Inspiring Women Across Our Centres and Services

“I have seen enormous changes come from women who were thought of being nothing but housekeepers and mothers, to well... Members of Parliament and members of business," says Salvos Home Care client, 94-year-old Naomi. “It is just a delight to see the difference in women of the early days to the women of today. The women of today are very confident, very well educated." 

Naomi completed a degree in a Bachelor of Pharmacy before going on to operate her family’s pharmacy. When reflecting on the significance of her education at a time when fewer women went to university, Naomi recalls, "I've learned how to be a woman in a man’s world. It’s not easy. It is still hard for the young people of today.”  

When asked about why International Women’s Day should be acknowledged, Naomi has a powerful answer. “To keep women in the workforce, to keep everyone knowledgeable,” she says. Casting her mind to the next generation, Naomi encourages them to embrace all that the future has to offer. “Enjoy living in the most exciting times in the world and make sure that you are a computer savvy,” she states.  

Naomi highlights the importance of fostering your talents and friendships. “Use your talents to foster friendship; a big network of contacts and to foster all the things that you can with all the people that you are working with – relationships and knowledge,” she explains.   

Elaine, also a Salvos Home Care client and formerly Deputy Mayor of Mackay, Queensland, recalls what she most enjoyed about her time in politics. “Being Deputy Mayor, I was a council member for three years and then, in 1985, I was elected Deputy Mayor, and it was a great learning curve for me,” she says.  

When reflecting on her greatest achievement, it is her principled approach to politics. “We instituted a policy of decisions that were made from the bottom up, not the top down,” she states. “Where action was going to be held and people were going to be inconvenienced, we would call a public meeting to discuss this with the group and with the people who lived in this area and explained to them what exactly was going to happen, and we had policies.” 

For Elaine, International Women’s Day means having the ability and confidence for women to make their mark on the world. “It means that women are willing to put these themselves out there for recognition and I just think that’s terribly important.”  

Julieanne, a resident at Elizabeth Jenkins Place Aged Care Centre (“EJP”) also had an impressive career, owning her own travel company for many years, first opening the business in the 1960s. “It was a travel agency and I had been in travel longer than that and an opportunity came from another travel agency wanting to share an office, so I rented that top floor,” she says. Her business specialised in both international and domestic travel.  

Her advice for women owning a business is simple, reflecting the importance of being well-informed and educated. “Have a bit of knowledge about how you do your accounting and make sure you get money in from a client,” she says.