Committee Members
Bringing together community voices to lead with care.
Francesca - President
Francesca’s love of leather and all things shiny has fuelled over 30 years of active involvement in the leather community. During this time, she has volunteered at Leather Pride events and workshops, and has contributed to many other not-for-profit community organisations, including ACON.
As a committee member, she looks forward to organising collaborative and inclusive events that strengthen local connections and encourage active participation.
Francesca has a background in the arts, including photography, printmaking, silversmithing, and leatherwork. She is happiest when she’s active, and often enjoys knife throwing and archery.
With decades of lived experience, she brings grounded ethics, practical skills, and a deep respect for the communities she serves.
Bear - Vice President
If you know Bear, then you would already know that they genuinely care about people & genuinely care about how spaces feel. You walk in and know you are welcome. Feeling seen matters to them. They put effort into creating rooms where you can be honest, where your boundaries are respected, and where you are not pushed to perform. Whether you are new or experienced, you are met where you are.
Bear does not treat leather as a look as it is part of who they are. Kink is where they explore power, trust, and healing in a real and grounded way.
Bear carries a steady Daddy presence which is calm, direct & protective. There is warmth there, but also enough edge to keep things real. They identify as non binary trans masc and move through community with that lived experience. Inclusion is not a statement for them, as it is something they practice. Their involvement within our community backs it up:
Founding member of WAQK as an association, serving as Membership Officer on the committee
Held multiple committee roles within Dykes on Bikes, Sydney
ACON Rover, helping keep our community safe
Volunteer with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras at a number of events
Bear does not separate who they are from what they do. Their lived experience in leather and kink shapes how they show up. They believe in contributing to building community, holding space, and protecting it when needed.
Libby - Secretary
Libby grew up in a small country town, where her first exposure to kink came as a late teen watching the Mardi Gras Parade on TV. She was filled with awe and a strong desire to be part of that world.
More than two decades later, after moving to Sydney and learning a lot along the way, she has evolved into a sadistic dominant and pleasure top with a love of impact, needles, blood, sensory play, and bondage. She enjoys the creativity that kink allows and the deep connection it can build between partners.
After a few years on hiatus, Libby is excited to brush up on her skills, share knowledge, and give her time and energy back to a community she loves.
Outside of kink, she’s into baking, crafting, horror movies, and is completely obsessed with her cat and dog. Always up for a chat and a hug, say hi if you see her out and about.
Nel - Membership Officer
Nel is a proud queer leather woman who has been dabbling with kink privately for longer than she realised. It was in between covid lock downs that she started to play in the Sydney scene and hasn't looked back. She found community, passion and fun.
Joining the WAQK committee is a chance for her to give back to the incredible community who welcomed her and to make a contribution by supporting those just dipping their toe in.
Yelena - Social Media Officer
Yelena is based in Dharawal country (Wollongong).
They have spent a lot of time being inspired by the kink and fetish scene artistically, and have finally gained the confidence to get involved hands-on. They are extremely passionate about the raw, unique connection and emotions that arise during play, and are a kink chameleon who plays many different roles.
Outside of kink, Yelena is a visual artist and drag king, and enjoys the odd video game.
Nik - Founder
Nik Diesel identifies as a non-binary trans masc OFOS (old-fashioned, old-school) stone butch with over 30 years of experience in the leather and kink community. They are the founder of WAQK, which they started 15 years ago as a space for women, non-binary, and genderqueer people to connect, learn, and play with safety, consent, and authenticity at the core.
Nik spent many years as a submissive, learning from the bottom up. That foundation continues to shape their approach as a Dominant today. Their play is rooted in trust and intensity, including knife and blood play, impact, needles, edging, sensation play, and breath control.
They are honoured to mentor others, share hard-earned knowledge, and carry forward the traditions of those who came before with respect and integrity.
Mia - General Member
Mia is a butch leatherdyke, bootblack and leather craftsperson.
As Sydney Bootblack 2025, Mia served the community through running bootblack stands at events for women, queer and trans people, while donating her tips to Full Stop Australia’s Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline.
She is passionate about bootblacking as a form of connection, leather care and the preservation of gear and histories, and loves sharing knowledge to keep the tradition of bootblacking alive.
Her love of leather extends to the material, the craft, the fetish, the community and the ethos. She is particularly interested in the way boots, heels and other leather gear express gender, sexuality and identity for dykes, women, queer and trans people. She also enjoys handcrafting leather goods for herself and others, including collars, harnesses and play gear.
As a member and supporter of WAQK since its incorporation, Mia is excited to continue contributing to the community as a General Committee Member following her title year. She looks forward to helping build and support spaces for women, queers and trans people to connect, learn and play.
Sweet Thing - General Member
Sweet Thing (they/them/it) brings 14 years of involvement in the community, bringing diverse perspectives as a gender-bending, non-binary kinkster, blending the lines between human and animal, with a long history of understanding diverse relationship and identity styles, themselves being in a 24/7 D/s polyamorous dynamic.
Through their work as a registered nurse, delivering crisis community mental health care, and their PhD research focused on improving outcomes for queer and trans people, they have developed a strong appreciation for the importance of belonging, connection, and community-led support.
They are actively supporting their Mistress Roar in their Mx Leather pursuits, which has helped develop a passion for fostering welcoming and inclusive spaces, supporting newcomers, sharing knowledge, and encouraging participation within the scene. Having supported community education initiatives and workshops, including the Mounds Sensation 101, and an upcoming WAQK event on service-submission, they value opportunities to help others learn and grow.
Sweet Thing is also committed to improving accessibility, including ongoing Auslan learning and support for Deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. They hope to contribute to WAQK through service, community-building, education, and collaboration with aligned organisations, helping strengthen and grow the community for both existing and future members.