Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Stella Young

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (09:52): You cannot be what you cannot see. There are more men, dog and horse statues than there are of women. Stella Young – writer, comedian, feminist and activist – was celebrated by her home town of Stawell last month. It was a privilege to witness the tributes and take part in the joyful celebration when the Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins unveiled the magnificent statue of Stella.

This was the first statue to be unveiled through the landmark Victorian women’s public art program, a $1 million investment through the Community Support Fund. Artists Sarah Barton, Jillian Pearce, Janice Florence and Fayen D’Evie collaborated with Lynne and Greg Young, Stella’s parents, to develop the vision for the project, and local sculptor Danny Fraser created it. It is incredibly poignant to see photos regularly appearing on social media of children climbing on the statue in Cato Park in Stawell. Stella would have loved that. Stella said:

The journey towards disability pride is long, and hard, and you have to practise every single day.

She let us know:

I am not a snowflake. I am not a sweet, infantilising symbol of fragility and life … I am a strong, fierce, flawed adult woman. I plan to remain that way, in life and in death.

And that she was. I am very proud of the Andrews government’s commitment to increasing the profile of women in our society, and it is so fitting that Stella Young has been immortalised.