On Tuesday, 26 June 2007 a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony and a groundbreaking were held at QVWC to mark the beginning of construction of the Shilling Wall and Gardens.

Aboriginal elder Joy Wandin Murphy led the traditional smoking ceremony. Photo: Tara Moore, Moore Photography.

A small crowd gathered on the steps of the Centre to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Shilling Wall and Gardens. Photo: Tara Moore, Moore Photography.

An intimate crowd of 40 huddled together on the steps of the Centre as the solemn smoking ceremony was led by Aboriginal elder Joy Wandin Murphy. Aunty Joy then joined QVWC Trust Chair Catherine Brown and Director of the Office of Women's Policy Fiona Sharkie to ceremoniously turn the first sod for what will become a tribute to the inspirational women of Victoria.

The Shilling Wall and Gardens will create a green, quiet space, and will run along the southern and western perimetres of the Centre. The construction, led by 2Construct, who were awarded the contract on the day, will commence on 11 July with completion expected by end of September.

Joy Wandin Murphy, Fiona Sharkie and Catherine Brown (left to right) turn the sod for the Shilling Wall and Gardens. Photo: Tara Moore, Moore Photography.

The Shilling Wall offers an opportunity to commemorate those women who you love and admire and who have inspired you. If you would like to make a lasting tribute to an incredible woman in your life, please contact the Centre. Tributes are made by making a donation of $150 or more to the QVWC Shilling Fund, which supports QVWC's work to break down barriers and promote women's wellbeing.

Find out more about the Shilling Fund.

Download the Shilling Fund brochure (PDF) 733.58 kB.

Read about the Shilling Fund in The Age or download the Shilling Wall article in The Age 25 June 2007 (PDF) 70.47 kB.

Details regarding nominations for the Shilling Wall can be obtained by contacting QVWC.

When you visit the Women and Disabilities section of InfoHub, you'll be linked to reliable and reputable information, resources and services.

The resources target women with a disability and their friends, family or carers. Resources for parents of children with a disability are also provided.

By accessing this section of InfoHub, you can:

• find out about and access peak bodies and reports

• learn about independent living options and aids and equipment that can help

• determine what transport options are available and how to access them

• find out where to go or who to speak to if you or someone you love is experiencing domestic/family violence

• access legal information

• find out about accessible travel and recreation opportunities

• learn about disability advocacy and policies and how you can get involved through activism

• determine what housing and accommodation options are available.

All the Women and Disability links have been reviewed and selected by our expert women’s network to ensure each link is reliable, reputable and relevant to Victorian women. QVWC thanks all of the experts who generously shared their time and knowledge to ensure the information provided is trustworthy.

A huge thank you is also due to our Project Intern, Carol Dobson. Carol trawled through hundreds of websites, filtering information and narrowing down the resource selection to ensure that Victorian women can gain easy access to appropriate information.

QVWC is pleased to welcome two new members to the Trust.

Vivienne Nguyen is currently a Victorian Multicultural Commissioner and a 2002 Victorian Honour Roll for Women inductee. She has strong networks and linkages with the wider CALD community, as well as the Vietnamese community in Victoria. Vivienne currently works in risk services at the ANZ Bank and holds a Commerce degree and Masters in Applied Finance. She is also a Board Member of the Australia Day Council (Victoria).

Jean Ker Walsh has experience as a broadcast journalist, political and public sector communications manager and strategic communications consultant. Her Transurban role has a strong operational focus which includes communicating through the media on customer and road experience issues. Her national responsibilities are to bring consistency and coordination to the way Transurban manages its key external relationships, building the company’s reputation and its ‘community licence’ to operate. Jean is currently a Director of Hanover Welfare Services and Council Member of Australian Volunteers International. She was also a Board member of the Footscray Community Art Centre from 1996 to 1999.

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women recognises and celebrates the achievements of women from all walks of life.

It honours Victorian women who have made a significant contribution in a particular field, or a lasting contribution that benefits the lives of other women or their communities in Victoria, Australia and internationally.

The Honour Roll was launched on 7 May 2001 as part of the Women Shaping the Nation Centenary of Federation celebrations and the government’s commitment ends next year in 2008, marking the Centenary of Women's Suffrage (women’s right to vote) in Victoria.

To date, 386 women have been inducted on the Victorian Honour Roll. You can also read more about these women on the Honour Roll and those who were inducted in 2007 on the Office of Women’s Policy website.

Each year, the community is invited to nominate women and the Minister for Women’s Affairs announces the new recipients to the Honour Roll as part of International Women’s Day celebrations on 8 March.

Do you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution in her community? Nominate her now for the 2008 Honour Roll.

Nomination forms in Word and PDF form can be downloaded from the Office of Women’s Policy. Hard copy versions can be forwarded by calling (03) 9208 3129.

If you are an organisation that would like to publicise the call for nominations and increase the awareness of the Honour Roll, please download the 2008 Women's Honour Roll flyer (PDF) 425.16 kB to display on your organisation’s noticeboard.

Nominations close on Friday 28 September 2007 at 5pm.

There are many events and activities for you to get involved in throughout July.

Over the month of July our conference rooms will undergo an 'extreme makeover'.

Beginning in August, you'll be able to take advantage of our freshly painted rooms, new furniture, improved tea rooms and state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment.

We're very excited to bring you these upgrades and promise to provide some before and after photos next month.

If you'd like to be one of the first to use our made-over facilities, contact us and ask to speak with Larissa.