Women in Community Life finalists announced

Twenty-two Geelong women have been announced as finalists in this year’s Women in Community Life Awards.

Now in their ninth year, the awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements of women in contributing to a fairer, more equitable community and advancing gender equality in the region.

The awards will be presented during a virtual ceremony on March 10 as part of the city’s International Women’s Day celebrations.

Special guest, ABC journalist Annabel Crabb, will be part of a question-and-answer session at the awards which have the theme “Changing Climates: Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

Deputy mayor Trent Sullivan congratulated the 22 nominees, saying the awards provided a welcome acknowledgement of the outstanding achievements of women in the local community.

“Our finalists are an impressive group of women who have worked tirelessly, and in many cases started new initiatives, to make our community a better place for others,” Cr Sullivan said.

“Our nominees are comprised of women from many backgrounds, including doctors, teachers, not-for-profit volunteers, and community support workers who have played pivotal roles in supporting the diverse needs of our community.”

The seven award categories are:
· First Nations Woman in Community Life – sponsored by Christine Couzens, MP
· Women in Community Life for Climate Action – Disaster and Resilience – sponsored by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West
· Women in Community Life for Disability Rights – sponsored by Barwon Health
· Women in Community Life for Education – sponsored by Soroptimist International of Geelong
· Women in Community Life for Human Rights – sponsored by Zonta Club of Geelong
· Women in Community Life for Leadership in Times of Crisis – sponsored by Committee for Geelong
· Women in Community Life for Leadership in Women’s Health – sponsored by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.

Award winners will be chosen by a panel made up of Women in Community Life Advisory Committee members, as well as award sponsors and community representatives.

To be eligible for the awards, the nominee must be a woman (cis, trans women and gender non-binary people) living or working in the Greater Geelong region.

Cr Belinda Moloney, chair of the Women in Community Life Advisory Committee, said the awards promoted the valuable and often unseen or unpaid work many women undertake to help others.

“Our nominees have challenged the status quo to positively change the lives of others in what has been a tough couple of years, and we thank them for all their hard work,” Cr Moloney said.

The Women in Community Life Awards event is free and being streamed online on Thursday, March 10 from 6pm. Register your attendance at https://iwd2022_wicl_awards.eventbrite.com.au.