My Mum – Rae Baikie has always been (and still is) quite a Changemaker. In the early1980s she set up the first peripatetic service in the UK for children who were blind or had low vision in the region of Fife in Scotland. This innovative service ensured that the children were integrated into the mainstream school system with a range of support services for teachers, parents, psychologists and GPs.

This job merged perfectly my Mum’s two previous careers that of an orthoptist and a primary school teacher and she loved it! Here she is in her beloved allotment in Edinburgh. When she got it 30 years ago her companions at the 'patch' were only old men escaping their wives they were convinced my Mum would never make it work! Always a keen gardener, she quickly dispelled their illusions!

Julie Baikie has made this donation #inhername

There she is … Marie Neal at the top of her game as Sister-in-Charge of the Burns Unit, Tamworth Base Hospital, ready and able to help and heal both physical and emotional trauma.

She led by example in the 1960’s when many women gave up their careers to raise a family. With her well-acknowledged determination, strength and tenacity, she achieved both. As a qualified and compassionate midwife she led her field in Canada and Australia with courage and inspiration, particularly in maternal and child health for First Nations people... and there she is … my little mum as I saw her on a surprise visit at work, while on holiday from uni. Just look at that smile that delighted and embraced, making you feel like the most important person ever!

She had unwavering confidence in my abilities and my power as a woman comes from her. Here she is in her beloved allotment in Edinburgh. When she got it 30 years ago her companions at the 'patch' were only old men escaping their wives they were convinced my Mum would never make it work! Always a keen gardener, she quickly dispelled their illusions!

Rose Neal made this donation #inhername

My mother Moira will be celebrating her 90th birthday in 2020 – she trained as a seamstress and secretary and worked most of her life, administering family businesses. A great traveller and hard worker, generous and kind, she still has a better social life than me and a much bigger wardrobe! Her lively active mind keeps her going, particularly the current soap opera that is Brexit.

Cathy Hunt has made this donation #inhername

Georgie is five months old, and already a global citizen. She lives with her parents in a vibrant multi-cultural city on the other side of the world, in one of the most dangerous countries for women and girls. She is lucky - she has a home, working parents, good health care, choices. What do I hope for her? That we can make for her a different future, where all little girls, not just the lucky ones, have the right to grow in safety, to learn, thrive and fulfil their enormous promise; to be valued for themselves and their unique human-ness, not according to gender, ethnicity, class, or religion; and to have a planet on which they and their children can flourish. Don't all grandparents want this?

Leigh Tabrett has made this donation #inhername

This is to recognise Catherine Heiner’s contribution to education on the occasion of her retirement from teaching in December 2019. From very early in her career, Catherine has instilled in her students, and in the curriculum, concepts of community and social justice.

Her active membership of Soroptimist International has meant that, to Catherine, these are not just educational constructs. They are the principles by which she has lived her personal as well as her professional life. She first connected both herself and her students with Indigenous Elders from the earliest time in her career at Mitchell State High School. She has consequently developed numerous units and assignments promoting a greater understanding of indigenous history and issues in every school she taught at. She has also raised awareness within the Soroptimists and the wider community of how history still impacts today.

Catherine may have left the classroom setting and will be missed by both staff and students, but she will continue to Educate, Empower and Enable women and girls, both locally and globally, through her continued contribution to Soroptimist projects and programmes.

The picture is of Catherine at the Soroptimist Convention in Brisbane in 2006 with the Mongolian Soroptimists she hosted – Tog-Sun, Dolgarmaa (Dolly) and Batdulan.

Soroptimist International of Bayside have made this donation #inhername

Dr Joan Godfrey OBE (1922-2019) was a devoted long term member of Zonta and dedicated 48 years of her life to empowering women and girls through service and advocacy.  Her commitment to advancing opportunities for nurses attracted her to the ideals and goals of Zonta and when the Zonta Club of Brisbane was established in 1971 as the first in Queensland, Joan was invited to become a Charter Member and maintained her club membership, keen interest, and friendships until her death in 2019.

