International Women’s Day: Geraldton women from all walks of life on power of being female (and multitasking)

International Women’s Day this Saturday, March 8, is a day to celebrate the strong, intelligent women in our lives and community. This year, the Geraldton Guardian is highlighting some amazing women who are doing big things in their professional lives. Jade Baynes, Penny Dodd, Trudi Cornish, Helen Ansell and Fiona Mann are pushing boundaries, making waves and showing the community — at home and beyond — just how brilliant a woman can be, no matter what challenges in life they may face. JADE BAYNES Geraldton-born and bred Jade Baynes is a budding actress and singer who is rising to stardom one stage and TV production at a time. She completed her musical theatre training at Dynamite Studios Australia. She took on the role of Little Eva, played one of the Shirelles and served as the cover for Betty in, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She also portrayed the role of Lorraine in the Australian premiere of All Shook Up the musical. Her most recent work as Bec in the Stan original series Invisible Boys showcases just how talented she is. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field? I was inspired to pursue a career in the musical theatre/film and TV industry from watching the classic Hollywood comedy movies growing up. What has been the biggest highlight or challenge for you? The most challenging part about this industry is that you do more auditions than actual work and get “no” constantly more than “yes”. What advice would you give women starting out their own careers? My best advice I would give to someone wanting to pursue a career in this industry is networking! Go to every event, every workshop and never stop training. Show up, be seen and stay connected. Who is a woman that inspires you the most? I am inspired by so many wonderful women, my older sister and my Mum are two of the most driven, hardworking women I know. In terms of celebrities, Cynthia Erivo inspires me everyday but it all started from her role in The Colour Purple on Broadway. What is the best thing about being a woman? The best thing about being a woman is knowing that each and every one of us is special in our own way, no matter what. PENNY DODD Penny Dodd, a former junior champion showjumper, has achieved much in the equestrian world. She set a State record at the Perth Royal Show with wins in the six bar and pony puissance events. She also rode in two powder puff derbies and held a racehorse trainer’s licence. After major back surgery, she became an FEI showjumping steward and officiated at world cup jumping events in WA in 2004 and 2005. She is an accredited judge and eventing steward, and has been the senior showjumping judge at the Perth Royal Show since 2012. Penny has also volunteered at multiple Olympics and officiated at the Tokyo Games. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field? I was a pony club member from the age of nine. A founding member of the Moonyoonooka Pony Club and a keen competitor. I competed in jumping, eventing, dressage, mounted games, endurance, played polocrosse, rode trackwork, rode in Ladies Bracelet races at Geraldton Turf Club before females were allowed to be jockeys and groomed for Mike Harley, one of the State’s top polo players. In 1993, I had major back surgery, which meant I could no longer ride at a competitive level, so to stay involved in the sport I loved, I started pursuing the officiating opportunities. What has been the biggest highlight or challenge for you? Volunteering at the London Olympics 2012 (including driving the Duke of Edinburgh around the cross country course in a golf buggy), volunteering at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy in 2014, volunteering at the Rio Olympics and officiating at the Tokyo Olympics. What advice would you give women starting out their own careers? Set small, achievable goals, be confident and passionate about what you do and believe in yourself. Who is a woman that inspires you the most? My Mum Daphne (who passed away in January 2020) and the late Queen Elizabeth. What is the best thing about being a woman? As a single woman — being my own boss, being independent, being blessed with good health and the ability to still travel. TRUDI CORNISH Trudi Cornish has worked in local and State government as well as not-for-profit organisations for the last 30 years. Her first professional position was as the children’s librarian for the City of Bayswater, which is where she found her love for the arts/culture sector. She is currently the manager of libraries, heritage and gallery at the City of Greater Geraldton. She loves reading, literature and is a keen local history researcher. