Wyndham Weekly, October 2013

I don’t want to get all Beyonce on you, but have you noticed how many great female role models we have in Wyndham?

There always seems to be a push for women to get involved in community or business leadership and, while some municipalities seem to be a bit bloke heavy at the top, the sisters of Wyndham have been quietly doing it for themselves.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Wyndham has some strong female leaders, starting with our current Mayor Kim McAliney and former Mayor Cr Heather Marcus. Leading them is the inspiring Kerry Thompson, CEO of Wyndham Council, while at State Government level many of us are represented by MP Jill Hennessy.

Our two local cop shops have Inspector Cindy Millen showing the way, while the Truganina Brigade recently made history by electing Colleen Goodfellow as Wyndham’s first female CFA Captain. Sally Lewis has led some excellent conservation programs as director of the Werribee Open Range Zoo, while WynCity Entertainment director Edi De Pellegrin and Wyndham Cache co-owner Nuge Ahmed are local tourism industry dynamos.

From a cultural perspective, Essence Food Studio co-founder Alaine Beek has delighted thousands with her spooky comedies at the Mansion, while painter Janet Knight is an award-winning quiet achiever, as is glass artist Susanne Jensen who’s recently opened a gallery in Werribee South.

In charitable circles, the indefatigable Anne-Marie Dey, head honcho of the Wyndham Relay for Life, is just one of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of local women tirelessly fundraising and giving their time and energy to help others.

I could go on, but I simply don’t have the space to even briefly mention the achievements of women in areas like manufacturing, retail, hospitality, education and medicine, or simply as wives and mothers.

So, women of Wyndham, take a bow.

And now get back to work.