City celebrates women’s rich HerStory

The City is
celebrating the strengths and achievements of local women through a digital
project that aims to inspire the next generation of women and leaders of the
community.

The project,
HerStory, was proposed and championed by the City of Greater Geelong.

It raises
awareness about the need to make gender equity and equality of women an
integral element of our society.

HerStory tells
the untold stories of inspirational women, who have shown courage, strength and
determination to overcome adversity and realise their goals.

It also charts
past systems in education, sport, history and culture that prevented women from
fulfilling their full potential.

The project was
produced by a team undertaking the Committee for Geelong’s Leaders for Geelong
program.

HerStory was
among the program’s projects to be officially presented at a Leaders for
Geelong event at The Pier on Wednesday.

The project
team collated the stories on video and they have been made available through
the City’s Trails application.

There is a
total of 11 HerStory stories available on the app, which can be downloaded on
Google Play or the iPhone Application Store.

HerStory
supports the City’s Ba-gurrk: A Gender Equity Framework, which was launched in
March 2019.

The framework
aims to eliminate barriers faced by women, increase female leadership and
participation opportunities and improve women’s economic status.

HerStory
features:

Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Corrina
Eccles:

Passionate
about teaching and empowering young women, Corrina has devoted her life to
community, raising two sons and fostering more than 37 children.

She also
manages the Deadly Dancers youth troupe and leads cultural walks along the
Great Ocean Road coastline.

Respect Victoria CEO Tracey Gaudry:

A dual Olympic
cyclist, in 2012 Tracey became the first woman to join the management committee
of the Union Cycliste Internationale – the sport’s world governing body.

The Deakin
University graduate is now the CEO of Respect Victoria, which is Australia’s
first organisation dedicated to the prevention of all forms of violence against
women.

Geelong Cats footballer Nina Morrison:

The number one
pick in the 2018 AFLW draft, Nina was named best on ground in her first match,
before seriously injuring her knee in training ahead of Round 2.

She sees
setbacks as an opportunity for growth and is working hard to return to the
field in 2020.

Women’s rights advocate Nancy Donkers:

Nancy’s drive
for social justice and equality has seen her play a pivotal role in the success
and growth of Reclaim the Night in Geelong.

She is also a
founding member of Women’s Place of Peace located at the Barwon River, which is
dedicated to women who have been impacted by violence.

Cr Sarah Mansfield, Chair, An Inclusive
and Diverse Community:

The City is
very committed to raising the voices and profiles of our women across all areas
of community life.

Through HerStory,
we can appreciate and publicly recognise the amazing contributions women have
and continue to make to our city; from pre-colonisation through to today.

Committee for Geelong CEO Jennifer
Cromarty:

The Committee
for Geelong is always inspired by the projects of the Leaders for Geelong
programs. This year we are pleased that a project is exploring the issue of
gender equity

HerStory aims
to share the untold stories of local women in order to increase gender balance
awareness and further guide and influence policy design.

Telling stories
are an integral way to help us understand our past and inform our future. And
our future needs to include everyone.