Premier's Woman of the Year finalists

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Women Pru Goward today announced the four finalists for the Premier’s Woman of the Year in the new NSW Women of the Year Awards.

Mr O’Farrell said this is an important initiative which helps us acknowledge the outstanding work that women are doing in our communities.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting and recognising the significant contributions and achievements of NSW women,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“These awards demonstrate our appreciation of so many admirable women in regional and metropolitan communities across the state.”

Ms Goward said careful consideration went into selecting the finalists for the Premier’s Woman of the Year Award, which celebrates amazing women who inspire us with their achievements and contributions to NSW.

“This year we received more than 200 nominations for the Women of the Year Awards from across NSW showcasing incredible women who have made a significant contribution to the NSW community,” Ms Goward said.

“We had some hard decisions to make with so many extraordinary women nominated.”
Minister Goward said she was pleased to announce the finalists for the Premier’s Woman of the Year:

• Krystal Barter from North Manly – founder of Pink Hope, an online community for women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer
• Lyn March from Longueville – Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Sydney and champion for evidenced-based care for people with musculoskeletal diseases and osteoporosis
• Fran Rowe from Tottenham – advocate for farmers, who established one of the first rural financial counselling services for farming families facing financial difficulties
• Anne Simmons from Wollstonecraft – pioneer in a traditionally male dominated area and Head of the School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering at University of NSW.

“It was fascinating to read these remarkable women’s stories and find out about the ground-breaking work that they are doing throughout the state,” Ms Goward said.

“These women are fantastic role models who are truly deserving of this recognition.”

The winner of the Premier’s Woman of the Year Award and the People’s Choice – Community Hero Award will be announced by the NSW Premier at a special reception in May.

The judging panel was led by the Minister for Women Pru Goward and included:

• Jodie Fox - Co-founder of Shoes of Prey and Sneaking Duck, Telstra Businesswoman of the Year 2011, Hudson Private Award
• David Gallop - Chief Executive Officer, Australian Rugby League Commission
• Major Paul Moulds AM - Director Mission and Resources Social, The Salvation Army
• Jeni O’Dowd – Editor at Large and Saturday Editor for the Daily Telegraph
• Cath Webber – Editor, thetelegraph.com.au.

MEDIA CONTACT

Simon Fontana - 0467 738 139

To view the PDF version of this media release you can access it here.