Staff

Sara Brinkhurst

Executive Director

Born in England, Sara started her career in the advertising world of London, before becoming the owner of a multi-award winning B&B for 17 years. After graduating from the University College for the Creative Arts in Kent with a First in Silver/Gold Smithing and Jewellery Design in 2007, Sara emigrated to Canada in 2008, where she has continued working in precious metals, alongside catering, and more recently miniatures. For over 30 years she has contributed to arts organization boards, including Rye Art Gallery (UK), the Grace/Ice House Gallery (Nova Scotia) and, more recently, Sunbury Shores.  She has also been involved with the developing and running of two small artists co-operatives and is a juried Member of the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council and Craft New Brunswick. As a previous Board member and Executive Director of Sunbury Shores, she is committed to assisting the continued evolution of the Centre to enhance engagement of our local and regional communities through ongoing creative, inclusive and imaginative community participation.

Caroline Young Walker

Artistic Director

Caroline settled full-time in Bayside in 2018 with her husband after working for 15 years at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery as Director of Programming, followed by 20 years with the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, as manager of the provincial art collection, the NB Art Bank. Before joining Sunbury Shores, she worked briefly as a gardener at Kingsbrae Gardens and during Covid as a greenhouse planter with Canada Green in St. George. These failed attempts at improving her gardening skills nevertheless resulted in her becoming a Butterflyways Ranger with the David Suzuki Foundation in 2021.She was a member of the Board of the Charlotte County Archives until recently, and is a Board member of ArtsLinkNB.

Florence Small

Outreach Coordinator

Florence is a graduate of Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Painting with a minor in Art History. She has spent much of her life in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, both before and after graduation. Florence began working at Sunbury Shores in 2018, first as a student placement and later as a full-time employee. Her role is the most front-facing position in the organization, where, as Outreach Coordinator, she handles day-to-day administration and communications, organizes events, helps install exhibits, and deals with the media and the public. She lives in St. Stephen and creates art in her spare time. She enjoys buying and collecting art such as paintings, prints and pottery. 

Mary Wobma

Bookkeeper

Mary moved to St. Andrews with her husband Keith and children, Troy and Shauna, in 1981. In 1984 she was hired as manager of Boutique La Baleine where she worked for the next seven years. In 1992 she joined the Atlantic Salmon Federation and enjoyed 28 years of employment as the Administrative Assistant until she retired in 2020. She joined Sunbury Shores as a part-time bookkeeper in May of 2021. Mary strongly believes in making an active difference in her community. She has been a volleyball coach and Sunday school teacher, She has also been a member of the church choir since 1984, and has served as bookkeeper for her church for 26 years. She was a member of St. Andrew’s Town Council and served as Deputy Mayor for three years. Mary served two terms on the Fundy Community Foundation Board and is currently an Ambassador to the Foundation. She is currently Chair of the St. Andrews Community Tennis Association. Mary loves to garden, paint, play tennis, and gather with friends and family to play music.

Dawson Hatt

Media Lab Technician

Dawson is a recent graduate of the University of New Brunswick, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He majored in Media Arts and Cultures with a concentration in Film Production and also obtained his Certificate in Film Production during his time at university. Dawson grew up living between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan and discovered his passion for media-making in high school where he and his friends created YouTube videos recreating movie trailers. Throughout his career he has worked on many film sets, and even had his own production be spotlighted in Silver Wave Film Festival 2023. Dawson often visits movie theaters any chance he gets, embracing his love for film.