RCSA Board Directors

8 min read

Will Rollo (President)

Will is an eager sports administrator and former elite open water athlete with 12 years of experience at the highest level of Open Water racing. Will has worked with Swimming WA and RCSA in various capacities over the past 8 years including experience within Corporate Partnerships and Event Delivery. Will has a passion for growing the professionalism of Swimming and seeing it turn to a major professional sport as opposed to the irregular cycle it currently faces.

Will finished 2nd in the 2020 and 2021 Rottnest Channel Swim, and won the 2019 Duo and 2018 Team of 4, as a part of the fastest ever crossing at that time. In addition, Will joined the Rottnest Channel Swim event coverage this year as one of the event commentators on both the start and finish line. With close connections with World Class Swimmers locally, nationally and internationally, Will is passionate about increasing the awareness of the RCSA and creating avenues for event development commercially and the quality of race. Will was appointed as a casual Committee member in August 2022, was elected Vice-President at the 2023 AGM and was announced as President in July 2025.

Kirsty Bellombra (Immediate Past-President)

Kirsty is a Sports Chiropractor in a multimodal clinic. Kirsty has been the Membership Chair for the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) since 2023. She is a five-time soloist and assisted in the development of Champions of the Channel and the merchandise range seen on offer today!
Kirsty joined the RCSA Committee in 2016, was Vice-President in 2020, Assistant Race Director between 2020 and 2022, and is currently the President (from 2022).

Nic Blackburn (Vice President)

Blake Lornie-Duguid

Blake is an experienced event professional and sports administrator who is currently employed in the position of General Manager - Competition & Partnerships. In his previous role as Events Manager – Major Events at Optus Stadium, Blake worked with key hirers including professional sports clubs, concert promoters, and community groups to facilitate exceptional end-to-end management of a wide variety of events.

Before moving to Optus Stadium, Blake was employed at Swimming WA in the role of Competition Coordinator. Blake has maintained a strong interest in the sport of swimming, in particular the South32 Rottnest Channel Swim, acting as an onboard support crew member for athletes swimming in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Events.

With a strong understanding of the sport of swimming, a familiarity with the operation of the South32 Rottnest Channel Swim, and significant exposure to working on large-scale events, Blake wishes to bring his knowledge to the Rottnest Channel Swim Association. Blake hopes to utilise this experience to provide valuable advice and support, driving continued innovation and improvement in the South32 Rottnest Channel Swim for years to come.

Blake believes the South32 Rottnest Channel Swim is an iconic event which encapsulates all that is great about the state of Western Australia and would be honoured to serve as a Board Director.

Alice Dormer (RCS 2999)

Alice grew up in Perth and studied a combined Law and Arts degree in Sydney, before moving back to Perth to become a qualified lawyer, specialising in both employment law and health law.
Throughout school, university and now working life, Alice has sought out numerous opportunities to participate in a number of voluntary and governance roles, including Honorary Secretary of Sancta Sophia College Student Committee, committee member of the Notre Dame Law Society and member of North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club's Cold Water Classic Committee.
Outside of work, Alice is a passionate open water swimmer, squad swimmer and surf club member. Each morning you will find her either in the pool or down at her local surf lifesaving club. Alice has been an active member of North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club for over 10 years and continues to volunteer her time to the club. Alice was appointed to the RCSA Board in July 2023.

Sam Kaye

Sam graduated from Curtin University of Technology in 2009 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Human Resources Management and Management.

He started his professional career initially in recruitment with Hays Specialist Recruitment in 2010. In 2011 he gained employed with Cape Plc as the Human Resources and Recruitment Officer. In November 2011 I gained employment with Newmont Asia Pacific, at their Jundee Operations as the Human Resources Advisor. In this role I dealt with all HR related issues on site, managed camp vacillates and flights and had three direct reports. I left Jundee in April 2014 as this site was sold to Northern Star Resources.
Sam has also worked with Newmont at their Boddington Operations as a Recruitment Advisor. Sam is now Managing Director of The Pantry Group, operating businesses including Daisies Cottesloe, The Other Side and Ol' Buoy.

Damon Brown

Highly skilled in finance and governance, Damon’s career has seen him be a Financial Services Consultant and Lecturer at Edith Cowan University (ECU) as well as a member of the Edith Cowan University Council.
For Damon, the Rottnest Channel Swim has been on his radar for all his life – growing up in a household of avid Channel swimmers. Damon himself has a strong passion for open-water swimming, completing 10 crossings of the Channel as a soloist and countless OWS swims in Perth over the past 4 decades.
Damon sees this as the perfect opportunity to use his passion for the Rottnest Channel Swim, knowledge of open-water swimming and wealth of professional experience in the finance and governance realms to positively contribute to the Rottnest Channel Swim Association.

Dr Amanda Madden

Amanda is an educator at Edith Cowan University, holding a PhD in Education with specialisation in adolescent wellbeing and student voice research. Amanda brings over 20 years of experience in governance, strategic leadership, policy development, and risk management to the RCSA Board.

Amanda's connection to the Rottnest Channel Swim spans over 20 years, beginning as a team swimmer in 1997. She has experienced the event from every perspective, as a swimmer, crew support for solo swimmers and duos, boat support, spectator, and dedicated volunteer for over 12 years in roles ranging from swimmer recovery to medal presentations to Team Leader. This comprehensive journey has given her unique insight into the event's operational complexities and the diverse needs of all stakeholders.

With extensive experience working with multi-stakeholder organisations and a strong background in succession planning and volunteer development, Amanda is committed to helping RCSA maintain the highest safety standards while continuing to grow the community and provide exceptional experiences for all participants.

Amanda is deeply passionate about RCSA's core values of Safety, Transparency, Leadership, and Community. She believes the association's strength lies not just in delivering a world-class swimming event, but in building and nurturing the community that makes it possible.

Jim Piper