Roebourne elders celebrated on International Women’s Day

Roebourne’s female elders and their families came together on International Women’s Day earlier this month to celebrate their strength as individuals and within the community.

At a first-time luncheon event hosted by the Department of Communities, Roebourne’s women leaders were invited to come forward and share with an audience of family members a story of when they had felt strong and resilient.

Department Pilbara District team leader Bibin Roy said the event had received a lot of positive feedback, with many of the elders saying sharing their stories had made them feel valued and helped with their healing.

“It was a very powerful session where we actually had an opportunity to listen to the elders about the journey that they had, of the triumphs and the difficult times and how they survived,” he said.

“It was really moving for some of the other people in the group, like some of their young family members.”

The event finished with attendees posing for photos with International Women’s Day themed frames and a general discussion in which elders gave Department staff their input into a community safety plan.

Mr Roy said the event was part of the Department and Roebourne community’s ongoing engagement, which includes the new whole-of-government West Pilbara Trauma and Healing Plan.

Another initiative to come out of that will be the rejuvenation of the Roebourne Strong Women’s Group this year, which will be run by a Department staff member.