Once Upon A Time in Australia…

 And the word is WOW!

On Friday 2nd September we were delighted to welcome our esteemed guests, the Hon. Quentin Bryce and the Hon. Julia Gillard for our twice postponed and much anticipated conversation Once Upon a Time in Australia. It was a delight and privilege to hear the stories and reminiscences of these two leaders who have broken new ground for so many women in Australia. A capacity audience at Customs House, including many students, heard personal stories about life behind the scenes during those heady days. We had updates on the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) and pertinent advice in response to questions from the students in the room.

As Quentin Bryce said, Julia Gillard’s appointment reached into the hearts of women across Australia and the world, and the many letters and messages they both received at that time were held dear.

We were delighted to go behind the scenes on that historic day and hear about their friendship, bound through holding the two highest government positions in Australia. The balancing of a relationship that requires a very high level of formality and responsibility, but also offers a unique privacy and strict confidentiality through that shared space. 

Julia shared many stories from her experiences writing her upcoming book, ‘Not Now Not Ever’, and also from interviewing many women for ‘A Podcast of One’s Own’ and ‘Women & Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons’ co-authored with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Across these areas they speak with leaders of many different cultures who have very different experiences in terms of the challenges they face, the disparity in wealth, resources and vicissitudes, and yet they still had many experiences in common as women leaders. It was acknowledged that it’s at events such as WOW festivals where we find commonality across our differences. Although not all experiences are shared, some things are experienced by all women. She referenced the very real pressure that many women felt to be better than best, and the pressure they felt to not make any mistakes, knowing these would be attributed to gender, or made a big deal of. Another universal experience that many of their interviewees mentioned was being underestimated, excluded, patronised, and often at times making a contribution and no one responding to it with a man later on making that contribution and being lauded for it. We’ve all been there!

Some forty school girls joined us for this event, and these young women in the room were encouraged to think about what kind of change they would like to make in the world. Julia reflected that in spite of all the challenges, in spite of the heavy burden of serving and all its impositions and complications, it is also the greatest privilege, and the opportunity to make the biggest change with your own actions. Both speakers took a few minutes to respond to questions from the young women in the room and asked them to consider what their opportunity to serve their communities might be.

We closed the event on a high with a commissioned work from a voice of the future, poet Joella Warkill, delivering an outstanding call to action for all young women and girls, entitled, ‘Girls of the Globe’, which is published below in full.

Watch out for the launch of Julia Gillard’s new book ‘Not Now Not Ever’ in October and order a copy from our partner Riverbend Books!

With thanks to all our supporters, especially our event sponsors QPAC, Griffith University and GIWL, to the Hon. Shannon Fentiman MP for her welcome and the Hon. Grace Grace MP for her attendance and support.

And a big thank you to the staff at Customs House who served a fantastic meal in arguably one of Brisbane’s most lovely dining rooms.

Girls of the Globe
Written & performed by Joella Warkill

Before women of the world 
There are girls of the globe 

Girls of the globe need not wait to be accepted 
To become a woman of the world 
Girls of the globe don’t have time to waste 
Time to wait 
They are busy carving images of tomorrows into the minds of the young today 

Girls of the globe stand proudly on mountains of resistance against the Patriarchy
Asking only when but not why, and how without if’s 
Masking our pretty and proper with a vision reminiscent of the one we know will be it  
Laughing with those who have stood tall, fallen with wisdom and wit 
Casting the dreams of theirs into our speeches bit by bit 

Girls of the globe become women of the world on their own two feet
When their past selves and their purpose finally meet
Catalysed by no one else but the women who came before you and me
Surrendering to nothing but their own empowerment and feeling free
Relinquishing the tired desire of what they tell us we are meant to be 
And destroying the ideas of feminism where I would not meet eligibility 

Girls of the globe will dismiss misogyny from the womb
then create a new movement the second they leave the maternity room

Todays girls of the globe are tomorrow’s women of the world
Ready and fitted with armour to take on the fight
Underestimated maybe, inadequacy not at all in sight

These are the girls who will conquer the battles that began before their time
They will stand unafraid to speak up,
Know when to listen or when to kick up the dust 
And reveal a revolution that says enough is enough…