Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak on our recent celebrations of International Women’s Day and I want to take the opportunity to commend some of the local women in my electorate of Calwell. I want to commend them for their achievements, their hard work and their sacrifices which, as we know, all too often remain unacknowledged.

In my electorate of Calwell our women hail from a range of ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, yet we have found that with this diversity comes a sense of collective unity as we all cope with the challenges we encounter in our roles as women, mothers and activists. In my electorate there are hundreds of women that I have come across in the time that I have been the member for Calwell, all of them deserving acknowledgement. In fact, it has been their support and their encouragement that has helped me get through my job as a female member of parliament and as a parent. I often reassess my own frustrations when I look at what most of these women have been through, and I draw a lot of confidence from their accomplishments and their strengths.

Today I want to pay tribute to four women who are stalwarts of their community and whose activism and volunteerism have transformed the lives of the people around them. They are women who have families but who have always found the time to give to their community. I would like to begin by mentioning here today long-term Broadmeadows resident and mother of four children, Ms Terri McNaughton. For most of her working life Terri worked for the then Telecom, where she was a shop steward for her union and spent most of her time advocating for the rights and conditions of the people she worked with. Terri has maintained a lifelong interest in the rights of working people.

Terri has an interesting and poignant story. Growing up in the hard years of the depression and one of eight children abandoned by their father, Terri and her siblings were taken from their mother—who was deemed not able to look after them—and brought up in a convent by Catholic nuns for a number of years in which she was separated from most of her siblings. Terri’s mother, however, fought hard to be reunited with her children. Part of this fight involved writing to the great Australian politician Arthur Calwell, pleading for him to give her a house in order to house her children. Arthur Calwell responded to her pleas and found her a house, and thus the family was able to be reunited.

In 2003 Terri, my very good friend and supporter, was given the opportunity to publicly thank Mary Elizabeth Calwell, the daughter of Arthur Calwell, on behalf of her mother and siblings for his intervention all those years ago that allowed the family to be reunited. Terri had a difficult childhood and a difficult life but dedicated her own life in activism to helping disadvantaged people, especially children and women. She has set up a very small but very effective support group for abused children and women and continues to be involved in issues which effect her community.

I want to also acknowledge Mrs Thekla Scarcella. Thekla is a woman of many talents who migrated to Australia at 20 years of age in 1967. She created a family and pursued her great passion for writing. Thekla has been involved in many organisations. She has written, directed and taught over many years. She continues her good work by raising funds for breast cancer and for the children’s hospital and has been a teacher of Modern Greek. In fact, she set up a school in Shepparton many years ago. She teaches her senior citizens groups anything from computer skills to healthy living skills. She is forever active and constantly giving. She transforms the lives of the people in her community. Thekla has received many awards recognising her services, including the Premier’s Multicultural Award for services to her community.

I want to also mention Sonja Rutherford, an icon in the Broadmeadows community. Together with her husband John, she established the Broadmeadows Progress Association over 30 years ago. This association has been at the forefront of lobbying on behalf of the community on issues from stopping the fast train link to the airport, when I first became the member in 2001, to supporting the Coolaroo station for many years. Finally, thanks to the Brumby state government, that has now been built. Sonja has also strongly lobbied for the Broadmeadows town hall to be saved from becoming a poker machines venue of the North Melbourne Football Club. She has been involved in countless campaigns. She also has time to run the Broadmeadows Community Singing Group. Sonja is a champion weightlifter in the over 60s category. She has travelled abroad, representing Australia, and is a national champion. This is a multifaceted woman who continues to serve with a passion and energy that has no rival.

Finally, Ayse Koksyz, a long-time resident of Meadow Heights, established the Turkish Women’s Group and has dedicated her time to giving women from the Turkish-speaking community opportunities to meet and socialise when otherwise they would be isolated and unable to connect with the broader community. Her group has a vibrancy and colour that is a joy to be a part of. They conduct festivals and showcase the magnificent Turkish handicrafts that are made by local women. They run wonderful festivals with lots of wonderful Turkish food and music, and I love every minute of my attendance. (Time expired)

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