Tuesday, 8 March 2022


Members statements

International Women’s Day


International Women’s Day

Ms RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (13:06): I am very pleased to stand up on International Women’s Day to share an ode to the women of Cranbourne, although I do see around me now the women in this place and wonder about the lengths that people have gone to and what has been achieved. In my own community I would like to name today some of the women who do extraordinary work, often unrecognised. I will begin by acknowledging and paying my greatest thanks and respects to Kim Hasan from the Turkish senior citizens; Valle Motta from the Italian senior citizens; Nyadol Nyuon from the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre; Marie Garcia, one of our great Filipino community leaders; Nancy Loomba, who is unstoppable; Mama Selba, who is irrepressible and full of energy and does nothing but energise us all; Norma Barnard, one of the great, hardworking women of the Lions Club of Cranbourne; Ravia Safa, Sadia Ali and Gula Bezhan, who are all Afghan women who are always supporting not just their own community but the children across Cranbourne; Yar Dell and of course Sukhwinder Kaur, who right now is in Lismore as part of the Sikh volunteers supporting the many community members who are desperately trying to recover from the awful floods. Today is a celebration of all of those women, and I am very grateful to them all.