularly attend conferences and events.

The impact that Shirley and Ken have had as a team is exceptional, however those who know Shirley are aware that her role is not just that of a support person. She has been and is a passionate and active worker for The Leprosy Mission in her own right and continues in that role.

Shirley was also awarded Lifetime Membership of TLMA in 2018.