International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It has been around for over 115 years, addressing many of the issues that still impact on women’s advancement. This year the theme was Give to Gain, which encourages a mindset of generosity, collaboration and investing in women’s advancement to create a more equitable world. Supporting women through funding, mentoring and resources leads to a stronger more prosperous society for everyone. In September 2025, with this background in mind, the members of the Fleurieu Community Women’s (FCW) awards committee began their search for a guest speaker for their 14th IWD breakfast in March 2026. The FCW committee comprises the members of the VIEW club of Victor Harbor and they work in collaboration with David Basham MP and his staff to organise this event. Past speakers have included Lainie Anderson, Tricia Stringer and Darry Fraser. The bar had been set very high for this formidable task. It is well known that at any event its success is often measured by the food, toilet facilities (especially when it is a predominantly female event) and the speaker.
As a committee we knew that we wanted a woman who lived locally and who could weave a story about their life and achievements, while meeting the brief of Give to Gain. We had heard about the Fleurieu app and its creator Susie Williams and we also had knowledge about the Coast Lines magazine. We garnered information about Susie from different web sites and publications and felt that Susie would ‘fit our bill’. We made contact with her and booked a date to meet with her to have a chat. This date changed a few times until I was able to make a time on Monday 9 February at the McLaren Vale Information Centre to have that chat. As soon as Susie started to talk I knew that we had made a great choice for our speaker. ‘You know when you know’ was my immediate feeling and I was not wrong. We talked for over an hour and found that we had many things in common. It was clear that Susie could show us how giving to community creates meaningful impact, connection and success.
The day of the breakfast arrived and in front of over 100 women Susie presented parts of her heartwarming and personal story of her life from Buckleboo to McLaren Vale. Susie shared how she would help in the shearing shed when her brothers were away at school and she was able to get her pocket money from the wool of her pet sheep. It wasn’t getting the money that mattered to Susie, it was the time, responsibility and feeling that her father gave her that really mattered. Susie said that this experience was her first lesson in Give to Gain and when you give your time and effort into your people and your place you gain belonging. Susie has lived in nine different regions and described having to start again with each move. Her sense of community was evident during this time in her life when she didn’t wait for life to come to her, but she embraced each place and what it had to offer her and what she could give back. This resonated with me as I reflected on my life and how I had moved to live in Singapore after I had been married for six months. Living in an ‘ex pat’ community I was with people who were continually moving. We gave to each other and gained friendships and support. I am still in contact with my ex-neighbour from Lucky Heights, Singapore, who now lives in Minneapolis. She is 85 and we still Facetime. I can also relate to Susie’s experience with breast cancer. Mine was diagnosed on my last day of work before retirement 13 years ago. That is when community was instrumental in my recovery as it was for Susie. Again, as Susie was named a South Australian finalist in the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, I was named the 2022 Citizen of the Year for Marion Council. I never expected this recognition of what I had given to my community as I had gained so much from my community, just as Susie had.
Thank you, Susie, for showing us that we all have the power to be the best versions of ourselves so that we can create a better world for women. You started your presentation by saying that it was a real honour to speak, but for me, and the breakfast participants, the real honour was hearing your story. When I first met you in your shorts and tee shirt (because you were working) and again on the day of the breakfast and you commented, “I wore a dress today,” – I knew my first impression, ‘When you know you know’ was spot on!