In 2018, she made a significant bequest to the Club which was used to support a valuable annual award to recognise a man or woman who is working to advance the status of women. The fund was built further by generous donations of club members Susan Hocking and Susan Davies in memory of their mothers Lesley Hocking and Anne Davies.

This led to the inaugural Advancement of Women Award presented in 2019 to Cathy Hunt, CEO, of Of One Mind who is dedicating these funds to support women from remote regions to attend WOW through the #inhername initiative.

Anne Davies (1924-2018) was the mother of Zonta member Susan Davies, a rural child of the Depression from Orange, NSW, who had the double whammy of being born a girl before women had much choice of a future except family money or a good marriage. But early influences stuck!

Anne’s mother Emily May was a fierce mother of three daughters. She always believed a woman needed to have her own money – however small. When Anne met Frank in WW2 in Sydney, she recognised in him a like-minded young man who also longed for freedom from the daily grind of a low-paid job without education and prospects. After they married and had children, she craved and worked hard for her daughter (and her sons) a good education and choices. 

She loved maths, accounting and business.  Her daughter loves words, history and communications.  Nevertheless they made a pact – Susan would go to university; Anne would teach her about running a small business.  Susan became a journalist, a public relations consultant, an employer, a business consultant, a fund-raiser and a devoted feminist. When Anne died in 2018 Susan donated $30,000 to the Zonta Brisbane Advancement of Women Fund, knowing her mum would have heartily approved.

Cathy Hunt won the Zonta Club of Brisbane 2019 Advancement of Women Award and donated it to #inhername

The devastation of divorce after 25 years married did not hold Nan back. A wonderful parent to seven children, with four still to be educated, she returned to hospitality.

Taking her flair for entertaining, her renowned generosity, kindness and love of people, she packed up the family home and became the licensee of a hotel, successfully running it until her health deteriorated.

Nan had learnt many lessons from her own beloved mother, who raised Nan and her six siblings through some very dark, difficult times. The support Nan received from strong female influences in her life, her sisters, loving mother-in-law and friends, helped contribute to her success as a business woman.

Resettling, Nan continued with her “open door, open heart” mantra embracing anyone who needed help, food or a kind word, even extending to her former husband, helping him back from the effects of severe stroke. Written by Marie Kelly-Moran.

Alanna Bastin-Byrne, Femeconomy, has made this donation #inhername

Enga Francis Anne Tooker was born in 1922 in Rockhampton. Anne grew up on her parent's banana, then dairy farm, living off the land. Each day she rode her horse Toby bare back for 3 miles to school, with her younger brother Mark sitting behind her.

Anne lived through the Depression, was educated, and trained as a stenographer. She enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1942 where she plotted aircraft coming into and going out of Australia during the war. After the war, Anne and her husband Jack had many businesses. They started their own store, called Dews Drapery in Rockhampton, which endured for over 40 years.

Anne was a brilliant business woman and the leader of her business and family. She was incredibly community spirited, kind and charitable. She never stopped working while raising 3 children. She was a dedicated, respected community leader, and wonderful role model to her children and grandchildren, who all adored her.

Jade Collins, Femeconomy, has made this donation #inhername

Denise Morcombe has displayed enormous courage, resilience and determination since her 13 year old son Daniel was abducted and murdered in 2003. Most of us would have curled up in a ball and withdrawn from the world.

Instead, Denise and her husband Bruce have found the strength every day to continue to build Daniel’s priceless legacy of keeping other kids safe through the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. Denise still manages to find joy, light love and laughter in what is often a dar day. She’s an inspiration to many.

Kay McGrath, Patron of Daniel Morcombe Foundation, has made this donation #inhername

Legal pioneer Grata Flos Matilda Greig (1880 - 1958) was the first woman to practise law in Australia. Flos blazed a trail through the legal profession as the first woman to graduate from law at Melbourne University in 1903 and working to successfully overturn legislation that forbade women working in law. Upon her admission to practise in 1905, she was dubbed 'the graceful incoming of a revolution' by the Chief Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court.

Flos has no next of kin, having entered into a pact with her sisters to forgo marriage in order to lead fulfilling careers at a time when married women were not permitted to work outside the home.

