It’s Time to Turn Promises into Progress
This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) theme, “March Forward. It’s Time to Turn Promises into Progress,” set the tone brilliantly for our annual Women’s Health Loddon Mallee (WHLM) breakfast event.
We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to the over 200 attendees who joined us at the beautiful Bendigo Town Hall on the morning of Friday, March 7th. The gathering provided an important opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our collective efforts and achievements, exchange valuable insights, and plan for our future. The morning was jam-packed with speeches, discussions, and networking opportunities, all aimed at growing connections and progressing collective action toward inclusive and gender-equal communities. The discussions and themes from the event will continue to resonate with our staff, board, partners, and communities throughout 2025.
The Hon. Maree Edwards MP’s keynote address was a highlight of the morning. As the first woman elected as the Member for Bendigo West in the Victorian Parliament back in 2010, and the fourth woman as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Maree has worked to pave the way for women’s leadership in regional Victoria. As a passionate advocate for marginalised communities across Victoria, Maree hopes that “women today, and our whole community, can be a powerful force for change – to make it easier for those who follow us.”
WHLM was proud to host an expert panel discussion as part of the event. The insights shared by our esteemed panelists, including respected First Nations elder and leader Aunty Marilyne Nicholls, musician, writer, and disability advocate Eliza Hull, Associate Dean Research and Industry Engagement at Bendigo’s La Trobe Rural Health School Dr. Kirsty Forsdike, refugee and migrant advocate Dulce Muñoz, and LGBTIQ+ advocate Sherene Clow, were thought-provoking and inspiring. We were also impressed with the contributions made to the discussion by our attendees who highlighted some of their key priorities and calls to action on our giant sticky sticky notes. The discussions between the panel and community on the day will not only support WHLM’s future direction and strategy, but as Kellie mentioned on the day, we want to document them to hold ourselves and our communities accountable to the experiences, expertise, and knowledge shared through the discussion. You can view the notes from the day here.
As part of this year’s proceedings, we were also proud to celebrate 35 years of WHLM’s advocacy for the health and wellbeing of women, girls, and gender diverse people in the region. We marked this milestone by premiering a short film. We were privileged to have the opportunity to work alongside award-winning filmmaker Mitch Nivalis to create the footage, and we’re so impressed with how beautifully they brought our story to life. The film delves into organisational archives, including newspaper cutouts, old photographs, and project resources, weaving in interviews with past and current leaders of the organisation to highlight the progress made over the years. The film reminds us that ongoing efforts are needed to protect the rights we have gained; while ensuring we also continue to progress action and march forward together to create a gender equal future where no one is left behind.
True progress demands equal representation, continuous learning, valuing diverse experiences and perspectives, and meaningfully inclusive decision-making processes. WHLM is committed to continuing its efforts to advocate for women, girls, and gender diverse people, and we look forward to continuing these discussions with you – our partners, local governments, and communities – through 2025 and beyond.
For more information about this year’s International Women’s Day, visit https://whlm.org.au/international-womens-day/
Event Video
If you weren’t able to attend the event, or you’d like to look back on the discussions, please view a recording of our International Women’s Day Breakfast event here:
Gallery
Thank you so much to everyone that attended and took part in the discussions, and to our speakers, our staff and board, and everyone else that made it such a beautiful event. As always, photographer Penny Ryan has captured the event through her lens so beautifully.