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field? I loved history as a child and always wanted to work in a museum. I also loved reading and books. Working with the community has been both a privilege and a joy. What has been the biggest highlight or challenge for you? Highlight: interviewing Ernie Dingo for Who Do You Think You Are? on SBS. Challenges: The risk of loss of intellectual and artistic freedom of expression, which seems to be an increasing global theme. What advice would you give women starting out their own careers? Be confident in your abilities. Find a mentor who can guide and lead you. Embrace the exciting journey ahead. Who is a woman that inspires you the most? My mother, who taught me the most valuable lessons in life, including the importance of kindness, compassion, love and family. What is the best thing about being a woman? The ability to multitask! HELEN ANSELL Helen Ansell is a renowned Australian artist, celebrated for her vibrant paintings that encapsulate the Australian outback and WA’s magnificent flora and fauna. Having spent a major part of her childhood in a remote Indigenous community, she is heavily influenced by these experiences. From selling her very first painting for $60, to now owning her own gallery in Mullewa, Ansell’s artistic endeavours span beyond acrylic on canvas paintings, encompassing large-scale public art projects, unique fashion collections and collaborations with designers and exclusive brands, which have earned her international recognition. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field? I never studied to be an artist, art was just always something that I loved to do for fun. I had a houseful of paintings and one day a good friend suggested I have an art exhibition. I had no idea what I was doing really, I had never done something like that before but decided to give it a go and to my amazement I sold everything on opening night! That really gave me the encouragement I needed to pursue art as a possible career. What has been the biggest highlight or challenge for you? Probably the biggest challenge has been trying to juggle motherhood (especially when the kids were babies) as well as running a small business with the pressure of being the main breadwinner in the family — both are full time jobs. The highlight has been moving to Mullewa with my family and opening my own art gallery on the main street of town. What advice would you give women starting out their own careers? Be prepared to take risks and get out of your comfort zone. There will be failures along the way but you can learn from them instead of giving up. Be open to advice and learn which criticisms to ignore and which ones can actually help you grow. Support other women in business — we are all doing it tough. Who is a woman that inspires you the most? I am lucky to know so many amazing women that are my friends. One particularly inspiring friend of mine is Mary who had dedicated her life to running an orphanage in the Philippines for the last 15 years. What is the best thing about being a woman? By nature we are so resilient, adaptable, creative and used to putting up with a lot. We can do the tough yards. FIONA MANN Fiona Mann is a grain farmer with her husband and young sons. She is the co-founder of award-winning BLOCK 275, a cold-pressed canola oil produced from paddock-traceable, GM-free canola grown on her farm at Eradu. Ms Mann has an extensive background in agriculture with a bachelor of science (honours) in natural resource management and has previously worked as an agronomist and branch manager. She is the field walk co-ordinator for the Mullewa Dryland Farmers Initiative and was the founding member and chair of the Mid West Food Industries Alliance. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field? I was born into farming. And while I didn’t marry into farming, I grew up with the agriculture lifestyle — work hard, and be rewarded with flexible hours in the off-season. After a stint as an agronomist and working in the ag sector, my husband and I were fortunate to be given an opportunity to “go farming” and we took it by the horns because we wanted our boys to have that experience. Lots of space, motorbikes, fun. What has been the biggest highlight or challenge for you? Starting our farming business and succeeding — even though we don’t have the traditional model. It has meant we have had to establish additional businesses (BLOCK 275 and agricultural contracting) to make it work, because we don’t have the scale of that of our peers. The decision to diversify into our value-add cold-pressed canola oil business was to buffer ourselves from mother nature, but it has been a welcome surprise being part of the whole supply chain and interacting with the end user — our chefs and customers — who have embraced our oil with amazing enthusiasm. What advice would you give women starting out their own careers? Believe in yourself. Ask questions. Keep learning. Put yourself first. Who is a woman that inspires you the most? My Mum, and although I didn’t meet them, my grandmothers. They all lived in a different time (and country), but the sacrifices they made and the hardships they endured have given me the work ethic and freedom I have today. What is the best thing about being a woman? We bring a different skill set to the table. Attention to detail. Just getting it done. The ability to multitask.