(L + R) Former Mayor of The Hills Shire Yvonne Keane AM Rossella (Rose) Garofano Sophie Hirst Mayor Gangemi Beena Rizal and Carol Harding.
Five outstanding winners have been announced in The Hills Shire International Women’s Day 2022 Awards.
Professor Nicole Brooke (Business Woman of the Year), Beena Rizal (Community Woman of the Year), Sophie Hirst (Young Woman of the Year), Carol Harding (Senior Woman of the Year) and Rossella Garofano (Hills Woman of the Year) all received awards during a special ceremony held at The Hills Shire Council on Thursday, March 10, 2022.
The awards celebrate the achievement, success, strength and resilience of women, and the unique and positive contributions they make to supporting the community.
“I want to congratulate our all our nominees and winners for their countless contributions to helping others – you are an inspiration to us all,” Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Peter Gangemi said.
“We had so many strong applicants, which is a testament to this community and all the women working hard to make a difference and to pave the way for future generations,” Mayor Gangemi added.
The awards coincided with other International Women’s Day celebrations being held throughout the Shire.
“It’s great to see so many events that acknowledge this important initiative,” Mayor Gangemi said.
“This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias, which aims to promote a more equitable and inclusive society.
“In this current term of Council, it is pleasing to see that we have increased representation of women, with half of our ward Councillors – six out of 12 being women. This is the highest proportion of females ever on The Hills Shire Council and I’m hopeful this level of representation will continue to increase in terms ahead.
“There should be no barriers to representation and as a Council we will continue to take steps to ensure that Councillors elected to The Hills are from a diverse background,” he added.
Award recipients
Business Woman of the Year – Professor Nicole Brooke
Professor Nicole Brooke is the CEO at the Australian Community Industry Alliance (ACIA), which advocates for quality management in aged and community care, and disability.
In addition to this, Professor Brooke has helped out locally, participating in community events and fundraisers. She has also assisted countless organisations and government departments on positive and groundbreaking initiatives that aim to create change.
Community Woman of the Year – Beena Rizal
Beena Rizal has been a mathematics teacher for 20 years. In this time, she has been a pillar of support to her students. In fact, Ms Rizal helps her students, even during her breaks – assisting them with their enquiries, supporting them and offering her room as a safe space where they can voice their academic struggles.
Ms Rizal has tutored hundreds of students across The Hills to achieve top results, and attend selective high schools and university.
Within her limited free time, she creates mathematics resources which she shares for free to all of her students.
In addition to this, Ms Rizal also spends time providing support to students across six local schools.
Young Woman of the Year – Sophie Hirst
Sophie Hirst is a volunteer and tee-ball coach.
Miss Hirst played at the NSW State Championships in 2020 and after suffering a serious leg injury in 2021, overcame that to play again in the Club Teams in 2022.
In 2021, she was awarded the Ray Williams Encouragement Award and was also the Sport House Captain during school.
Senior Woman of the Year – Carol Harding
Carol Harding is passionate about women’s rights, in particular, women and children living a life free of violence.
Ms Harding has supported countless women and children to escape family and domestic violence and homelessness through her meaningful work at St Michaels Family Centre and Accommodation, The Hills Domestic Violence Prevention Network and on the Board of The Sanctuary.
Adding to this, Ms Harding is also a foster mother and has donated much of her time to supporting sporting teams and organisations through various roles, including coach and sitting on the executive board.
Hills Woman of the Year – Rossella Garofano
Rossella (Rose) Garofano has been a passionate and dedicated teacher in the Hills area for over 15 years and has worked with many students – caring and guiding them.
She’s had a strong impact on young people who’ve struggled at school – mentoring them and motivating them to finish school, and gain credentials to help them with their next career pathways.
Ms Garofano is also a strong female leader who has advocated for women at risk through her fundraising efforts.
She has also participated in a number of community events and fundraisers, including the Mother’s Day Classic, Hills Relay for Life, International Women’s Day and a White Ribbon Day walk.
