International Women's Day 2023

Wednesday, March 8, 2023
5:30 PM 10:00 PM 17:30 22:00

Uneke Lounge 140 Fitzmaurice Street Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650 Australia (map)

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Women in Business Wagga Wagga presents 'Busting Bias - The Path to Embracing Equity'. An International Women's Day event.

Park near Uneke Lounge and enjoy a leisurely stroll to Wagga Beach.

5.30pm - Commencing at the (Riverside Precinct - near Wagga Beach) at 5.30pm for the Enlighten for Equity Walk. We will hear from Artist in Residence, Juanita McLaughlan who worked with Wagga City Council and Wagga Women's Health Centre as part of the DVProject:2650 on a youth-based creativity project working with over 800 primary school students from across the region on the topic of Equity & Respect. Aunty Cheryl Penrith will perform the Welcome to Country and discuss embracing equity from a First Nations perspective. Thereafter we return to Uneke Lounge.

6.30pm - Enjoy drinks and canapés at Uneke Lounge, (140 Fitzmaurice Street Wagga Wagga)

7.30pm - We will hear from our panel of speakers, to discuss Equity from different perspectives; sharing their experiences, success stories and challenges.

The speaker lineup:

Aunty Cheryl Penrith - Wiradjuri Elder, Influencer, Mentor & Coach

Aunty Cheryl Penrith is a Connecter, Influencer, Mentor and Coach. She has used these skills across the government, Tertiary education and Non Government sectors. She is passionate about community development and capacity building, business and strategic planning, cultural empowerment, community health and wellbeing. She is also passionate about involvement in decision making and the revival and reinvigoration of cultural practices such as language, possum skin cloak making workshops, women's cultural business.

Juanita McLaughlan - Gamilaraay Women, Print Maker

Juanita McLauchlan is a Gamilaraay woman living on Wiradjuri country in Wagga Wagga. Juanita enjoys the thrill, complexity, texture, chaos and control of the printmaking medium.

While her material and conceptual problem-solving processes of making are experimental, Juanita’s work is equally indebted to, and guided by her Indigenous heritage. Through printmaking and 3D works, McLauchlan is inspired by the journey of finding culture and family history.

Jacinta Bodel - Founder, Owner and Principal Builder of Jacinta Bodel Homes Pty Ltd

With more than 17 years in the construction industry, holding plumbing and carpentry roles, Jacinta is now a licenced builder and plumber who has successfully built 25 homes and extensive renovation projects throughout the Riverina.

With a flair for bespoke, sophisticated and modern homes, Jacinta uses her unique perspective to deliver out of the box solutions for her clients and fresh housing options for the growing city of Wagga Wagga.

As the face of Jacinta Bodel homes Jacinta continues to challenge industry stereotypes while providing important leadership for young female trades starting their career.

Ever the entrepreneur, Jactina has also recently renovated two centrally located houses for the demanding Airbnb market, providing a fun and rewarding side hustle for her spare time.

Dr Saba Nabi - Health Professional and Board Member

Dr Saba Nabi holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Charles Sturt University and currently holds the position of Board Member – Multicultural NSW.

Dr Nabi has been a finalist at the Wagga Business Chamber CROW Awards in the category “Young Professional Award”, a “One in 100” Australian Financial Review’s Women of Influence Awardee and a NSW Rural Women Scholarship winner.

As a health professional she has a reputation for championing CALD communities in governance and decision-making. In recent times this advancement has been delivered through her roles as a Board Member for Multicultural NSW, the AFL Multicultural Community Ambassadorship and the Wagga Wagga Electorate Women's Advisory Group.

Dr Nabi believes in hard work and determination and understand that failures are the pillars of success. Her mantra in life is “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.

Nic Steepe (He/They) - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner

Nic Steepe is an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion professional holding a position currently with NSW State Emergency Service and previously with Charles Sturt University.

Combining his Masters level education and passion for social work, social justice and intersectionality, Nic has been a strong advocate for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. He has been recognised for his achievements in this space including receiving the “Out Role Model” Award at the 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Awards.

Nic is a long-time resident of regional NSW having lived in both the Riverina and Central West while building his career. He also loves bowties and has been making the case for their inclusion in the fashion forward wardrobe – a task he sees as much easier than reaching pay parity but is holding out hope for a win on both in 2023.