Directors
Adrian Oosthuizen
Director & President
Adrian Oosthuizen
Director & President
Adrian is Knowledge Management Professional with extensive knowledge of digital content, documentation, process analysis and other demonstrable skills across financial services and media. Adrian has been able to deliver effective banking solutions by collaborating effectively with subject matter experts and key stakeholders to optimise processes and deliver consistent procedures across a variety of banking businesses and services.
He has worked for the some of the largest banking institutions such as the Commonwealth Bank, NAB and HSBC as a Business Process Consultant & Technical Writer. From 1988 to 2013 Adrian worked as Journalist, Newspaper Editor and Digital Production Journalist for Fairfax Media, South China Morning Post, Voice of America amongst other Media Houses. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism & Media Studies and MA in International Relations.
Vimbayi Mupazviripo
Secretary
Vimbayi Mupazviripo
Secretary
Vimbayi Gladys Mupazviripo says it is an honour to serve as the Secretary of
Grassroots Cricket. She was born in Marondera, Zimbabwe married, and blessed
with two boys aged 15 and 2.
Vimbayi’s life story is a testimony of resilience, faith, and the power of community.
After her father passed away in 1994, her childhood became unstable. She moved
between relatives, missed school terms, and endured many challenges. Yet, through
it all, Vimbayi never lost her desire to learn and to build a better future.
Being the fifth child in a family of seven, she considers herself incredibly fortunate to
have advanced further in education than anyone expected. Her schooling journey
took her from Mupazviriho and Hanke Primary Schools to Juchuta and Dhirihori
Secondary Schools, and eventually to Matinunura High School for her Advanced
Levels, where she earned 16 points. Her education was made possible by the
kindness of others — from relatives and well-wishers to organisations like the
Midlands Aids Support Organisation and the Joshua Nkomo Scholarship Fund.
She went on to complete a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Degree, a Master’s in
Women’s Law, and a Master of Social Work — all made possible through
scholarships and community support. She says she is “truly a product of collective
effort and compassion”.
Professionally, Vimbayi has worked as a Legal Officer for a trade union, Family
Lawyer, and now as a Child Safety Officer in Townsville, Australia. Her work has
always been driven by a passion for protecting children and empowering women.
One of the highlights of her career was working with Envision Zimbabwe Women’s
Trust, where she facilitated community discussions in rural Hurungwe to promote
women’s rights and end child marriages. Seeing change take root at the community
level remains one of her proudest achievements.
Joining Grassroots Cricket feels like coming full circle. The organisation’s mission —
using sport to inspire, unite, and empower — deeply aligns with her personal values.
Her eldest son is an avid cricket fan, and together mother and son have been
inspired by the impact Grassroots Cricket is making.
I believe every child deserves an opportunity to thrive, and it truly takes a village to
raise a child. I’m excited to contribute to this incredible cause and to help ensure
that, through sport, more children discover their potential and purpose.
Paul “Blocker” Wilson
Director
Paul “Blocker” Wilson
Director
Paul “Blocker” Wilson played Test and ODI cricket for Australia along with Domestic cricket
for both South Australia and Western Australia.
He was Head Coach of the WACA’s Women’s HP program along with player/coach roles in
WA & the UK. Wilson then spent 18 years with Cricket Australia as a contracted Umpire
which included 11 years on the ICC International Panel of Umpires. He umpired Test, ODI &
T20I Cricket including 6 ICC Cricket World Cups. Wilson became cricket’s first freelance
umpire in early 2024 and currently works for franchise tournaments such as the ILT20 (UAE)
& MLC (USA).
Wilson is only the 6 th Australian in history to have played & umpired international cricket.
He is the the only person in Australia to hold both the Level 3 HP Coach & Level 3 HP Umpire
accreditations. He also holds a Cert IV in Elite Athlete Wellbeing Management.
Paul became involved with Grassroots Cricket in 2022 when he helped run the very first GC
coaching tour to Zimbabwe. He has been part of every Australian Grassroots Cricket
Coaching tour since. Along the way John Buchanan, Peter Buchanan and Trevor Chappell
have joined him in spreading the Grassroots Cricket message.
Peter Crewe- Brown
Director
Peter Crewe- Brown
Director
Peter Crewe-Brown was born in Johannesburg and went to boarding school at
Queens College for nine years. He then studied at Wits University for six years,
becoming a Chartered Accountant. He emigrated to Australia in 1986. He
commenced his career at PWC for 8 years. He has worked as CFO for numerous
companies including AT&T, Toyota and Paralympics Australia. In recent times he has
worked as an independent consultant, specialising in strategy, finance and business
coaching. Peter is now involved mainly in providing pro bono services to NFPs.
Peter has two married children and lives in Fairlight, near Manly Beach. He enjoys
ocean swimming and long walks on most days. He has a passion for travel and has
visited 40 countries. He has been a cricket lover for most of his life.
