Celebrating the Great Women of Ballarat 2026

Weaving a more connected world

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat Times)

SHARING her love and knowledge of culture with others is a source of immense satisfaction for Djab Wurrung woman Rebecca Jakobi.

Named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees, Ms Jakobi is a proud First Nations leader who has become a respected voice for cultural education and community pride.

Several years ago she established Tru Dreaming, offering cultural workshops including traditional weaving, dance and art along with Acknowledgements of Country, Smoking Ceremonies and dance performances, in response to growing demand.

Born on Wadawurrung Country, her Djab Wurrung mob is from the Dunkeld and Penshurst areas.

Her own cultural mentors are significant people in her life, and her love of teaching blossomed when she participated in the Djab Wurrung Heritage Protection Embassy.

Ms Jakobi said she was “a little bit shocked” when she found out she was a Great Woman of Ballarat for 2026.

“But at the same time I was so excited to be recognised,” she said.

“I started Tru Dreaming about five years ago now. I was asked a lot to do weaving workshops and so I became confident in teaching. In the end I was providing workshops, dance performances and smoking ceremonies which I was able to give schools and groups.”

Ms Jakobi has also significantly contributed to the local First Nations Women’s Yarning Garden which grows native plants, with uses ranging from the traditional weaving to culinary.

“The Yarning Garden is a bush tucker garden in Barkly Square, in the courtyard, that was running for about two years before I joined. But I was able to have input with running workshops,” she said.

“That’s where the Deadly Sprouts idea came about, to take the workshops to the schools and offer a program free of charge using the funding we had.

“It’s really good to offer the community those sorts of services. Things have changed a lot in last few years with culture taught to both Aboriginal kids and non-Aboriginal kids.

“It’s actually quite nice because growing up you couldn’t talk freely or proudly about being an Aboriginal person, or any knowledge or culture.

“I look at the Aboriginal kids in this community now where they’re able to be proud of it at such a young age.”

The Yarning Garden will have a parade entry at the Ballarat Begonia Festival, and a stall on site in conjunction with Food is Free. Ms Jakobi also hinted that Yarning Garden tours are planned to be introduced later this year as well.

“The garden motivated me to know more and more. I view that garden as a resource, almost like a plant library,” she said.

“I love weaving more traditional stuff and I’ll study how eel traps made and recreate eel traps and baskets and different kinds of cordage that was used.

“The shop is another angle for people to approach us and know more at Barkly Square. It’s auspiced by Food is Free and we share the shop front. They sell their merch and plants and we sell plants from the garden and work from women in the group, that ranges from weaving, jewellery, artwork, and we’re open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday.

“My culture gives me a good grounding, and I feel very connected with nature and that’s what motivates me to try to protect Country and try to motivate others about protecting Country.

“There’s so much hate in the world but you can still give kindness, do good things and have positive outcomes and you don’t need a lot of money to be successful. As long as you have good people and good community around you, you can do good things.”

A voice for the vulnerable and marginalised

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat Times)

STAUNCH advocate for equity, inclusion, and systemic change, Wendy Sturgess is the type of leader who believes you can never stop learning.

Ms Sturgess is the first woman CEO to lead child and family service organisation Cafs in its 160-year history history, and has been named among 2026’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees.

“I was surprised and pleased for Cafs,” she said when asked how she felt about her inclusion on the list of six for 2026.

“To be acknowledged is such a delight. For me it’s all about shining a light on the work Cafs does, and the work we need to do to address community disadvantage in all its forms.

“Cafs is an independent organisation, we work across the Central Highlands and we make decisions here.

“We worked with over 6000 people last year and our teams are skilled, dedicated and committed to their work.

“Cafs seeks more funding to innovate and that’s what this award provides us the opportunity to do.”

With a reputation for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to creating inclusive, trauma-informed systems, Ms Sturgess is invested in the future of Ballarat and works hard to ensure that local voices, especially those of vulnerable and marginalised groups, are heard and valued.

