Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday 3 February, in celebration of International Women's Day, the IWD Illawarra Committee held their annual awards luncheon. The committee, led by the amazing Vicki Tiegs OAM, comprises leading businesswomen from our region who are working together, in conjunction with other groups of women in the community, to organise and promote activities to celebrate International Women's Day. Since 2005, the committee has raised over half a million dollars for over 20 local women's support organisations. The annual awards luncheon is the largest event of its kind in regional Australia—and possibly the largest nationally—with over 900 people in attendance.

Special recognition must go to International Women's Day Illawarra scholars who were announced at the event. The Gracie Wallis Scholarship for Women with a Disability recipient, Megan Neil, plans to support women with disability in the criminal justice system—a minority that she believes does not get the support that they deserve. The Beryl Lewis Scholarship for Older Women recipient, Jo-Anne Gray, is about to commence her PhD, with a focus on undergraduate nursing students' career intentions to work in aged care. The Kerryn McCann Scholarship for Women in Sport recipient was Danika Matos. Danika's mother, Fay, was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2021, and Danika plans on founding an annual football pink day with 12 NPL teams already making the pledge to participate. The Creative Spirit Scholarship for Women recipient was Ann Lehmann-Kuit. Ann is neurodivergent and has a passion for developing accessible, intergenerational, intercultural networks in the community. The Cate Stevenson Scholarship for Women recipient was Rebecca Moulds. Rebecca recently started a meditation teaching course and plans to study sound healing and yoga to allow her to run free classes for women in the Illawarra living with disability or experiencing trauma. The Aunty Mary Scholarship for Indigenous Women recipient was Dr Jodi Edwards. Jodi is establishing a women and bubs program and a mindfulness and wellbeing program based on Aboriginal cultural philosophy and connecting women to the mother country. The Dr Margaret Gardiner Scholarship for Women recipient was Chelsea Penney. Chelsea is now a full-time research assistant and is currently investigating treatments for lethal brain cancers.

I would like to take a moment to make special mention of Gracie Wallis, whose memory will forever be remembered in the scholarship, which is created to help women with a disability to achieve their dreams. Affectionately called Amazing Grace by her family, Gracie Wallis lived in the same suburb where I grew up, Woonona. Despite Gracie being born with a hypoxic brain injury and cerebral palsy, this never impacted Gracie's ability to make a special connection with those around her. Gracie's mother, the amazing Susan Wallis, always says that disabled does not mean lesser; it just means different. Gracie was one of our key campaigners for the NDIS and she is still at the forefront of my thoughts and indeed my inspiration as I work— (Time expired)