Celebrating women in the Snowy Monaro

Published on 18 March 2022

Last week Snowy Monaro Regional Council came together with community partners to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) and NSW Women’s Week with events in Cooma and Delegate.

International Women's Day is a global celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements and contributions. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

The week kicked off with the Women in Leadership networking breakfast in Cooma on Tuesday 8 March at the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre. Guest speakers Snowy Monaro Regional Council Mayor Narelle Davis, Cooma Chamber of Commerce President Sandy Schofield, and local author and leadership expert Anna Marshall entertained an enthusiastic crowd with stories and learnings from their long careers in leadership roles across the country.

International Women’s Day in Delegate – the Snowy Monaro’s flagship IWD event – was held at the Delegate School of Arts on Tuesday 15 March. Around 60 women came together for a day of entertainment, singing, great food and celebrating community spirit.

Guest speakers Kay Saarinen – owner of Saarinen Organics – and local author Paula Boer – who recently published a book on her experiences following the Black Summer bushfires – shared their stories of resilience and recovery, and local reality TV star Jess Nathan gave an insight into what goes on behind the cameras. Mayor Narelle Davis and Councillors Tanya Higgins and Tricia Hopkins joined in the festivities and took the opportunity to hear from the women of Delegate about the issues that impact them. 

The Delegate School of Arts again proved itself an ideal venue for this important event, having long been recognised by the community for the major role it plays in promoting both history and culture in the wider Delegate region.

Marked annually on 8 March, International Women's Day (IWD) is an important day to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities.

The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 was #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead.

Council would like to acknowledge the NSW Government, Delegate Progress Association, Delegate School of Arts Committee, Cooma Chamber of Commerce, and Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre for their support of these community events.