Vale Dr Sue Charlton AM
It is with deep sadness that the Stand Like Stone Foundation acknowledges the passing of Dr Susan Lyndsay Charlton AM. Sue was a remarkable community leader, generous philanthropist and much-loved Patron and inaugural Chair of the Stand Like Stone Foundation.
Our heartfelt condolences are with Peter, Kate, Matthew and Lucy and their extended family at this time of profound loss.
Sue’s contribution to Stand Like Stone, and to the broader community foundation movement in Australia, was extraordinary. As the inaugural Chair, Sue led Stand Like Stone through its formative first decade, retiring in December 2014. Her leadership was thoughtful, principled and deeply grounded in her belief that local people are best placed to create local solutions.
Under Sue’s guidance, Stand Like Stone reached significant milestones: surpassing $1 million held in trust for the Limestone Coast community and distributing more than $600,000 to support local causes. These achievements were not simply financial; they reflected Sue’s quiet determination to build something enduring - a foundation that would belong to the community and serve it for generations to come.
Sue’s vision extended well beyond the Limestone Coast. She was a founding member, Director and Chair of Australian Community Philanthropy, now Community Foundations Australia, helping to establish and strengthen the national network of community foundations. Through this work, Sue’s influence has been felt in communities across Australia, many of which continue to benefit from the structures and values she helped put in place.
A further testament to Sue’s extraordinary and lifelong contribution to the community foundation movement was her receipt of the Community Foundations Australia Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. This honour recognises individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to growing community foundations in Australia. In a fitting tribute to her legacy, the award was later renamed the “Sue Charlton Lifetime Achievement Award” and has since been presented to leaders such as Dr Catherine Brown OAM (2022) and Diane Bray AM (2024).
In recognition of her lifelong service, Sue was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2014 for her significant contribution to the South Australian community through philanthropic and charitable organisations, and for her service to physiotherapy. This honour reflected not only the breadth of her work, but the depth of her commitment to others.
Alongside her philanthropic leadership, Sue enjoyed a distinguished career as a paediatric physiotherapist, working with children and families in the Limestone Coast for more than 45 years. She was an educator, mentor and advocate for rural health, serving as an adjunct lecturer with the University of South Australia and Flinders University, and contributing at both state and national levels to the profession. Sue’s commitment to learning never waned; in 2019 she completed her PhD, focused on improving early identification of neonatal hip instability for infants born in regional South Australia.
Sue also gave generously of her time to countless community organisations, arts and cultural institutions and health and education groups - always with humility, warmth and an unwavering belief in the power of community.
In February 2015, Sue’s commitment and leadership were formally recognised when she was appointed Patron of the Stand Like Stone Foundation, a role she carried with grace and pride. As Patron, Sue continued to offer wise counsel, encouragement and quiet support.
Sue’s legacy lives on in the community foundation that she helped to build, in the communities she strengthened, in the profession she advanced, and in the many lives she touched through her kindness, intellect and compassion.
The recent establishment of a sub-fund with Stand Like Stone in Sue’s memory, supporting initiatives that promote healthy hip development in babies born in or connected to the Limestone Coast, is a fitting reflection of a life dedicated to giving back.
Sue’s guidance, wisdom and gentle leadership will be deeply missed. We are profoundly grateful for her life, her service and her enduring legacy.
Vale Dr Sue Charlton AM.
(Note: Donations to the Dr Sue Charlton AM Memorial Sub-Fund can be made by clicking on the donate button below.)
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We acknowledge the Aboriginal people as the First Nations of these lands and waters of the Limestone Coast. We acknowledge the Elders, past, present and future, and we respect the ongoing deep feelings of attachment and relationships of First Nations people to country.
Artwork by Aunty Michelle Jacquelin-Furr depicting the waterholes, landforms and stones of the Limestone Coast.
