Rhonda Parker

Rhonda Parker

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    Winners of Edith Cowan WA Women's Fellowship announced

    22/09/1999 4:04 PM
     
    22/9/99


      A woman who provides services for the disabled and another who is working to help older women re-enter the workforce have jointly won this year’s prestigious Edith Cowan Western Australian Women’s Fellowship.

      The fellowship was presented by Women’s Interests Minister Rhonda Parker today.

      Due to the outstanding standard of entrants - for only the second time in the 24-year history of the fellowship - two women will share the $25,000 State Government award for work or study overseas.

      Victoria Wardlaw, from Mosman Park, will use the fellowship to work with and study ways to help people with severe or profound disabilities and their families live independently. Eileen Hull will look at ways of helping older women get back into the workforce.

      “Victoria, who is a sport and recreation administrator for Rocky Bay Inc, developed a model to provide for her own caring needs that halved the cost of having the same service provided by a service organisation,” Mrs Parker said.

      “She will use the fellowship to visit California and Texas to examine approaches to enable people with disabilities to become more involved in their own care.

      “Issues specifically relating to women with disabilities will also be looked at which is particularly appropriate in this Centenary of Women’s Suffrage in Western Australia year.”

      The second recipient, Eileen Hull from Ballajura, will use the fellowship for a working study program with Canadian organisations that have developed programs to help mature aged women re-enter the workforce.

      Eileen has worked in the area of education, employment and training for the last 18 years and is currently employed by the Department of Training.

      “Her project is particularly appropriate in this International Year of Older Persons,” Mrs Parker said.

      “The work of both these outstanding women will bring great benefit to two very important groups of people in our community.”

      The Edith Cowan Fellowship was instigated by former Premier Sir Charles Court in 1975 and is awarded annually to women who are working towards the advancement of women or children in WA and who are making continuing and outstanding contributions in these fields.

      The fellowship is named in recognition of Edith Cowan, the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament, in this case the WA Parliament in 1921.

      Media contact: Owen Cole 9481 7810