About Us

Pencil Tree started in a very small way in 2014 when it was discovered that many children were going to school without a pencil to write with.

From distributing a few pencils to building a whole school
Meet our dedicated team

Stevie Bellamy - Founder and Director
Stevie has been travelling in India and Nepal for over 25 years. He has seen the abject poverty that the illiterate and unskilled workers there endure.
But he’s also seen how a good education
can take a young girl begging on the streets to survive, to a medical degree and a career as a doctor providing care for the sick and also inspiration to others.

David Dowe - Treasurer
David and his partner are parents to two wonderful boys.
In his day job, David coaches leaders and teams to improve their business and personal performance. He passionately believes that people can make a profound difference to their social and business communities.
David and Stevie have held a shared belief in the importance of education and empowering others to grow, since they first met on a trek in Nepal in 1998.

Jane Anderson - Public Officer
Jane was a teacher in the UK with the majority of children coming from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Girls were often denied opportunities for personal growth. Moving to Australia with her twin daughters and husband, she ran a business for a number of years.
Jane took the opportunity to travel to Northern India with Pencil Tree to experience the problems and to help find solutions for the young children that needed help.

Dr Jon Stephenson - Secretary
Jon is a GP in Kingscliff NSW, and has worked as a medical missionary in Bihar (India) for months with multiple return trips over the years. He feels that education is the best preventive medicine for optimal care of the poor.

Surinder Kaushal - Head of operations India
Surinder is a long term resident of Dharamasala, running the Kailwood guesthouse in McLeod Ganj.
His local knowledge and extensive network, coupled with his interest to help children in poorer areas of Himachal Pradesh makes him invaluable to Pencil Tree's work in India.

ROSS - Editor, Pencil Tree Times
Ross is an author, illustrator and educator. As a published children’s author and university teacher, he understands the value of education in creating empowered futures for youth.
Travelling to India with Pencil Tree was one of the most rewarding trips of his life. Editing the Pencil Tree Times is the second most rewarding, while he awaits his next trip to India.

Duke Albada - Volunteer Team Cordinator
Duke is an art therapist & counsellor and has been involved with the Pencil Tree since 2016, sponsoring students, photographing Pencil Tree activities, supporting Stevie with graphic design, social media & press, and volunteering for several months at Tong-Len.
Duke was also the founder of Caba Creative, strengthening the community through creative endeavours. As such, she brings a wealth of knowledge in liaising and coordinating the volunteer collective in their myriad roles and tasks.