“I worked in senior leadership roles in the corporate sector, before I stepped out to the community services sector,” she said about her life pathway.

“As a kid growing up, my parents believed in education. They were from humble backgrounds and they instilled in us the need to give back to community; if you have – you should give.”

In her student days at Monash University, Ms Sturgess studied economics and politics and then went back to night school and completed marketing studies focussed on services.

“The corporate world taught me a lot about meeting client needs and the importance of developing relationships as being critical to success,” she said.

“In simple terms leaving the corporate world for the community sector was because I wanted to have a more meaningful work and personal life.”

Before leading Cafs, Ms Sturgess held a number of other community sector CEO roles.

She worked in regional and rural locations as well as metro areas, leading in fields including mental health, autism, and telephone counselling, and web-based and face-to-face services.

“I am proud to have been part of setting up MensLine Australia and the Beyond Blue information and advice line, as well as the Victorian Suicide Line and call back services,” she said.

Despite her considerable experience in leadership, and professional studies in governance and trauma responsive practice, when it comes to leadership, Ms Sturgess still rates herself as “a life-long learner”.

“The opportunity to lead an organisation is such a complex, engaging and challenging opportunity,” she said.

“For me, it’s about being able to lead change and connect with community at the local level.

“Cafs is truly placed-based and this really appeals to me. I love seeing our team members grow and develop because that is critical to our success.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health support, visit beyondblue.org.au or call their 24/7 hotline on 1300 22 4636. You can also visit lifeline.org.au or call them on 13 11 14 and help for young people is available at kidshelpline.com.au or by calling them on 1800 55 1800.

Bringing down barriers for victim-survivors

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat Times)

AS someone with lived experience and professional expertise in domestic, family and sexual violence, Cathy Oddie understands too well the challenges victim-survivors face.

The work this advocate for survivors has done to address these challenges has resulted in her being named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees.

“I’m still in a pleasant state of shock to be honest,” she said.

“I never expected to be nominated for such an honour. I feel both extremely humbled and deeply grateful.”

Speaking publicly about her experiences, Ms Oddie has driven awareness of coercive control and the long-term impacts of trauma.

In partnership with the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, she’s facilitated creative writing and art workshops enabling survivors to process experiences and rebuild confidence.

Now she contributes to sexual violence prevention research at La Trobe University, educates with Western Sydney Recovery College, and advises on national and state reform projects, including the Federal Government’s FDV leave initiative and Victoria Legal Aid’s Family Violence Justice Reform Steering Committee.

A long-time local whose family has lived in Ballarat and the surrounding region since the 1850s, Ms Oddie is also a member of the Victim of Crime Commissioner’s Lived Experience Experts Network.

“I understand the challenges that victim-survivors face in accessing and navigating systems and services for support, protection and justice,” she said.

“Ultimately I dream of a world where no one has to endure any form of violence and abuse, however until that occurs I will continue to do everything in my power to help victim-survivors face less barriers to receiving assistance than what I have experienced.”

Ms Oddie’s current work includes contributing to policy and legislative reforms, co-facilitating mental health and wellbeing workshops, sexual violence prevention research project work, and holding offenders accountable for their behaviour upon their release from prison.

“One of the most exciting projects I have been consulting on since July 2025 is the development of the national Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Law Enforcement Training program in collaboration with the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department,” she said.

“Working in crisis response roles supporting victim-survivors at immediate risk of harm to get the support they need to safely leave situations where they are experiencing abuse has been simultaneously deeply moving and heartbreaking.

“I think most people would be shocked if they were to learn exactly how prevalent DFSV is in our community.

“What has been personally and professionally life-changing for me has been the opportunity to make submissions and give evidence to state and Commonwealth inquiries.”

In 2015, evidence Ms Oddie gave at the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence led to a complete review of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act, the dismantling of the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal and introduction of the new Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme in 2024.

Now she hopes to find a way to fund the ongoing delivery of the Creative Expression for Healing workshop series in collaboration with Ballarat CASA.

