Celebrating International Women's Day in the Gannawarra

Published on 21 February 2025

The Gannawarra will join communities globally in celebrating International Women’s Day, with a free breakfast occurring at Cohuna on Friday, 7 March.

Gannawarra Shire Council, in partnership with Northern District Community Health, Kerang District Health, Cohuna District Hospital, Mallee District Aboriginal Service, VicPolice and other agencies, will be hosting a morning of festivities at the Morton Garner Pavilion at the Cohuna Recreation Reserve from 7.30am.

Various events will be held during the morning, including a presentation from guest speakers including Cohuna District Hospital’s Director Clinical Services, Wendy Lunghusen, and indie rock singer/songwriter, Elise Drake from Koondrook, who will also provide live music at the event.

“The Gannawarra is renowned for its International Women’s Day celebrations having held an event to mark this significant day for the past eight years,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said.

“Held annually on 8 March, International Women’s Day provides the opportunity for local women to share their stories of community leadership, business development and professional career advancement in a safe and supportive environment.”

The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is March Forward – it’s time to turn promises into progress.

“Both Wendy and Elise are examples of local women leading in their chosen careers and their stories will celebrate the achievements of local women, inspire discussion and send a positive message to women and girls across our communities as we continue to work towards a gender equal future,” Mr Rollinson said.

First held in 1911, International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality across the world.

Bookings for the Gannawarra event are essential by Monday, 3 March 2025 for catering purposes. To book, please visit www.trybooking.com/CZHXW or phone Council on (03)  5450 9333.

Gannawarra’s International Women’s Day is supported by funding from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) as part of the Gannawarra Community Flood Recovery Program.