Dinner confirms some of Ballarat’s greatest

THE Zonta Club of Ballarat formally inducted four people onto their Ballarat’s Great Women honour roll at a presentation dinner last week.

LOUD Fence founder Maureen Hatcher, dementia advocate Anne Tudor, Cricket Without Boundaries founder Natarsha Williams, and compassion advocate Dr Lynne Reeder were all celebrated for their contributions locally and globally.

Ballarat’s Great Women committee chair Val Sarah said the evening was a joyous one.

“The key message of the night through the honourees was compassion and connectedness to community, and that reflects the city that Ballarat is, and the network of volunteers we have here,” she said.

“All of them started off with a germ of an idea and some sort of circumstance has allowed that idea to flower.

“It always amazes me how people who live in the country can achieve so much just by sheer will and perseverance.”

Ms Hatcher said her fellow honourees, Zontians, and their families were friendly, and she enjoyed listening to the stories shared in the room.

“I came away with a real appreciation for what people do, what happens in the Ballarat community, and I learnt a lot,” she said.

“It was an eye opener in a great way, and I had a lot of people thank me for the positives of LOUD Fence, so all that feedback was really positive.

“Anne and I have a friendship, and it was wonderful to share that experience with her. She is a mentor to me, so how amazing that we randomly were nominated; neither of us knew.”

Ms Tudor said the dinner was “the most enjoyable celebration” to attend.

“I had my family and friends there, and I knew so many people, including Maureen and Lynne,” she said.

“It was great to meet Natarsha because she’s doing fantastic work, and I thought it was special being one of four, not being singled out.

Ms Sarah said she hopes the honour roll will continue to grow over many years.

“We’ve only just scratched the surface and have ideas of women who could be nominated by their peers in 2024,” she said.