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 equityHerStory 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.
