ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 / 1 STORIES THAT MAKE US STORIES THAT MAKE US ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 2 / VICTORIAN WOMEN’S TRUST Full gender equality = a world where women & girls take up all of life’s opportunities with respect, safety and dignity. _ Victorian Women's Trust | @VicWomensTrust a. Level 9, 313 La Trobe Street Melbourne 3000 p. (03) 9642 0422 e. [email protected] w. www.vwt.org.au STORIES THAT MAKE US ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 / 3 Who doesn't love a good story? Ours is one of collaboration, fierce determination, and hope. CONTENTS In this annual report, we're looking back on the year that was, whilst turning the spotlight onto some of the people who make up our community. Each MARY & ALANA'S STORY 5 person flies the flag for gender equality in their own way. Some do it quietly and purposefully, by giving BREAKTHROUGH 2016 11 their time or financial support, whereas others shout GRANTS REPORT 12 the cause out from the rooftops. OUR SUB-FUNDS 17 By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire action and change the narrative for women & girls. No MAJOR PROJECTS 2016-17 23 more barriers to wellbeing or glass ceilings. It's time JESS + JAN’S STORY 27 we were all equals. RESEARCH & ADVOCACY 32 Everyone we interviewed for these stories knew the LET’S DANCE 37 exact moment when they realised the impact gender inequality had on their lives. For some, this sudden COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS 38 clarity happened in childhood. Others become clear eyed about the world when they started their first KOORIE WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS 45 job or had a baby. OUR BOARD 46 A common thread between all of these stories is the OUR TEAM 48 readiness with which each person could point to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 67 someone they knew who had shown them another way. A person in their life who demonstrated that yes, we can be strong and kind, feminist and proud. Their stories are woven into our own, strengthening our determination to ensure the future for women & girls is equal. Join us. OUR FOCUS THE FUTURE IS GENDER EQUALITY Everything we do is about creating an equal The Victorian Women’s Trust is an independent future for all. For 31 years, we have delivered and advocate and grantmaker, supported and funded by contributed to extraordinary, trailblazing wins private donors. We are one of the oldest women’s for gender equality through reformed legislation, funds in the world. Since 1985 we have given almost targeted research and policy submissions, public $7 million in grants for projects that benefit and events and awareness raising — and we will continue improve the lives of women and girls. to do so. AR 2016-17 production team Interviews: Judit Brown & Ally Oliver-Perham Victorian Women’s Trust PTY LTD (VWT) ABN 80 989 689 839 Design and layout: Ally Oliver-Perham & Esther Davies-Brown Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust (VWBT) ABN 20 006 403 256 Editing: Casimira Melican The Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls (DTWG) ABN 45 242 265 341 Images: VWT volunteers Emmanuela Noi by Breeana Dunbar (cover), and Sophie Bliss by Bri Hammond (left) STORIES THAT MAKE US 4 / VICTORIAN WOMEN’S TRUST “Loyalty and trust takes us to greater heights than most because we’re prepared to take the ride.” STORIES THAT MAKE US ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 / 5 “Loyalty and trust takes us PARTNERSHIPS THAT MAKE US to greater heights than most MARY + ALANA’S STORY because we’re prepared to take the ride.” sense of humour. I remember being in Queens Hall Alana Johnson (pictured right) is the chair of the Victorian Women’s Trust with Alana many years ago at a function and it was just a revelation to me to see her working the room. (VWT). Working collaboratively with She was like a heat seeking missile, the way she just executive director Mary Crooks AO (on went to people. But, Alana networks purposefully left), they have furthered a legacy of and it’s not for self-aggrandisement; it’s always for social purpose. inclusive feminism and bold thinking at VWT. Having Alana as Chair has been a transition to another great leader but in very different ways from Duré. They have in common a fierce commitment Both Alana and Mary are from country to the values they share, but their styles are Victoria and had long admired each different. We forged early in the piece another great other's work before actually meeting in relationship between the ED and the Chair of the person. Their relationship as Chair and Board, and it remains a fact that this is the most important relationship in any organisation. I feel very ED is the linchpin of our organisation. blessed, actually, in my long time at the Trust, to They’re also great friends. have experienced the great leadership of Duré, and now Alana. One of the telling things about Alana was that, after we had worked up the Breakthrough program in MARY: the office, and briefed her about it, she quickly got her head around the whole concept, including her “I was a Trust supporter from the beginning. I own role as a presenter. She immediately saw the attended its first major fundraising event at the significance of Breakthrough as a culmination of Melbourne Town Hall. There were about 700-800 many years of Trust work. And, because she owned women present. I walked in there and it took my it as a concept, and understood its feminist embrace breath away. I’d never seen so many women in the (in terms of structure and topic areas) she then one space, under the one roof, ever in my life. It was became a fabulous presenter and she also became a boiling hot day, the refrigeration had broken down a great ambassador for Breakthrough 2016 in the and there was all this amazing food at each table months before, and in the time since. that we shared as women; it was just a phenomenal experience. Breakthrough 2016 was such an important moment. I see Breakthrough as taking us from the giddy Robyn Usher was the MC, there were young women heights we reached over the two days, to a further from the Victorian College of the Arts singing the scaling of the mountain. In 2018 and beyond, we most extraordinary duet from Lakmé – Dilebes’ will release the Breakthrough actions that we’ve opera. It was spine chilling. That was my first been working on in areas of violence, economic fundraising engagement, and I was a supporter security and equal representation, all of which are thereon. a combination of bold and ambitious ideas that are completely feasible. I have no doubt we’ll reach new When the Victorian Women’s Trust was 11 years old, heights in 2018.” I decided that I wanted to be the Executive Director. So I applied for the job, had my first interview. They ALANA: didn’t contact me on the Friday so I thought I’d not got the job. I told myself over the weekend I ”I became a member of the Victorian Women’s Trust didn’t want it anyhow, and then they rang me on the way, way back in the late 1980s. At the time, I was Monday! And the rest, as they say, is history. involved in the rural women’s movement, and the Rural Women’s Network. We were so new at trying I knew a lot about Alana before I met her because to introduce any sort of feminist thinking into the of her central role in carrying the flag for regional bush and were experiencing some backlash. We women in agriculture. I’ve had the good fortune to had to learn fairly quickly that we couldn’t use the get to know her very well ever since. She’s a born word “feminism” in the bush, so the Trust was like a collaborator, Alana. She’s also an utterly authentic leading light, somewhere I could learn things from. person, there’s no airs and graces. The Alana you see and hear is the Alana you get when you get to My first galvanising point around VWT was when know her. She’s got a fierce intellect and a great Mary brought political economist Marilyn Waring STORIES THAT MAKE US 6 / VICTORIAN WOMEN’S TRUST “Breakthrough 2016 was such an important moment. I see Breakthrough as taking us from the giddy heights we reached over the two days, to a further scaling of the mountain.” to Mansfield so that rural women could have an have a very good understanding. Breakthrough opportunity to hear her speak about her book, 2016 was like a number of other things at the Counting for Nothing. That was fantastic and set Women’s Trust; that is, it’s sort of like getting on a alight new conversations for us. It was probably rollercoaster. was my first time of actually meeting Mary too. I was impressed that Mary was bothered enough to The Victorian Women’s Trust works at its best when include rural and regional women. A lot of people it comes up with some extraordinarily creative and just didn’t have any sense about rural women and bold idea, which normally flow through Mary, and their needs. At the time, I didn’t even know Mary people get inspired by it, and then it gets built along had come from a country background herself. the way. That requires a lot of trust. It’s not like a But the fact that she bothered and understood, I project that’s all defined, locked down and funded thought, gosh, there’s an ally here.