Meet The Team
M&A Support Services is an independent provider of Support Coordination & Recovery Coaching, meaning our sole purpose is supporting you to live the life you choose. We help you build your confidence to guide your own supports, so you are in control of your destiny.
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Our team of experienced Support Coordinators & Recovery Coaches can walk you through not only understanding your plan but helping you to manage what supports your budget can purchase.
Annalisa
Hi, I’m Annalisa the Director Client Experiences here at M&A Support Services.
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I am married with two adult children and two gorgeous fur babies, Camden a 9 year old German Shepard and Fletcher, a 4 year old Cavoodle who love to keep me busy.
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My parents migrated to Australia from Italy when they were 13 (Mum) and 27 (Dad) in the hope of finding a better life and I was brought up with strong Italian values such as having a family-first outlook on life, a hard work ethic and of course cooking which I still love to do today. In my spare time I also love to do yoga and spend lots of time with my family – I think holidays are pretty great too! My favourite cuisine is Japanese and my favourite holiday to date has been India. Something that not many people know about me is that I had the opportunity to meet President Clinton, an experience that I will remember forever!
My career began working within the Automotive industry which I found wasn’t for me so I soon moved on to Banking and Finance, but I found it hard to lend out money that I knew would be too difficult for people to repay. I then spent time working within the Hospitality industry which I loved however I found that I was missing out on spending quality time with my family after my children were born. I happened to fall into the Not-for-Profit sector, working within aged care and disability services and it was here that I truly found my passion so naturally once the NDIS arrived in Melbourne’s West, the rest was history!
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My motto in life is to live and love like today is your last day and I’m passionate about advocating for those less fortunate than myself. I believe that all people who want to work should be able to work including those with disability and this is something that I would love to leave as a legacy. No matter how much or little a person has, we are all able, we all have dreams and we all deserve the right to contribute to the community. Disability is not a barrier, ignorance is.
Annalisa
Shane
Hi my name is Shane and I am a Team Leader/Support Coordinator here at M&A Support Services
I am married with 2 children, and we have 2 dogs, Harlo and Luna who are my 4 legged children
My background is Australian/ Italian and I am the eldest of 7. In my spare time, when I’m not in the kitchen cooking, or outdoors, enjoying the sounds of nature, I love all different sports and yes, I am a Hawthorn tragic, plus I like to spend my time in front of a canvas, where I am a self taught portrait painter, having painted for the Archibald Prize on multiple occasions. Painting is a passion of mine. I enjoy nothing more than to head to an art gallery or exhibition any chance I get. I have had big dreams of travelling and on my honeymoon , I had the opportunity to fulfil a dream of mine and spend 10 days in Japan, experiencing the sights and culture, the peace and humanity.
Growing up living with a disability taught me that hard work, understanding and compassion is important and representing your beliefs is always worthwhile, no matter the reason.
My professional background has been in disability and as of recent, I spent 4 years as a Senior Planner with the NDIS, where I developed an increased understanding of disability rights and how we can support each other to live amazing lives. Prior to this, I was working closely with People with a Disability as an Employment consultant and as a Life Coach, where I achieved many wonderful things and seeing others grow and thrive, is what motivates me. I truly believe that understanding, passion and support are important when working with others, respect and hard work underpin everything that I achieve in life, and that’s what I bring to M&A support services.
Shane
Skye
Hi My name is Skye and I’m a Operations Manager at M & A Support Services.
I’m married with 2 young kids, 11 and 9 who are extremely active and very noisy.
I love to cook, I especially enjoy planning and creating my kid’s birthday cakes. I feel it’s a prerequisite to love Japanese food to be a member of this team fortunately I do and make some mean gyoza according to my son. Travel is always on the agenda with some of my favourite places visited being, Japan, Cuba and Disneyland.
I began my career as a Volunteer, working in a recreation department supporting individuals with an Intellectual Disability. From there I commenced my paid employment in the Disability Sector as a support worker in residential services. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work in London as a support worker for 12 months I again had the opportunity several years later to visit an organization in Canada for a month. Over the years I have managed various services ranging from residential services, a Planning Team, Case Managers, Support Coordinators and a Day Service. More recently I had the opportunity to lead the inception of NDIS services for an organisation and support its growth and management.
I’m passionate about working in the Disability Sector and have been around for many changes. Most importantly I like to see the growth in people around me and find it’s the little things to you that might mean the world to someone else.
Skye
Trisha
My name is Trisha, and I am a Team Leader & Support Coordinator at M&A Support Services.
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I live in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne and have done so all my life. I love the multiculturalism here. I live with my 23-year-old son and our lazy cat, Murphy, who sometimes likes to lie across my notebook or keyboard when I’m working!
In my leisure time, I am interested in watching shows about the paranormal – the real ghost investigation stuff, not the fictional shows. I enjoy cleaning and interior decorating. I don’t like cooking, sports or politics. My favourite food is Malaysian. My preferred season is Winter and, at times, I enjoy spending time alone playing word and puzzle games on my iPad. Most of all, I love catching up with family and friends.
I travelled to Ireland for the first time in late 2022. This is where my parents and extended family are from, and I visited their hometown of Portglenone in Country Antrim. I plan on going back there one day. It was so beautiful and green. Imagine having an ancient castle ruin in your main street! We just don’t have that here.
My career history comprises of some Corrections / Justice work during and after University. A friend of mine was working in the disability sector and I thought I would give it a go. That was over 37 years ago. I have worked as a Support Worker / Direct Care Worker, Outreach Worker teaching skills to people with disabilities, Case Manager, Advanced Case Manager, Family Outreach Worker, House Supervisor, Team Leader and Support Coordinator. I have worked for both Government and Non-Government organisations.
