SARAH Henderson is a self-confessed fearsome warrior for the people she represents.<\/p>\n
As the sitting Member for Corangamite she has just over 110,000 voters in a diverse electorate covering almost 5,500 square kilometres.<\/p>\n
Ms Henderson said she has always stood up for people as a journalist and a lawyer and now as politician.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have always pursued justice, that really underpins so much of my work as a Member of Parliament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Elected in 2013, after a career in journalism and law, Ms Henderson was re-elected in 2016.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s the eldest of three children, growing up in Geelong and graduating from Geelong College.<\/p>\n
Her dad was a home town solicitor as well as an elected Councillor and Mayor while her mum was the Member for Geelong in the Victorian government from 1992-1999.<\/p>\n
Community involvement was a way of life for her family with her mother running Legacy and her father working with organisations such Apex.<\/p>\n
Ms Henderson said she thinks a lot of that has rubbed off on her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up understanding that service to the community is something you do with a great deal of honour and it is also very humbling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFundamentally I have been driven by a great sense of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she represents her constituents in many different ways.<\/p>\n
As an advocate she works for individuals, families, businesses, farmers and the community in general.<\/p>\n
The approach she takes is that every community and person matter, whether it is delivering major projects such as road and rail upgrades or looking after families who have hit a crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do this with a great deal of pride and also with my heart and my soul,\u201d Ms Henderson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spend a lot of time travelling to the corners of the electorate, standing up and fighting for the people I represent.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a pugilist for the people she is familiar with hard work and long hours.<\/p>\n
She grew up with a strong work ethic, setting the bar high in all her endeavours. She started work at 17 years of age as a cadet journalist for Chanel 7 news in Melbourne.<\/p>\n