Salt Church Council

We have a Church Council work with our Pastor to ensure we stay focused on our mission to:


grow a healthy church

that prayerfully proclaims the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ

calling people to trust in the perfect saving work of Jesus

and to humbly obey God’s Word, 

in the strength of God’s Spirit,

to the glory of God in all things.


The members of our Church Council are:


Dave McDonald  Pastor

Barb Varcoe  Treasurer

Garry Gannell  Secretary

Paul MacBride  Member

Marty Dures Member

David Jennings Member



Dave McDonald

Dave (and his wife, Fiona) love being part of the Bonny Hills community. They have family nearby in Port Macquarie and further south in Sydney and Canberra. After nearly 30 years in Canberra, they are soaking up the warmth and beautiful beaches. More importantly, they are loving leading people at Salt, and they want more and more people to know the great news of who Jesus is and what he has done. Dave blogs at macarisms.com and he is the author of Hope Beyond Cure. Dave is also involved in mentoring and coaching pastors throughout the country.

Barb Varcoe

Barb and Chris live in Port Macquarie and have been involved in Salt since 2019. Barb runs her own bookkeeping business, working for a wide variety of businesses in the district  She loves mixing with people living diverse and interesting lives. Barb and Chris love the local lifestyle, keeping busy walking, golfing, surfing, cycling and enjoying meals with friends. Barb and Chris are involved in many ministry areas at Salt, including Barb serving as our Treasurer.

Garry Gannell

Garry and Liz have been part of the Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills community since December 2017. They have both retired from careers in teaching (almost). While they enjoy travelling and seeing outback Australia, and connecting with their scattered family from time to time, they also enjoy gathering and serving among their church family at Salt. Garry is serving Salt as our Church Secretary.

Paul MacBride

Paul and his wife Sheree live in Port Macquarie and have been “refugees”from Sydney since 2017, although Sheree originally comes from Port. Both have had corporate careers, Paul in packaging and waste management, and Sheree in law firm administration.


Both love being part of Salt, hearing God’s word well taught and enjoying the acceptance and fellowship that is a hallmark of a true Christian community.


If you don’t see them at Salt, they’re probably travelling somewhere in Australia in their caravan.

Marty Dures

Marty and Ness have lived with their family in Bonny Hills for many years and they love the community. They were part of the group with the dream to establish Salt Church to reach the community in Bonny's, Lake Cathie, and the Camden Haven. If you want to know what's going on around here, or get connected with others at Salt, they are good people to ask. 

David Jennings

David and his wife Jeanette joined us at Salt in 2021, and Davis was invited to join the Council in 2024.