I have seen so many changes and so much growth on my journey, from working for participants to working with them; from the closure of Kew Cottages and Janefield to where we are now with a myriad of accommodation options; from paper files to online files (am I showing my age yet??). Being in the field so long means I am passionate about what I do. I love meeting new people and am humbled hearing their stories. I do not think this field is suited to anyone who does not have the time to listen to the stories of others and ensure, through the work Support Coordinators do, that they are truly heard, respected and supported. I also work with a really vibrant and enthusiastic team and enjoy immersing myself in this role each day.
Trisha
Branka
Hi my name is Branka Coshan and I am 52 years old. I work for M&A Support Services as a Disability Support Coordinator.
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I am married with two daughters who are 21 and 11 years old. I love them dearly and enjoy being their wild mum! I also have a dog named “Dwayne” yes after the “Rock Dwayne Johnson” who is 6 years old. He is 50kilos and loves to sit on my lap for cuddles.
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I enjoy driving, shopping, cleaning, watching movies and visiting my family and friends. I enjoy eating, I enjoy watching cooking shows however I cannot cook, I’m lucky to have a husband and daughter that can cook! LOL
I started my career back when I was 14 years old, I worked at Safeway as a Checkout chick and eventually became the Store Manager at the ripe age of 20. Whilst working at Safeway I completed a Secretarial course and found a job with Insurance Brokers. I worked their for 20 years doing a variety of roles such as receptionist, administration, PA and finally finished up their as a Site Manager. I eventually left and found a job working for a Non for-Profit Public Housing provider as a Real Estate Assistant.
At the youthful age of 40 I gave birth to my daughter and left the Real Estate field to stay home with my newborn. Eventually it was time to go back out into the work force, so I found a job working for a Disability Employment Service as the PA to the CEO. I thoroughly enjoyed this role however an opportunity was presented to me to join the Disability Team as a Support Coordinator.
I soon realised that being a Support Coordinator was my passion!
I have been a Support Coordinator for the past 5 years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to change people’s lives
Branka
Mia
Hi, I’m Mia & I’m the Administrative Assistant here at M&A Support Services!
​I have one angel fur baby named Zara & she is just the best! She is very much the cheeky one of the family!
I am currently studying to be a school teacher & when I’m not working for M&A Support Services, I am a Learning Support Officer at a local primary school. I love watching the students grow into the best version of themselves.
I have however, worked many years in admin & am very excited to be apart of the M&A team!
I was born here in Australia, however all 4 grandparents were born over in Italy!
A big perk of this is that I have been very lucky growing up & learnt to appreciate & love the art of food & cooking!
Italian has to be my absolute favourite cuisine. I definitely could eat pasta all day, every day! I love cooking Italian food for my friends & family.
Mia
Em
Hi, I’m Em and I’m a support Coordinator here at M&A Support Services!
I don’t have kids, but I do have Felix, a black and white cat. He’s my pride and joy.
I’m currently studying forensic science and criminology, along with a few short courses that are disability specific.
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I first completed a certificate lll in individual support and worked at an aged care facility in the dementia and palliative care sections. I loved this and expanded my work into 1:1 disability support, with this I furthered my education with certificate IV in disability.
I loved Support work and spending time with participants! This gave me the opportunity to take on a role of support coordinator and I’ve been able to learn so much more about how NDIS works and how to best support people in getting the most out of their plans and achieving their goals.
I love learning about the people I work with and supporting them in upholding their choice, control and maintaining independence in their lives.
I didn’t see myself working in this role, but now I can’t see myself doing anything else!
![IMG_9269[28].jpeg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/850a4f_d7e948642bf340b7a1be9c490a83440b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_297,h_396,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_9269%5B28%5D.jpeg)
Em
Peta
Hi, I’m Peta and I work for M&A Support Services as a Support Coordinator.
I love spending time with family and friends, cooking (various cuisines), being outdoors, the beach and simply making memories. I have a 4-year-old Cavoodle named Ruben who everyone says they want to be in their next lives – yes, he’s spoilt and I’m ok with that!
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I have 10+ years’ experience in the family and community services sector/s, undertaking various roles, all of those I feel have led me back into the disability space. I am passionate about supporting others to achieve their goals, love to share my knowledge with others and empower individuals, and their families, to reach the best outcomes based on their unique circumstances. I am creative in the ways I work and pride myself on being an extremely strong advocate and resourceful individual. I look forward to getting to know you all, supporting your journey’s, hearing your stories and learning new things from yourself and those around you.
Peta
Porsche
Hi, my name is Porsche and I am a Support Coordinator at M&A Support Services.
My partner and I returned to Melbourne in February after living on the Central Coast in NSW, bringing with us our 1-year-old toy poodle who we named PJ.
Although we have 4 adult children and 5 grandsons, we’re not quite empty nesters as our daughter decided to move in with our 2 grandsons, so as you can imagine, our home is never quiet.
Over the past 9 years I have worked in the disability sector in various roles such as a Disability Employment Consultant, Independent Support Worker, Empowering Youth mentor and my previous role was working with the Darkinjung Community on the Central Coast as a Support Coordinator.
I have been a Zumba instructor for 9 years and I love to see my classes achieve new routines, socialise with others, smile, laugh and most importantly improve their overall health and wellbeing.
I believe that every life comes with a story, and I hope that one day, I am privileged to hear yours.
Porsche
