They are the women enriching our city. Zonta is celebrating 10 years of Ballarat's women of influence with five new inductees adding to an inspirational honour roll, writes MELANIE WHELAN
EACH is a fierce advocate for the issues that matters most to this city. Each uses experience and passion to make the big issues very much about Ballarat.
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The past decade, Zonta Ballarat has celebrated about 180 community champions in Ballarat’s Great Women, the women shaping this city. This week they add five more in a gala dinner on Thursday night.
Each inductee is driven in her field: cancer awareness and research; history and culture; education; tourism and dementia awareness; the arts.
Each adds to an illustrious roll-call of women using their powers, their talents, for the good of Ballarat.
AMY TSILEMANIS – arts and culture motivator
HERITAGE hero Amy Tsilemanis is regarded about Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute as the live-wire conduit to bring in new generations to delve into this region’s culture and history. Ms Tsilemanis enthusiasm and social media skills have helped more Ballarat people tap into BMI through cultural events, many for the first time.
As BMI’s first curator, Ms Tsilemanis has overseen the introduction of 3000 Max Harris photos, capturing Ballarat’s stories from the 1860s to 1960s.
Ms Tsilemanis hails from Melbourne and moved to Ballarat to pursue tertiary studies at Federation University, where she now uses her BMI experience in her PhD.
Work in cinemas and in bookshops was where Ms Tsilemanis first made her mark with innovative projects. For three years, Ms Tsilemanis crafted an eager audience on VoiceFM’s Tinderbox Radio and in Arts Sparks events for Ballarat Arts Alive. Ms Tsilemanis has served on City of Ballarat’s heritage council and has taken Ballarat to a global stage in California, where she presented a paper on mechanics’ institutes worldwide.
READ MORE: A storehouse of stories at BMI
JOYCE RYALL – entrepreneur and philanthropist
BEST known for co-owning and developing Kryal Castle with her late-husband Keith, Ms Ryall’s vision has boosted the city’s employment, tourism and the business.
Born and raised in Ballarat, Ms Ryall’s unique business ventures include The Silver Lockett, Shady Acres Caravan Park, Galexi Interiors and the Mountain Inn.
Ms Ryall created Kryall Castle’s wedding suites and the Castle’s first souvenir shop. She has also been instrumental in keeping Ballarat Begonia Festival alive.
Ms Ryall has become a driving force for greater research into a cure for dementia, following her husband’s diagnosis. Since Keith’s death, Ms Ryall has joined the John Curtain Centre board in Creswick, where he was cared for in his final days.
Ms Ryall’s philosophy is simple: “a foundation of family, friends and community is the true inspiration for the future and for happiness”.
READ MORE: End of an era for manor
LISA HAYDEN – cancer survivor, business woman, writer
A SPEECH pathologist by trade, Ms Hayden has become a strong, passionate advocate for people experiencing adversity.
Ms Hayden says her breast cancer journey sparked most of her active community work.
I could either succumb to the challenges of a life-threatening illness or find an opportunity to develop my own resilience to make a difference
- Lisa Hayden
Ms Hayden serves on the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute board and helped develop FECRI documentary Faces Behind the Fight. She also advocates for Ballarat Mothers’ Day Classic and the Shorter Brothers and Aron Siermans foundations, supporting Ballarat children.
As a writer, Ms Hayden’s autobiography Refusing to Die will be released this year.
CLAIRE RASMUSSEN – educator, artist, musician
LIFE-LONG learner Claire Rasmussen relishes linking information from diverse sources to problems solve or propose new systems.
Ms Rasmussen’s lateral thinking has helped to create improvements to vocational education and training studies in Australia, based on systems she has looked at closely in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Ms Rasmussen was awarded an Australian Training Bersyn Clayton Award last year for her distinguished long-term contribution and development to the Victorian public TAFE system and the VET sector.
The Federation University VET practice director has also been an active board member of Ballarat Arts Foundation and Ballarat Art Gallery.
A keen musician, Ms Rasmussen plays with Ballarat Symphony Orchestra and is a keen supporter of all things Ballarat, from Sovereign Hill and Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute to Friends of Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
READ MORE: Claire’s hard work recognised
MARY-ROSE MCLAREN – actor, director, author, educator
POWERFUL stage show Chatroom hit raw nerves in Ballarat. Mary-Rose McLaren, working with Alexandra Meerbach, to adapt a confronting script on teenage suicide prevention for Ballarat high school students.
Ms McLaren says arts and learning make individuals happier and communities stronger. She has carried this through her work to establish Kinda Kinder for preschool-aged children in Melbourne’s north and west and in her work challenging Victoria University’s education students.
This includes Culture Shack, an arts empowerment program for refugees and migrants in the western suburbs.
Long-involved in Royal South Street Society, Ms McLaren is a passionate teacher in speech and drama.
Ms McLaren is personally involved in Grampians Integrated Cancer Service.
READ MORE: On board at Her Majesty’s Theatre
