Meet the Team

Erica Louise - Regional Manager

Although born and raised in Hertfordshire, UK, Erica migrated to Australia in April 2005, and now calls Melbourne home. After studying Business & Finance, and Interior Design, Erica started her career in Retail Administration, and Office Management. After a career break backpacking through South East Asia in 2002, she returned to England and worked for the Environment Agency before joining GVI UK as the Volunteer Manager.

Erica's travels have taken her around the globe, starting with a year backpacking her way around Australia in an old red Datsun 180B in 1997. Some of her most memorable travelling experiences would have to be: Spending a 12-hour sleepless night on a bench next to the toilets, on a sleeper train from Delhi to Kathgodam, India, having baboons jump on her head in South Africa, counting sea cucumbers on a volunteer diving project in the Red Sea, Egypt, and sharing songs with the Tasiriki community children on Moso Island, Vanuatu. Although hard to pinpoint her favourite destination, Cambodia has to up there on her ‘must visit again' list.

Erica's passion for travel and conservation gave her reason to become GVI's Australasian representative, promoting GVI's unique travel experiences to Southern Hemisphere.

Josephine Bradley Scott - Marketing / Administration Assistant

Josephine was 15 when she began planning her trip to India. Having completed a degree in Illustration (Bachelor of Visual Communication), Joe undertook the GVI program teaching English to tribal communities in Rajasthan. Choosing to miss her graduation ceremony back in Australia, Joe overstayed her placement to travel with three valued friends from the program. Some of Joe’s travelling memories include being ambushed by seven year olds covering her with pink powder for the Holi festival of colour and chasing a cow that was eating her teaching aids.

Joe moved from her home town in rural South Australia to attend university where she was able to mix a love for art and illustration with social studies electives in psychology and lifespan diversity. Since returning to Australia Joe has moved to Melbourne to join the GVI team as her passion for the organisation, ethical travel, human rights and art continue to drive her. She now works as marketing and Administration assistant for GVI Australasia and her volunteering experiences continue to provide inspiration for her artwork.

Richard Walton - Director and Founder of Global Vision International

Having lived and worked overseas for many years as a volunteer and expedition leader, Richard has been largely responsible for the development of Global Vision International from its early days on an island off the coast of Honduras. Richard has led and taken part in expeditions to Patagonia, the Amazon, Honduras and Malawi and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He continues to be involved in all aspects of the day to day running of GVI and travels extensively throughout the year to GVI field stations.

Luke Purcell - Office Intern

Luke completed his studies of a Bachelor of Business Tourism Management in Australia in 2007. He has always had a love of animals and the natural world with a passion for conservation so GVI caught his eye and after his studies he took part in the South Africa Wildlife Expedition and absolutely loved it. Luke has joined the Melbourne office on a 6 month internship and when not in the office can be found playing sport, snowboarding or strumming on his guitar.