“Last year we co-facilitated our pilot program of these workshops to CASA clients and it was such a special, healing and uplifting experience,” she said.

Nationally, she is connecting with other key stakeholders working to establish an appropriate redress scheme and restorative justice pathways for victim-survivors of police-perpetrated DFSV.

“In general, I would love to see every person play an active role in making their communities safer, fairer and more respectful for all,” she said.

If you or someone you know is dealing with issues resulting from sexual or physical abuse, help is available from CASA on 1800 806 292 or casacv.org.au, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au, and 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732.

Helping others navigate belonging

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat times)

BRINGING all people together in a spirit of support and friendship is a passion for Sherley Hart.

Ms Hart has served the Ballarat community for four decades, drawing on her early work supporting Filipino women settling in Australia.

After marrying a Ballarat boy and arriving in Melbourne from the Philippines in 1984, she found work as a clerk of courts at Melbourne Magistrates Court, personally experiencing the 1986 Russell Street bombing.

Luckily she had remained inside during her lunch break, but can still recall the shock waves from the bombing.

Ms Hart quickly became involved in the Filipino Australian community while living in Melbourne.

Moving to Ballarat in 1993 with her husband Stuart, she went on to serve as president of the Filipino Australian Association of Ballarat for 15 years, and was acknowledged on the Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll in 2022.

But talk to Ms Hart for a moment and it’s clear she doesn’t strive for recognition. Her motivation comes from a deep aspirational passion for uniting people to benefit all.

While she and her husband ran a local motel after moving to Ballarat, she also dedicated herself to helping new migrants navigate language, employment and belonging, drawing on a background working in a government department while in the Philippines.

Ms Hart said that when they first moved to the regional city, it was quite a different place to what it has become today.

“Ballarat at the time was very quiet and you felt like the only immigrant here with everyone looking at you,” laughed Ms Hart, who also recalls initially struggling with the Aussie accent.

“Eventually I learnt so much.”

Over the years, her membership of cultural associations and her connections with the Philippine consulate in Melbourne has assisted her in supporting countless new immigrants, and these days that support includes people from many different nationalities.

It includes helping new immigrants contend with social isolation, helping them make new links and forge invaluable social support networks while enriching the wider community.

Supporting victims of domestic violence in court and navigating different government agencies and services has been part of the assistance she’s provided.

“I help them if they have a problem, even supporting them in court sometimes,” she said.

“Sometimes they are socially isolated until such time as they have a problem, sometimes domestic abuse.

“In the last 10 years you have seen the growth in the migrant population here, and since then I have started engaging with the new groups helping students with housing, find some place to stay, connecting them to agencies.

“I’m not the only one doing it. We all work together.”

Ms Hart also runs the Ballarat Asian Grocery business on Howitt Street and suffice to say, it’s become a bit of a favourite meeting point for many, where socialisation is very much part of getting those essential dish ingredients.

“We are all one, one for all,” she said.

A life of leadership and philanthropy

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat Times)

A FAMILY background of giving back influenced the direction that life would take for Jill Oliver.

Recently named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees, Ms Oliver has been a driving force of community service as a Rotarian, and with the Oliver Family Foundation over many years.

Through her hands-on leadership and philanthropy, the long-time local has worked to improve health, housing and opportunity for innumerable people across the region and far beyond.

As charter president of the Rotary Club of Alfredton, she built an innovative, women-led club and later served as assistant district governor for the Ballarat region.

Ms Oliver was also central to establishing the Community Care Centre Ballarat, supporting women escaping violence and families in crisis.

She revived the Apex Art Show, coordinated Eat Up Australia school lunches, spent eight years working with the international organisation Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, and led major aid shipments to Vanuatu.

In recent days, Ms Oliver was in the process of packing a fourth container of aid.

“Through my contacts whilst volunteering for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, I was initially given a wishlist from Dr Thyna Oreally, head of paediatrics in Vanuatu to outfit 20 kindergartens and 15 medical outposts,” she said.