Grata Fund, an organisation that enables people and communities to hold the powerful accountable in court by providing legal strategy, funding and campaign support, was named in her honour upon incorporation in 2015, 110 years after she had been admitted to practise law.

Isabelle Reinecke, Grata Fund made this donation #inhername

My mother Joan passed away in 2017 aged 88. Mum’s life has left an inspiring legacy on those who knew her. Joan’s acute awareness of social justice enabled her to live by example. As a volunteer and friend she always was looking to help and care for others. Mum was selfless in her care for her family and the vulnerable. She always talked with kind encouraging words.

Mum taught me much about never giving up by recognising how lucky we are to have a chance to make a difference.

Patrick O’Leary has made this donation #inhername

My sister Karen was a novelist, teacher, maker and a person who created imaginary worlds. In this world she was always kind, zany and dreaming. She died suddenly in her sleep in her Mt Isa home on 14 December 2015 aged 46. She remains in our hearts & the gentle voice of decency in our minds.

Susan Harris Rimmer has made this donation #inhername

My mom, Jacquie... I miss her, and am grateful for the life lessons she shared by example (which I, in turn, will share with my own children): compassion is a strength; volunteering is a necessity; lifting others up is a privilege; doing what you love makes you 'magnetic'; sharing what you know so others, too, can know is the best kind of gift; and even the smallest contributions to family, home, the community, your field of study (or someone else's!) can have a mighty impact.

Nicole Stephensen, Ground Up Consulting, has made this donation #inhername

In a life that covered 96 years, Dorothy touched the lives of many people through family, work and service. She never said an unkind word about anyone.

She had 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. As a strong Christian woman, she knew exactly to what God's promises are, and looked forward to that day.

Rest well. You'll always be in our hearts.

Milika has made this donation #inhername

Allison Baden-Clay (Dickie) was a successful business woman, and a loving and devoted mother of three beautiful girls.

Growing up, Allison was always a quiet achiever, and achieve she did. She was Deputy Head Girl at Ipswich Girls Grammar School, Miss Brisbane in 1994 and received Honours in her Arts Degree at the University of Queensland. She was a kind, generous, strong and determined woman, always with a smile on her face who put others before herself.

In April 2012, after years of suffering in silence under the power and control of her husband, Allison was tragically murdered and her body found under a local bridge. Her husband is now serving a life sentence in prison for her murder.

Allison’s family have turned their sadness into something positive ensuring that Allison’s story assists others to see the signs of family violence, through the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation. It is important to her family and friends that Allison’s legacy is a positive one.

The Allison Baden-Clay Foundation have made this donation #inhername

Lesley-Ann (LA) is an inspiration in not only what she does, but who she is. This donation is in honour of Lesley-Anne for the work she did with the Wiley Leadership Summit, through gifting her time, wisdom and stories to support the development of the next generation of leaders. We thank you LA!

Wiley & Co Pty Ltd have made this donation #inhername

Determined to provide her daughters with the educational opportunities denied women of her generation, Margaret's commitment, drive and ferocious work ethic are the rock on which our lives and careers have been built.

Fuelled by the insight that education is power, our mother imagined and and guided us to a different, self-determined and less unequal future; and didn't rest until it was realised. Beautiful, creative, fierce (when necessary), funny, selfless and loyal to a fault - we can only say thanks Mum. We hope we've been worth the effort.

The Tiernan girls have made this donation #inhername

Living in the very remote Aboriginal community of Lockhart River Cape York, Queensland, Karen Koko is a strong family and community leader. In her role as senior health worker, she provides regular personal and health support, and practical advice and assistance to families in crisis. With her pragmatic, no-nonsense attitude, she manages to straddle two worlds - her community and working within a white government bureaucracy. Karen enables local people to navigate and interpret this world in caring ways that contribute to their health and emotional well-being, and respect culture and community.

Karen’s vision for creating a better future for the Lockhart River community led her to successfully run for local council. Here she strives to integrate both the bigger picture whilst also considering individuals and families. She is giving voice to community and women’s concerns, and taking up her leadership for the benefit of all.