Takavada Mapfumo
Director
Takavada Mapfumo
Director
Dr Takavada (Taka) Mapfumo moved from Zimbabwe to Australia in 2007 and works as a General Practitioner based in North Brisbane. Dr Mapfumo worked in different comunities including regional remote areas, Aboriginal and Torres Islander. He has a passion for disadvantaged communities and thrives on making a difference in people's lives where he can. He is a strong believer of using the power of sport holistically to transform the biological, psychological,social and physical aspects of disadvantaged children in Zimbabwe. Dr Mapfumo was born in Buhera District , Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe and did his Primary education at Makumbe CPS.Being a rural remote area with no public transport he would walk 8kilomteres to and from school and still have some energy to work in their cornfields. His family considered themselves lucky as they could afford most basics, and this taught him at an earlier tender age the impact of “having or not having” on someone’s life. His family had enough savings to send him to a boarding school (St Francis of Assisi, Chivhu) where he gained enough grades to earn himself university entrance for medical degree. “Sadly some of my good mates from primary school – some of them late – did not have those opportunities and their dreams were shattered,” says Dr Mapfumo. Dr Mapfumo believes that he is where he is today because of opportunities that were presented to him, support from family and the community. “If only more people can the afforded those make-or-break opportunities, the world will be a better place,” he says He sees Grassroots Cricket, as a reputable charity that help make this kind of difference in the lives of young people. He feels at home working with people in need, underprivileged, minority or disadvantaged in any way. “Often this support begins something like lending a listening ear, empathy or a shoulder to lean on,” he says. He is confident that it will be satisfying to work with Grassroot Cricket, and continue to support the great work the organisation is already doing. He hopes to expand the horizons and is excited to be personally involved in Grassroots Cricket projects. Dr Mapfumo lives with his wife and four children in Brisbane where he enjoys the Australian way of life and also maintains strong links with Zimbabwe.He enjoys the team-work involved in Cricket ,incooperation of individual skills and how it connects people. His involvement in his children's sporting activities has boosted his belief of the power of sport to shape young lives. Tawanda Karasa Adrian Oosthuizen Jimmy Adams Paul Wilson Kush Sira Charles Ncube Lachlan Furnell
Takavada Mapfumo
Director
David Talalla
Director
David Talalla
Director
David Talalla is a former Cricket Australia elite level Match Referee and current Cricket
Australia Level 3 High Performance coach. He played cricket at List “A” level for Malaysia
and represented that country at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Currently David coaches and promotes women’s cricket at grassroots level and organises
cricket tours to countries where there is a strong focus on developing children from an
underprivileged background.
As an experienced sports administrator, David currently is part of the Marylebone CC cricket
committee, having previously been a member of the Melbourne CC cricket committee. He is
also the Head of Integrity, Governance & Risk at Baseball Australia.
It is hardwired in David’s DNA to coach and develop young people through cricket and
mindset.
Adair O'Brien
Director
Adair O'Brien
Director
Adair O'Brien was the Government Relations Lead at Cartias Australia, the
international development arm of the Catholic Church, and a Policy and Advocacy
Adviser at the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).
Experienced in advocacy and government relations, he also works pro bono for the
Sudanese Australian Advocacy Network (SAAN).
He has experience on the governing bodies of the Executive of the United Services
Union (USU) and the Refugee Action Campaign Canberra.
He hopes his service on the board of Grassroots Cricket Australia will help expand
the organisation's footprint and connections inside the Australian community and
government to assist the organisation in providing more children in Zimbabwe and
the Southern Africa region with access to community sport.
He has a Master of Diplomacy from the Australian National University.
Dereck Dreyer
Director
Dereck Dreyer
Director
Retired Accountant
South African born
Spent time in Zimbabwe
Glen Lee
Director
Glen Lee
Director
Glen Lee was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He feft Zim after school to travel and
work abroad before returning to Harare to start a family and continue with business
and investment interests.
A keen rugby and cricket participant at various levels from school to club to state and
junior rep - in both Zimbabwe and Australia - Glen continues to remain involved in
cricket and junior sport development.
Now living in Australia, Glen has been involved in junior level coaching for the last 4
years - successfully coaching two junior teams concurrently and further developing
his coaching skills through the WACA structures.
Captain of the Plumtree School 1st XI, and playing member of Bulawayo Athletic
Club (BAC), including representing Matabeleland Country Districts, and guest
appearances for Harare based side “The Goats” - he has been known to drop a
catch, bowl a wide, be dismissed for LBW and generally motivate both on field team
mates and opposition players alike.
For the love of the game and his passion for societal development in Zimbabwe - he
joins the board with a blend of sporting and commercial expertise across Zimbabwe
and Australia.
Tawanda Karasa
Founder
Tawanda Karasa
Founder
Tawanda is an experienced Community Program Practitioner with a demonstrated history of working in the sports industry. His passion is around Corporate Social Responsibility, Youth Development, Program and Project Management. Tawanda has worked for leading organisations such as the Brisbane Lions, The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance and Together Queensland. He is the founder of Grassroots Cricket, Founder of the Zimbabwe Homeless World Cup Project as well as being the Co-Founder of Young Achievement Sports for Development (YASD). He is very passionate about youth and social justice.