The 2024 Women in Community Life Awards recognise and celebrate local women for their achievements in contributing to a fairer, more equitable community.
Geelong is gearing up to honour the remarkable achievements of local women at the upcoming 2024 Women in Community Life Awards. In partnership with the Women in Community Life Advisory Committee (WiCLAC), the City of Greater Geelong has now announced the nominees across seven prestigious categories.
Scheduled to coincide with International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8th March, the awards ceremony will take place at Wurriki Nyal, located at 137-149 Mercer St, Geelong. This annual event serves as a platform to recognise the invaluable contributions of women to the Greater Geelong community and their tireless efforts in advancing gender equality.
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Mayor Trent Sullivan of the City of Greater Geelong expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “The nominations provide well-deserved recognition to the many women in Greater Geelong who have worked selflessly and made outstanding contributions to the community.”
The nominees for the 2024 Women in Community Life Awards span a diverse range of categories, each reflecting the multifaceted contributions of women in the region:
Women in Community Life Award for a First Nations Woman Sponsored by Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples & Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens
- Nikki Stanley
- Kiralee Hogema
Women in Community Life Award for Economic Empowerment Sponsored by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South-West
- Ching Ying Lee
- Bridie Coughlin
Women in Community Life Award for Education Sponsored by Soroptimist International of Geelong
- Louise Larkin
- Jasmine Kildea
- Wendy Erickson
- Julie Penfold
- Helen Nicholls-Stary
- Kathyrn Aston-Mourney
- Kathy Taylor
Women in Community Life Award for Human Rights Sponsored by Zonta Club of Geelong
- Stephanie Yacoub
- Renee Fiolet
- Renée La Peyre
- Amy Flint
- Imogen O’Shannessy
Women in Community Life Award for Disability Rights Sponsored by Barwon Health
- Fiona Cormack
- Christine Gutaskas
- Lee Fox
Women in Community Life Award for Climate Action Sponsored by Member for Bellarine, Alison Marchant
- Yvonne Parker
- Juliet Bao Ngoc Doling
Women in Community Life Award for Leadership in Women’s Health Sponsored by GMHBA
- Hayley Roy
- Penny Taylor
- Nat Oska
- Dr Caitlyn Pring
- Karen Todd
- Holly Lewtas
- Kat Stanley
- Maree Bennett
The panellists for the 2024 Women in Community Life Awards have been announced as three previous award winners: Robyn Davis, Dianne Pont and Issara Saeyim.
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Panellist Robyn Davis won the 2021 Women in Community Life award for Human Rights and has continued promoting human rights and gender equity in her role as General Counsel for the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
“I am pleased to be attending the event and discussing our roles as women in our community,” said Ms Davis. “I am looking forward to meeting old friends and new. Together we thrive.”
Recipient of the 2018 Women’s Health and Wellbeing category award, Dianne Pont, currently teaches Community Services at The Gordon TAFE and actively collaborates on projects with local public schools and community organisations.
“Since receiving the Women in Community Life Award in 2018, I have continued working in and with our local community,” said Ms Pont. “I am still passionate about using our individual and neighbourhood strengths rather than solely focusing on any barriers – It’s not just ‘what’ we do, but ‘how’ we do it.”
The final panellist, Issara Saeyim, was awarded the 2023 Women in Community Life Award for Education for her work at the Cloverdale Community Centre where she created and runs the well-being team and the Lotus Kitchen program.
“The UN Women global theme of “Count Her In” underscores the importance of ensuring women’s inclusion,” said Ms Saeyim. “Initiatives like Lotus Kitchen act as avenues for providing opportunity for women to identify and address their own needs through skill-building and entrepreneurship.”
To attend the awards event on 8th March, limited free tickets are available here. Alternatively, viewers can watch the event live via the livestream.