Bernadette Rutyna, Director, Systems in Action Pty Ltd. has made this donation #inhername

Graduating from high school at age 14, Freda embarked on a journey to move from her small Queensland hometown, Aloomba, via Cairns, to attend Teacher’s College in Brisbane, 600km away.

Completing her training by age 16, Freda moved again, and taught in remote locations in Far North Queensland. By age 18, she was appointed as principal at Julatten State School, South-West of Port Douglas. She made the arduous journey from Julatten to Aloomba to visit her family once a month.

Freda was a dedicated and driven individual who despite her hard-earned tertiary qualifications and professional experience was forced to resign her position from the Department of Education, not by choice, but by legislation which prescribed that married women were not allowed to teach.

I dedicate this to my Nana Freda, who passed away at the age of 91 in 2015. She paved the way for those who followed behind her.

Shay Chalmers has made this donation #inhername

Zillah is an inspirational young woman who lives in Honiara and not only runs the Breakwater Café (a social enterprise) producing scrumptious food on a daily basis. She is very grounded in her spirituality, the environment and nature, her interest in people, in the mind body connection and she also runs regular yoga classes at the café.

Zillah coordinates (on a voluntary basis) the women’s health element of the Loloma Foundation medical missions which operate twice a year reaching disadvantaged communities in Fiji and the Solomons.

Zillah’s additional contribution to these missions is the crucially important work she does with the young girls and women in remote communities discussing menstrual health and women’s health related issues. Zillah’s contribution to WOW at Festival 2018 and the Queens Young Leaders was outstanding and I am very honoured and fortunate to count Zillah as one of my good friends.

Julie Baikie has made this donation #inhername

Eloise was a visionary and an artist and a young woman of striking vibrancy. A pusher and a doer and a creative of the first order, her struggles with mental health took her from us too soon.

For one who lived so briefly, she inspired, cajoled, encouraged and shoved a whole lot of fledgling artists into the world, and we are all the better for her presence in our lives. Creative producer, performer, playwright and provocateur, she was a live wire, once see never forgotten.

Nadia Jade has made this donation #inhername

Aunty Ruth Ghee is is a Meriam Mer woman, linguist and musical Creative Director with over 15 yrs working in theatre and music. Ruth is a mother, grandmother, artist, community leader and always an inspiration.

The role she has played mentoring many young (and old) emerging performers and other community members through her choir work and the telling of stories from her people and communities though song and theatre, whilst always remaining a calm and solid presence is inspiring. She has been a fabulous friend and mentor to me over the past 10 years.

Jo Pratt has made this donation #inhername

I got to know Madge when we worked together at Catherine House where I worked in various volunteer and paid positions over a 10 year period. Being from Scotland there was a close affinity even if we did come from rival parts of the country - Glasgow-Edinburgh!

Madge doesn't hold the word 'impossible' in her vocabulary and this often created interesting, amusing and inspiring moments such as her wanting to meet to discuss 'this Everest thing'. I thought it was an analogy for a tough problem she had not that she was planning to do the Mt Everest Base Camp climb to raise funds for a new education and employment centre! A crazy idea for most people but especially for someone who was allergic to excercise and hated the cold.

From this she became an 'accidental adventurer' participating in husky mushing, walking the full Camino solo to following penguins in the Antarctic. The consumate story teller, I greatly appreciate Madge's, friendship, humour, Scottishness and inspritation!

Julie Baikie has made this donation #inhername

I have known Jane since 1987 when we worked in France where she met her husband - Christophe. Christophe was involved in a horrendous traffic accident 18 months into their marriage when Jane was 7 months pregnant and he was in a coma for over 7 weeks. Due to his severe brain injury he was not expected to live for long.

Christophe is now over 50, father to two children and for most of his life Jane created a 'normal' integrated and supportive home environment for Christophe and the family which has afforded him and their children great quality of life.

Her MS diagnosis a few years ago felt so ‘unfair’ for many of us however her tenacity, determination, her steadfast belief that nothing is impossible and her commitment and love for her family and friends is a constant inspiration to me.

Julie Baikie made this donation #inhername