
Saturday January 21 - Tropicana Trivia Fund-RaiserSaturday March 11 - International Womens Day breakfast at Headland Golf ClubSaturday May 13 - May breakfast at Headland Golf Club- Saturday July 15 - Bursary Presentation Brunch at UniSC Innovation Centre (TBC)
- Saturday August 26 - Morning Tea / welcome new members at Twin Waters Golf Club
- Saturday September 23 - AGM Annual General Meeting at Twin Waters Golf Club
- Saturday November 11 - Breakfast/Presentation of Refugee and Indigenous bursaries at Headland Golf Club
- Saturday December 9 - Christmas Lunch at Twin Waters Golf Club

May Breakfast - 2023
Was held Saturday 13th May - Headland Golf Club

GWQSC President Wendy Ashley-Cooper, Dr Mary Crawford and GWQSC past president Bev Hinz
The breakfast event was a great success. Our very accomplished speaker & president of GWQ, Dr Mary Crawford, provided a thorough history of women’s fight to be educated up to the present time. Despite more Australian women accessing tertiary education, the gender pay gap remains in favour of males. Worse, she reminded us that most women in the world are fortunate to receive any education.

New Members: Trish Manley, Kathy De Josselin, Carol Boulanger, Jan Jarman, Emilia White and Leah McKenzie

International Women’s Day Breakfast - 2023
Was held Saturday 10th March - Headland Golf Club

Dr Judi Wickes with Gerri Boeyen
The Guest Speaker was Aunty/Dr Judi Wickes (Kalkadoon/Wakka Wikka nations), a respected community Elder, researcher, author, social worker, historian and educator who writes and presents locally, nationally and internationally on the topics of stolen generation and the ‘certificate of exemption’ and its impacts on generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.The event was attended by 39 members and 22 guests.
A tableful of groceries and baby goods was collected to donate to the STEMM program (Supporting Teenagers with Education, Mothering and Mentoring) at Burnside High School.
A raffle was held and raised over $300 towards our bursary program. Two of the current bursary holders attended as guests.
For more information and pictures of the event, please visit our Facebook page:


New members are welcome. Please contact us at info@graduatewomen.org.au

Tropicana Trivia - Was held Saturday 21 January

Everyone enjoyed the Tropicana Trivia afternoon, which was a fundraiser for our bursaries.
Thanks to all who attended.
Please visit our Facebook page for photos of the event.


November Breakfast - 2022
Celebrating Indigenous and Multi-cultural Australia
Speakers at 2022 November Breakfast

Wendy Ashley-Cooper - Incoming President

Nasteho Mukhtar - REP Tertiary Bursary Recipient

Taryn Miller - Indigenous Tertiary Bursary Recipient
Wendy Ashley-Cooper, our new president, described her fascinating life, from childhood in South Africa, Rhodesia & Australia to becoming principal at The Glennie School in Toowoomba.
Taryn Miller, Recipient of the GWQ SC Indigenous Tertiary Bursary, told us why she chose to study Occupational Therapy at UniSC overcoming a number of hurdles. Her proud grandmother attended with her.
Nasteho Mukhtar, Recipient of the GWQ SC Refugee Education Program (REP) Tertiary Bursary, recounted her journey from South Sudan via Kenyan refugee camp to Australia. She credited her brave, resilient mother with saving her and her siblings from a war zone, & encouraging her studies to tertiary level. She is studying Social Work & Psychology.
Taryn and Nasteho were so inspiring and confirm why we work to give bursaries to assist in the education of women.
A sale of favourite books added to the enjoyment and raised money.
For higher resolution photos, please visit our Facebook page:

AGM - 2022
Was held on Saturday September 10
Our AGM was a successful event followed by a delicious buffet lunch provided by Twin Waters Golf Club. The new committee was elected with new President, Wendy Ashley-Cooper.
Gratitude and thanks we’re expressed to long-serving President, Bev Hinz, who was indefatigable in her service to GWQ SC over several terms.

Jenny Hughes presenting Bev with flowers and card

Bursary Presentation Brunch - 2022
This is the highlight of the year for us and was held Saturday July 9 at the Innovation Centre, University of Sunshine Coast.

Professor Helen Bartlett, Vice-Chancellor & President of UniSC
provided an inspiring update of progress made on all campuses before presenting the bursary certificates. The bursary recipients each outlined their activities on and off campus. It is always inspiring to hear these future leaders speak.
2022 GWQ SC Undergraduate Bursary Recipients (UniSC)

Jahne Café - Bachelor of Law (honours) degree (fourth year). Jahne has achieved the position of Judge’s Associate for Honourable Justice Paul Freeburn

Rebekah Belte-Dewet - Completing Honours in Psychology. Planning for a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology

Belinda Christensen - Bachelor of Nutrition / Bachelor of Biomedical Science (fourth year). Planning for a Honours year and PhD in 2024
Members donate their time and money to provide these bursaries.
Gerri Boeyen, chair of the bursary committee and Bev Hinz, our chair, introduced the proceedings.
For more photos of the event, please visit our Facebook page:

May Breakfast - 2022
Was held on Saturday May 14
Guest Speaker Diane Carter, spoke on the subject of 'Dare to Live - Trust yourself!'

Bev Hinz, Ingrid Gray, Diane Carter (speaker)
Diane was an inspiring speaker with tales of a dangerous life in Africa & elsewhere that were opportunities for growth & resilience.
It was wonderful to have the company of postgrad students from University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) as well as mentees and their GWQ SC mentors from the university's special training program Skilling Queenslanders for Work. The aim of the traineeship is to build the confidence and skillsets of mature and migrant women who, for any number of reasons, have found it difficult to secure employment on the Sunshine Coast.
For more photos of the event, please visit our Facebook page:

International Women’s Day Breakfast - 2022
Was held Saturday 12th March - Headland Golf Club
Guest Speaker was Emma Thomas, CEO of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council
International Womens’ Day breakfast today at Headland Golf Club was very enjoyable! CEO of Sunshine Coast Council, Emma Thomas, entertained and inspired us with her career history, from when she followed her dream to become an aeronautical engineer in RAAF & Boeing, and other leadership roles resulting in her current role.

We congratulated Mealat Gehrehiwet from Ethiopia who was presented with our Refugee Education Program Tertiary Bursary by Janet Sweatman, chair of REP committee.
Years of membership Certificates were presented.
And finally singer/songwriter Melinda Wells delighted us with her beautiful song, Woman, just released.

November Breakfast - 2021
Celebrating Indigenous and Multi-cultural Australia
Was held on Saturday November 6th 2021
Headland Golf Club – Golf Links Road, Buderim
We all enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast on Saturday 6 November. Norma, our archivist & memory keeper, told us about our 30 years as a group raising money for the education of women & girls. She focused on the challenges and joys of the last five years. She and Libby are foundation members. Our Indigenous bursary winner, Rachel Taylor, spoke movingly about her life of giving to others as a pastor and her future goals in indigenous child welfare.
Certificates were presented to members for 30, 25, 20, 15, 10 & 5 years of membership.

Libby & Norma are seated beside President Bev (in blue) in photograph of all recipients

Rachel Taylor - with bursary certificate and bursary committee
Speakers at 2021 November Breakfast

Norma McMichael - Life Member, Archivist and Memory Keeper

Mealat Gehrehiwet - REP Tertiary Bursary Recipient

Rachel Taylor - Indigenous Tertiary Bursary Recipient
