A record crowd of nearly 1000 packed the WIN Entertainment Centre and witnessed tears and cheers to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) on Friday.
"This is an amazing community and an amazing event," said guest of honour, 2015 Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, who delivered a 'hear a pin drop' keynote speech (see separate story).
It was the 20th anniversary of IWD in the Illawarra and Chair Vicki Tiegs OAM told the big crowd, "Your presence is evidence that we are all here for change."
Vicki sent a shout out for women and men in the crowd who were making a difference, with one of the biggest cheers for Tania Brown, the first woman elected as Lord Mayor of the City of Wollongong in 2024.
Cheers too for outgoing Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones, who has championed the Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre, and Keira MP Ryan Park, who provided a special $12,000 state government grant to support gender equity and women's mental health in the region.
"These are men who have stepped up, showing gender equity is not just a women's issue," Vicki said.
"And while we acknowledge progress, we must also call out regressive behaviour and attitudes."
She blasted radio shock jock Marty Sheargold for his recent misogynistic on-air comments about the Matildas, and questioned why some people think mocking women is funny.
"What makes matters worse is that his male co-hosts failed to call him out, and their silence is complicity."
Grants to tackle change
Over the years, IWD Illawarra has provided grants to 14 local women's organisations that tackle health, education, cultural diversity, disability, relationships and safe housing.
To mark two decades, this year's funds supported two organisations: Healthy Cities Illawarra and Wollongong West Street Centre.
The major project funding for Healthy Cities will support two programs, 'Cook Chill Chat' and 'Illawarra Women's Day of Dance and Culture'.
Wollongong West Street Centre received a special grant for 'Self-Care if you Dare', providing critical support for children, young people and women who have suffered sexual abuse.
Scholarships help empower exceptional women
Another highlight of the IWD lunch was the presentation of nine scholarships across eight categories to empower exceptional women who reflect the core values of International Women's Day. Each of the awards are named after inspiring Illawarra women.
The winner of the Cate Stevenson IWD Scholarship for Women (Education, Business and Community Service) is Professor Deirdre McGhee, a world-leading researcher on breast-related issues who has developed a Sports Bra App to empower active women to choose a supportive and correctly fitted sports bra to enable them to exercise in comfort.
Evelyn Rankmore received the Aunty Mary Davis Scholarship for Indigenous Women, saying: "This award has a special place in my heart. Aunty Mary was one of my first elders and mentors."
Working in the area of domestic violence, Evelyn said the award would help her achieve her goal of becoming a counsellor, assisting women in the Illawarra.
She said the shocking statistics that Aboriginal women were 11 times more likely to be victims of domestic violence and 12 times more likely to be murdered need to be urgently addressed.
Maddie Ramsay was a joint recipient of the Gracie Wallis Scholarship for Women with A Disability. Maddie loves being a part of the CrossFit community and she aspires to compete at an elite level in the field, proving women with Downs Syndrome can compete with everyone.
The other joint winner of the women with a disability scholarship was Katie Day, who was born with profound deafness. Last year Katie was selected to represent Australia on the Deaf Women's Soccer Team and her award will help Katie in preparing for the Deaf Olympics in Tokyo later this year.
"My deafness is not a limitation, it is an opportunity to make dreams come true," Katie said.
The winner of the Kerryn McCann IWD Scholarship for Women in Sport is Imogen Alton, who described the award as "an honour beyond words".
Imogen told the IWD crowd she will never forget receiving the news that she had been accepted into studying medicine at UOW as she was about to start the 2024 national cycling championships.
Imogen thought she would have to give up her dreams of competing as an elite cyclist, but she found a way to continue her full-time studies while still training and competing for Australia, giving her "immense joy and pride".
The Creative Spirit IWD Scholarship for Women was presented to Ali Gordon, a theatre maker who creates performances for people living in aged care and with dementia. The award will help Ali run a series of workshops "designed to encourage joy in what are often seen as dehumanising places".
Maggie Khan, a fourth-year student at UOW, studying a Bachelor of Laws and International Studies received the Rising Star IWD Scholarship for Young Women (aged 15-21). Maggie is a White Ribbon Day ambassador and she is currently working on a policy to enable migrant women who are in a violent relationship to escape the danger. The scholarship will assist her in attending the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Dr Farhannah Aly, a radiation oncologist, was awarded the Dr Margaret Gardiner Scholarship for Medical Research and the award will help her to continue to support women in the medical research sector.
Mother-of-three Jo Pye was presented with the Beryl Lewis Scholarship for Older Women. Jo founded HumblePye, an organisation helping women navigate the challenges of midlife.
"For too long, women in their 50s have been under the impression that new beginnings are reserved for women in their 20s," Jo said.
She is currently working on a PhD aimed at cultivating humility in leadership.
Rosie Batty best summed up the reaction to the 2025 IWD award winners when she said: "I'm just choked up having heard from these award recipients... every one of them is incredible."
Read more in Rosie Batty tells sold-out International Women’s Day event it’s time for men to ‘step up’