“My motivation to do good in the community here and overseas stems from my family background.

“Both my parents were givers. Dad was a fellow Rotarian for over 40 years, first in Colac then Wendouree, then he was instrumental in forming the now Alfredton Rotary Club.

“Even though not as active in the last five years he took an interest in the club until he passed at the ripe old age of 99-and-a-half last year.

“My mother was a wonderful support to Dad and was always baking to give away. She never went anywhere empty-handed. She was a strong, kind, generous and very active individual always putting others before herself.”

Ms Oliver has called Ballarat home since 1979 and now acts in an advisory capacity on the Oliver Family Foundation.

“I’ve been very fortunate that the board has accepted my recommendations in funding many local projects,” she said.

Beneficiaries include a truck for Ballarat Regional Industries, a housing unit for McCallum Disability Services, Uniting Vic/Tas Breezeway meals program, a walk-in cool room for the Uniting Emergency response centre, and more recently medical equipment for both St John of God and Grampians Health hospitals.

“The concept of the Community Care Centre was the brainchild of fellow Rotarian Gary Morgan,” she said.

“I’m very happy he involved me in the early planning stages as I believed in the project wholeheartedly.

“Helping those less fortunate than oneself is what it’s all about. These days I help wherever needed, driving the truck to collect donated goods, moving furniture, sorting donated goods or cleaning.

“My most rewarding and memorable experience was when I greeted a father and young boy who had come from interstate with nothing.

“The young boy said that was the best day of his life. They were so grateful for what we could provide.”

Guiding light for region’s youth

Photo and words: Evie Lamb (The Ballarat Times)

MAKING a positive difference in the lives of the region’s young people is a source of personal satisfaction for Larelle Kuczer.

Named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees, Ms Kuczer said she “fell into” youth work while undertaking her social work degree.

She seems to have landed in just the right place, as today she’s youth and community impact manager at Y Ballarat, and has played a vital role in positively reshaping opportunities for a large number of young people across the region.

Through initiatives including the Youth Advisory Group, Youth Parliament and the National Youth Week Art Exhibition, her efforts have ensured people under the age of 25 are decision-makers in programs that affect them.

Ms Kuczer’s upbeat leadership has helped to create practical initiatives such as Bags of Joy, Jump Start and ReCranked, addressing disadvantage with skill-building and connection.

With a reputation for strategic foresight and collaboration, Ms Kuczer has built enduring partnerships that position Ballarat as a leader in inclusive youth development.

Looking back, she said a placement at Grampians Health, then Ballarat Health Services, gave her an insight into working with a range of people in health and community settings and she discovered she was “super passionate about supporting young people”.

“Watching young people grow and work out the world around them, I found that young people often need guides to help them make good decisions and coaches to find their way in the world,” she said.

“Adolescence is such a challenging developmental time and even with fabulous supports, there are intense physical and biological changes occurring, stacks of pressure about making good decisions about their futures all while trying not to mess things up too badly.”

Ms Kuczer said there are so many issues with which young people have to contend today.

“Where to start? Identity, social connection and fitting in, working out who they are, education and career choices, navigating family relationships, forming healthy relationships, body image and the media, being judged by older people, finding employment, working out how to be an adult,” she said.

“Add to that the challenges and vulnerabilities that many young people in our community face with lack of support, safe accommodation, finance, social isolation, education disengagement, unemployment.

“These things can easily add up to create a far more complex and challenging experience than that of previous generations.

“Youth workers are in a unique position of not being in a position of authority as a teacher or parent may be. Listening, offering suggestions and information, and coaching are key parts of youth work.

“We work hard to be big, brave and accountable and a big part of that is listening to what local young people need and creating or adapting programs to suit their needs.

“I am such a believer that it takes a village to raise a young person – giving young people opportunity, acknowledging their experiences and challenges, being kind and remembering back to our own experiences of growing up and working out the world.”