The Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee (GSWCAAC) has been working with Greater Shepparton City Council to have old honour boards replaced and new ones installed.
The Greater Shepparton Heritage Advisory Committee had presented a report to the GSWCAAC in 2015 about the significance of the rose gardens and honour boards.
The original honour boards dated back to 1983 and recorded the winners of the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Shepparton’s Woman of the Year awards, which ran from 1984–1997. Various groups were also acknowledged including Soroptimist International, Inner Wheel, Zonta, the Country Women’s Association and Girl Guides.
The award recipients were first remembered with a rose garden planted in their honour at the now defunct Shepparton’s International Village. In 2001, when the village closed, the roses were moved to the Queen’s Gardens, along with an honour board.
Greater Shepparton Mayor and GSWCAAC Charter Champion, Cr Dinny Adem said he was pleased to be able to launch the restored honour boards.
“The honour boards provide an important link in recognising the contribution women have made in our community and I look forward to seeing more names added in the future,” Cr Adem said.
The GSWCAAC has revived the award tradition, bestowing its inaugural award to financial advisor Tracey Sofra in 2016. Tracey’s name, and those of future awardees, will be added to the new honour boards.
GSWCAAC and council are holding a picnic at Queen’s Gardens on Thursday 15 September, to relaunch the honour boards.
Afternoon tea will be provided from 2–3pm and members of the community are invited to come along and meet some of the women honoured.
The original Woman of the Year Award recipients were:
- 1984 Judy Bonnett
- 1985 Mavis Euling
- 1986 Pat Drum
- 1987 Sr Pancratuis Holland
- 1988 Carmel Johnson
- 1989 Dr Beverley John
- 1990 Dorothy Roche
- 1991 Carmel Schroen
- 1992 Joan Guymer
- 1993 Sheila Bennetts
- 1993 Assunta Depino-Curtis
- 1994 Cherie Crawford
- 1995 Erna Werner
- 1996 Vicki Mitsos
- 1997 Dr Ursula Russell
