As one of PWA’s signature events, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated in true Pacific Island style each year in the month of March.
The PWA International Women’s Day celebrates the efforts and successes of all women in their roles as a parent, carers, workers in Queensland, Australia and other nations.
The objective of the day is to enhance the sisterhood within our community and celebrate everyone’s achievements as women. This year, our theme was: “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate For Change” (Global theme) / “Invest In Women, Invest In The Future” (QLD Women’s Week theme).
🌺 Date: Saturday, 9th March 2019
🌺Time: 10:30am – 1:00pm
🌺Venue: BEMAC – 102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point
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GUEST SPEAKERS
We are honored to have 3 incredible guest speakers at our PWA International Women’s Day 2019 Brunch!
🌺Maryann Talia Pau 🌺 Senator Larissa Waters 🌺 Inez Manu-Sione
Maryann Talia Pau is a Samoan-Australian artist and practising weaver based in the Redland’s, Quandamooka Country, Queensland. Maryann’s weaving practice is based on 
exchange and collaboration. Born in Samoa and raised in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand & Australia, she is a maker of ‘Pasifika bling’ and co-founder of the Pacific Women’s Weaving Circle and Super Native Unlimited. In 2012 she founded the One Million Stars to End Violence project, an international weaving project inviting the public to weave one million stars as symbols of light and peace. The resulting installation was part of Festival 2018 during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Maryann’s other interests include mental health, business, international relations (Asia Pacific focus), women’s leadership, architecture and the environment. For more information about Maryann’s art and weaving, visit www.maryanntaliapau.net/
Larissa Waters took office in July 2011 and is the national spokesperson o
n Women; Democracy; Mining & Resources; Gambling; and Tourism.
Senator Waters is an environmental lawyer who worked in the community sector for 9 years advising people how to use the law to protect the environment. She was named Australian Young Environmental Lawyer of the Year 2010 by the Law Council of Australia.
She is passionate about representative democracy and public participation, accountability in government, equality for women, and protecting our environment. In the Senate she is working to improve federal laws to put an end domestic violence, transition to renewable energy sources, and clean up politics by ending corporate donations to political parties which buy favours for the big end of town.
She lives in Brisbane with her two young daughters, the younger of whom caused a bit of a stir when she became the first baby to be breastfed in our federal parliament.
Originally born in Fiji to Tongan parents, Inez moved to Australia where she was raised in a small Aboriginal community called Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. As a QUT Alumni, Inez completed a Bachelor of Law/ Bachelor of Business and through her degree she was admitted into the Supreme Court as a lawyer and went on to work as the program manager of Pasifika LIPI, a Pacific Island & Maori young offenders program in Logan and Inala.
With a passion for helping and working with our Pasifika and Maori communities, Inez went onto being the multicultural co-ordinator at Good Start a state-wide QLD Health program funded to improve the health of Maori and Pacific Island children, youth and families.
Continuing her work with our communities, Inez is currently the Success Coach at Ipswich High School, working with students that have high behaviour issues, low attendance and are at high risk of dis-engaging from school. Whilst working full time she is also completing a Doctorate of Education.
As a Pasifika woman she has achieved not only one, but several degrees that continue to help our community. If you’ve attended a PWA event in the past, you’d know just how amazing Inez is and we were incredibly lucky to have her as our very first PWA President!
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SPECIAL APPEARANCES
We are thrilled to have AlvinA perform for us this year at our PWA International Women’s Day 2019 Brunch!
Alvina draws on a lot of musical influences to refine her sound and is fully capable of turning out songs of any genre. The vintage luster in her voice has only grown in richness as the years have gone by and delivers her repertoire with sass and class!
We are delighted to have Vanessa Gordon from My Father’s Daughter join us this year to share her work at our PWA International Women’s Day 2019 Brunch!
My Father’s Daughter is a collection of poetry written by Vanessa and stories of empowering Pacific Island women brought to life on film.
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SPONSORS
Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support.
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PWA International Women’s Day 2018
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PWA International Women’s Day 2017
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PWA International Women’s Day 2016
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PWA International Women’s Day 2015
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PWA International Women’s Day 2014
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