By Tanya Faulkner
Trust, talking and touching is what brings women together.
That’s according to a recent International Women’s Day award winner from the Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN) Foundation, held at Narre Warren South’s Oakgrove Community Centre on Wednesday 8 March.
In its first year celebrating the occasion with a public awards ceremony, WIN presented 23 women from in and around Casey with an award recognising them for their voluntary work in the community.
The awards presented were to women who work or reside within the Casey area, from all different walks of life, who dedicate themselves to their volunteer work and stand as an inspiration to the wider community.
Recipient Barbara Bendarski said she was shocked to have been nominated for the award, but also felt proud to have been recognised after almost 30 years of volunteer work.
For Ms Bendarski, International Women’s Day is about connecting and inspiring other women, and enjoys being able to spend time supporting others in the community.
“It’s a day to reflect on how far we have come since we started our journey, and where we are going in future as women,” she said.
As an immigrant to Australia from Poland 50 years ago, Ms Bendarski said the best moment for her was being able to introduce her grandchildren to other volunteers and show them the work she does, to inspire their futures.
Similar was said by Lynn Burke, who was nominated by fellow MS Plus volunteer Joy Martin for her hard work and dedication to her volunteering in Casey.
Ms Martin said it has been a privilege being a part of an amazing group of volunteers who give up their time so freely to help the elderly Casey community regularly, and are so dedicated to their work.
“We have at least six volunteers in Berwick and the surrounding area who check in with the elderly at aged care homes, visiting and making connections with them, and being a support for them,” she said.
Ms Martin explained that during Covid, their volunteers were sometimes the only point of contact for some of the elderly they visit, as they may not have had family nearby or weren’t able to receive other visitors.
“Our volunteers would do regular phone calls, window visits or Skype calls to make sure they could keep building the connection and friendships already being established,” she said.
For Ms Burke, she felt privileged to have been recognised for the work that she does, as it highlights the importance of the day to day work that women do in the community.
“It just shows the impact of the everyday woman’s work and contribution they have in the community, it really makes a difference,” she said.
Ms Burke said the volunteers that she works with, and also nominated for awards, come from all walks of life, different ages and backgrounds, with the common goal of supporting the community.
Both herself and Ms Martin agreed that women are hardly ever thanked, let alone recognised, for the work they do every day and there should be more recognition and appreciation across the wider community.
WIN Foundation event organiser Sountharam said this was the first year they had opened up their International Women’s Day celebrations to other public groups and service providers, and hopes to make it an annual event.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise women inspiring other women through their everyday volunteer work, with so many people wanting to help and support us,” she said.
Approximately 80 people attended the event and were treated to live cultural entertainment from women around Casey, and a luncheon to connect and network with the other women.
This years’ theme for International Women’s Day was to embrace equity through a global campaign, which Sountharam said was a goal for the WIN Foundation to bring people together as a collective and continue to support the Casey community.
