EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT MADE AT INAUGURAL HELEN HEWETT ORATION

There was a real sense of connection and reconnection at Women in Super’s sold out inaugural Helen Hewett Oration, held last week at the State Library of Victoria, as supporters old and new joined us to hear Dr Alice Garner present on the two research projects she is currently working on: a history of Mavis Robertson, and a research piece exploring mentoring.

Rex Hewett began the evening by giving an emotional opening address, sharing stories about Helen’s life and career and her commitment to progressive social change. It was this sense of duty that led Helen, Mavis, Shirley Clarke and Sheridan Lee to band together as the first four Women in Super members, 29 years ago.

In a move to echo this commitment to making a difference for women, Rex announced that on behalf of the Hewett/McDonald family, they will generously be offering a $30,000 per annum grant to fund a research project by a woman working on behalf of Women in Super as part of our action plan.

Women in Super are extremely grateful for this act of generosity, and thrilled about the opportunities for research that the grant offers for us as an organisation, our members, and all Australian women as we strive to improve retirement outcomes.

A steering committee is currently being formed with a view to launch officially in 2024, so there are more details to follow.

After Rex’s significant announcement, Dr Alice Garner provided a brief overview of Mavis’ life, work and activism against the backdrop of the development of the superannuation industry in the 80s and 90s – a time when women had the rare opportunity to move into positions of leadership within the financial services sector.

Having so few female colleagues and peers at the time highlighted the need for mentorship in both official and unofficial capacities, leading Alice to explore the different styles of mentoring and the relationships fostered between women and the women who mentor them.

Fiona Bounias from event sponsor TAL provided a vote of thanks to close the event, before more stories about Helen were shared over an extensive dessert station!

Dr Alice Garner provided an insightful address, which we feel is too important for any of our members to miss! You can join us for the online version in our upcoming Lunch & Learn session, where Alice will be revisiting her speech for members around the country who were unable to attend.