The six 2014 inductees to the Zonta Club of Ballarat’s Greatest Women Honour Roll have one thing in common - they are all passionate people.
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Individually, they are passionate about the disability sector, community service, breaking down business barriers, women’s education, sustainability and fighting domestic violence and bullying.
Together, they are passionate about making a difference in both Ballarat and further a field.
PAT FRASER
Pat Fraser still loves the work she does for Zonta International.
“I do what I want to, because I still can and I can do it my way,” she said.
“I really do love it.”
Pat is one of an elite group named on the Heide Taylor Honour Roll for outstanding service to District 23 of Zonta International.
She moved to Ballarat from Moe when she was three years-old and was educated at Pleasant Street and Dana Street schools, as well as Scott’s Business College.
She began her working career at S.J. Weir Master Builder in 1939 as its first female employee.
When she married in 1946, married women had to leave the workplace in favour of servicemen returning from World War II.
Pat had six children in quick succession and returned to work when the youngest was three.
Initially working part-time as the Ballarat Brewing Company’s tea lady, Pat later became the manager’s secretary.
Her community involvement included working with adult literacy and numeracy students at SMB, assisting with the Breakfast Club and reading program at Yuille Primary School, and serving on a ward committee helping to re-establish the Golden Point State School and improve facilities at Lake Esmond.
She is also a Lakeside Hospital Bowling Club life member, Central Wendouree Bowling Club past president, foundation member of Ballarat’s first female Probus Club and a Queen Elizabeth Centre life governor.
KIM QUINLAN
KIM Quinlan has been recognised for her work to highlight family violence issues in the Ballarat community.
Kim drove a campaign by The Courier called ‘It’s Up To Us’ which set a spotlight on the issue of family violence.
The campaign has had a significant impact on highlighting and changing attitudes to family violence in the community and resulted in Kim receiving multiple awards.
“I think it is an issue that for far too long had been swept under the carpet,” she said.
“We looked at not only the victim, but highlighted the perpetrator and looked at how family violence affects children.”
Kim is currently The Courier’s daily content director.
She has also worked for the Sunraysia Daily and the Geelong Advertiser.
In Geelong, Kim worked as a court reporter and also focused on the collapse of the Pyramid Building Scheme.
Kim also worked as a sub-editor and production editor at The Courier.
However, she returned to writing in 2010 when both of her two children were in high school.
SUE ANDERSON
Sue Anderson’s aim is to turn one million people from bullyable into unbullyable.
And she is well on the way with her business Good2gr8 Coaching, her award-winning book Unbullyable and her role as a Brodie’s Law ambassador.
The Ballarat mother-of-three is an expert in neuro-semantics, a mixture of neuro-linguistic programming, developmental psychology and self actualising psychology, and uses it to coach people with a wide range of life issues, including bullying.
Sue became a Brodie’s Law ambassador three years ago, travelling the state with Brodie’s parents, Damien and Rae Panlock, and Attorney-General Robert Clark to speak about bullying.
She also promotes Brodie’s Law when she talks to school children or work groups, and is part of a push for the law - created after Melbourne teenager Brodie committed suicide due to bullying- to become national.
Sue’s book Unbullyable received the worldwide International Society of Neuro-Semantics Innovation Award.
The book’s launch was used as a fundraiser for both Brodie’s Law and anti-bullying group Angels Goal, of which Sue is an advisory board member.
Sue said she was pleased to be named one of Zonta Ballarat’s six greatest women.
“It will really help spread the unbullyable word,” she said.
PATRICE BRAUN
Professor Patrice Braun believes success cannot be measured in monetary terms.
“It is a combination of courage and determination to find and follow your destined path, caring for people and the planet in the process,” Patrice said.
Born in the Netherlands, Patrice developed a passion for education through storytelling while working as a journalist, writer and documentary maker overseas.
Her Oscar nominated documentary, It was a Wonderful Life, covered the lives of homeless women in Los Angeles living in their cars while her fable, The Creature Concert, focused on endangered species.
Patrice is a Ballarat Multicultural Council board member, a longstanding BREAZE board member and former director and deputy director of Federation University’s Centre for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness.
She is also the Australian Women’s Chamber of Commerce research chairman and consults with Aboriginal and migrant women in Australia and rural women in developing economies such as East Timor.
She is a regular member of the federal government delegation to APEC “Women and the Economy” summits and contributes to other international gender conferences, forums and programs.
Patrice is also the adjunct professor with Federation University’s Collaborative Research Network, with a
focus on regional resilience, and also set up Patrice Braun Associates last year to promote strong regional development and community well-being.
KAREN MCCRAW
Karen McCraw sees her honour as one of Ballarat’s Great Women for 2014 as an accolade for the disability sector too.
Karen is the chief executive officer and founder of Ballarat’s Karden Disability Support Foundation, which provides individualised, flexible support for people with a disability.
Karen has more than 20 years experience in the disability sector, including management and direct support roles.
She is currently the Australasian Disability Professionals chairman, a Disability Services Board member and a United Way board member.
She is also a board member of The Ballarat Foundation, Life Education Ballarat, Leadership Ballarat & Western
Region management committee and the City of Ballarat Disability Advisory Committee.
Karen said it was a great honour and a great surprise to be recognised as one of Ballarat’s Great Women in time for International Women’s Day.
“It’s lovely to be recognised but it’s also great because disability is a sector that is often not widely recognised,” Karen said.
PAM DAVIES
Pam Davies said she was surprised to be recognised as one of Ballarat’s greatest women.
“I think most people in the community don’t really think about this sort of thing,” she said.
However, Pam has played a part in Ballarat’s development for a long time.
She was a co-director of McDonald’s Ballarat when it was first introduced at Bakery Hill and was a fellow at the then University of Ballarat in 2004.
Her skills as a businesswoman were recognised when she was the fi rst woman elected to the Ballarat
Miners’ board.
Following this, Pam was elected to the Gold Credit board, was the Eureka Centre’s fundraising chairman, served on the Ballarat Clarendon College school board and was a School of Mines and Industries council member.
In between all of this, Pam raised four children and was a university deputy chancellor.
A community activist, Pam was an early member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby and later joined the Zonta Club of Ballarat.
In 2001, Pam was awarded a Centenary of Federation Medal for Contribution to Australian Society.
Pam is also a Sovereign Hill life member and serves on the Art Gallery Foundation board.