WOW Cairns

Aug 9

Welcome to WOW Cairns! We were delighted with our second festival of the year which took place from Friday 13 to Saturday 14 May at Bulmba-Ja Arts Centre.

Following its postponement in 2021, WOW Cairns bounced back in 2022 with a strong local program to help ensure all women’s voices are heard through a series of bold, entertaining and conversation-provoking events.

Curated in partnership with local women in the community, WOW Cairns celebrated the achievements of women and girls living in the city and surrounding areas, while searching for solutions to on-going gender injustice. Beyond the inspiring stories from women and girls and their own personal journey in the popular WOW Bites sessions, the 2022 festival featured a Marketplace of local, women-led businesses and services, workshops and performances, and WOW favourite, Speed Mentoring.

Guests and performers include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO; comedian and cabaret artist Jenny Wynter and leading Cairns creatives Miriki Performing Arts and Francoise Lane.

Kicking off the Festival on the Friday was the unique opportunity to join Cairns Business Women’s Club on their Tropical Food Safari, visiting great local businesses and innovators in the food and beverage eco-system of the tropical north. Friday night saw the opening concert at Bulmba-ja with unique performances including new songs from Marliya from Spinifex Gum, young First Nation women singing in English and Yindjibarndi, the Poly Sisters of AustraNesia, and Naomi Wenitong.

The festivities continued on Saturday 14 May at Bulmba-ja with all-day workshops, conversations and local stories exploring the changing face of the city and region as it deals with the impacts of the pandemic, and the women at the heart of that change – through leadership, design and innovation and creating economic security for women.

Co-patron of WOW Australia June Oscar AO shared the recommendations and next steps for the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) report, as well as her own leadership journey.

“WOW is an important space of dialogue and action which unites women from diverse backgrounds from across Australia and the world,” Ms Oscar said. “I look forward to working together and ensuring that the voices of First Nations women and girls are at the forefront of Australia’s fight to achieve gender equality.”

Local women including First Nation leader Henrietta Marrie AM, Centacare FNQ Executive Director Anita Veivers, CQUniversity Associate Vice-President for Cairns and Far North Queensland Jodie Duignan-George, CEO of Cairns City Council Mica Martin, business leader Julie-Ann Lambourne and entrepreneur Krista Watkins were joined by other leading Queensland changemakers including Secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union Beth Mohle, ImpaQt Queensland Managing Director Lisa Siganto, Community Services Industry Alliance CEO Belinda Drew, Femeconomy co-founder Alanna Bastin-Byrne and British Consul General for Queensland and the NT Joanne Freeman.