International Women’s Day: Warwick region’s biggest female success stories
From silver screen stars to first-class athletes and medical pioneers changing history, the Southern Downs has produced incredibly inspiring women who embody the meaning behind International Women’s Day. See the full list of famous faces.
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Warwick and the wider Southern Downs has been home to a fascinating range of women who have enriched the lives of those around them through their work, craft or sports. Women who have trailblazed their way through male-dominated spaces, or overcome abuse and adversity to shine not just in their own communities but across Australia, and at times around the world.
See the full list of Warwick’s greatest female success stories as we honour them on International Women’s Day.
1. Adrienne Pickering
Acclaimed actor Adrienne Pickering has starred on the silver screen in some of the biggest shows to hit Aussie TVs, including Home And Away, Neighbours, Offspring, Rake and The Reef.
Pickering has established herself as a respected talent in the Australian entertainment industry, after being allowed to explore and develop her creativity while she was a student at Warwick’s School of Total Education.
Father Peter Pickering previously told the Daily News that despite his daughter’s immense successes in showbiz, she always remained grounded.
“She’s not someone who thinks it’s such a big deal (that she’s on TV),” Mr Pickering said.
“That’s her profession, her work, and she just tries to do the best she can and is very thankful for everything.
“I think she considers herself fortunate enough to be in that industry, and even though it‘s an industry focused on celebrity, that’s not how she sees herself.”
2. Anna Bligh
Former Queensland premier Anna Bligh was a political powerhouse and true pioneer for women in politics, with her history-making career spurred by an abusive childhood.
Not only was Ms Bligh only the third female premier to serve in Australia, she was both Queensland’s first female education minister and premier.
The 37th Queensland premier said she was driven by a dichotomy of “psychological warfare” from a father who belittled the idea of women getting an education, and a mother who encouraged her in secret to chase her dreams through learning.
“She would often tell me that I had to be able to make my own way in the world and I should study hard to guard against becoming trapped like her,” Ms Bligh said.
“Proving him wrong became another powerful driving force for me to study and do well.”
Ms Bligh previously said taking on the role of premier came with pressures that were never before faced, simply because she was a woman.
“I felt the expectations of my gender on my shoulders. If I failed at this or I got something spectacularly wrong, it would not only be seen as ‘Anna Bligh’s hopeless’, but ‘ah, we knew women couldn’t do it’. My ups and downs would be used as a judgment on an entire gender,” Ms Bligh said.
“I don’t think that happens when men succeed or fail politically. It’s just seen that particular one is hopeless on that particular day.”
3. Bree Tomasel
What started as some hilarious little videos – often at the expense of her ever-patient mum, Dianne – has exploded into a thriving entertainment career for former Southern Downs girl Bree Tomasel.
The radio host built an army of social media fans through her witty video content, with more than 1 million followers across her platforms and some videos reaching over 19 million views.
The former Pozieres State School and Stanthorpe High student migrated to New Zealand in 2017 and has filled guest spots on Have You Been Paying AttentionNZ, 7 DAYS, and You Got This. She also hosted the popular Celebrity Treasure Island for four seasons and was voted New Zealand TV Personality of the Year last year.
Tomasel has said that when she was younger, she couldn’t have imagined what was ahead for her.
“I think growing up, radio was always the dream that I didn’t think was achievable,” she said.
“But after a lot of early mornings and living off rice and bread for a long time I‘m doing something that I really enjoy every day, it feels like I haven’t worked in three years.”
4. Delissa Kimmince
Homegrown cricket star Delissa Kimmince made her international debut in 2009 and has gone on to represent her country on the pitch more than 60 times, starting from when she was still in her teens.
The all-rounder led the Queensland Fire to the Women’s Twenty20 domestic championship in 2013-14 and took home the Most Valuable Player award.
She has also played for the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League, and secured a spot on the Australian squad for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
The accomplished athlete has said she didn’t realise when she was younger she was part of a “boy’s team”.
“I wasn’t able to get selected because there was no female manager,” Kimmince said.
“I would go to all these trials and trainings and there was no reward because I couldn’t get picked.”
Despite the early hurdles, Kimmince went on to excel in her chosen sport and establish a remarkable career that saw her play at elite levels of the game before her retirement in 2021.
The former Warwick girl also enjoyed a short stint with the Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s team in 2018.
5. Steph Hancock
After growing up watching her footy legend dad, Rohan on the field and cheering on the Killarney Cutters from the sidelines, Steph Hancock’s passion was ignited and she was destined for her own greatness in rugby league.
But that path to greatness involved trekking through a world that was not just dominated by men, but had no concept at that time of how to incorporate girls and women into it.
Hancock was a trailblazer, chasing her dreams from as young as nine when she became the first girl to play for Warwick’s Eastern Suburbs Junior Rugby League Club.
“I remember, for my first game, I had my hair tucked up in my headgear, and I scored four tries. A bloke came up to my dad afterwards and told him, ‘Mark my words, that young bloke out there, he’ll play rep footy one day’.”
“My old man turned around and said, ‘Mate, that’s my daughter’.”
Her stint was restricted to three seasons due to being unable to compete in the older age groups.
“I wish I had a pathway in rugby league at that time,” she said.
“Now, times have changed, and there are so many more opportunities for women to be involved in the sport. When you listen to people talk about women’s footy, they enjoy watching it more than the men’s.”
Despite being robbed of the chance to play the sport she loves in those pivotal years, Hancock has paved the way for other girls to be able to do what she wasn’t allowed.
She has played 16 State of Origins, captained the Australia women’s national rugby league team the Jillaroos, played for the Brisbane Broncos St George Illawarra and the Gold Coast Titans, and alongsider her dad was the first father-daughter duo to represent Queensland and Australia in rugby league.
Hancock retired from representative footy in 2020 and now serves as a Queensland police officer.
6. PL Travers
The woman who would one day give the world the timeless literary giant that is Mary Poppins would enjoy bedtime stories in her earliest years, read by her father in their home in Herbert Street, Allora.
The Allora childhood home of Helen Lyndon Goff, who wrote under the pen name PL Travers, was immortalised in the 2014 Disney film Saving Mr Banks, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.
Her father, Travers Goff managed the Australian Joint Stock Bank, which is the heritage-listed property now known as the Mary Poppins house.
Although Travers’ time in Allora was short, her impact on the world through Mary Poppins has inspired a devoted following and resounding admiration for the woman behind the story.
Visitors have travelled from all over for a tour of the historic property and the community has a strong connection and admiration for the writer.
7. Deborah Hutton
One of Australia’s most recognisable media identities, Deborah Hutton, spent a chunk of her childhood in an apple packing shed in Stanthorpe before leaving to pursue a career in modelling.
She appeared on the cover of cult beauty magazine Cosmopolitan when she was 16, before snagging lucrative overseas modelling contracts in fashion meccas including Italy and New York.
Hutton was the face of Myer Grace Bros for more than a decade, before later scoring TV co-hosting roles centred on beauty and fashion, and being named the beauty editor for Women’s Weekly.
The style guru has own homewares range, At Home with Deborah Hutton, and has been a spokesman for companies including Olay Regenerist, Holden, and Qantas.
8. Clare McMeniman
Former Warwick West State School student Clare McMeniman started her netball journey in the primary school competition, but her commitment and hard work meant it would take her to the top tiers of the sport.
McMeniman served as Australian Diamonds captain in the three-test series against England in 2016, while teammate and fellow Southern Downs product Laura Geitz was being rested.
McMeniman played for the Queensland Firebirds between 2007 and 2016, and was part of the Australian team that won bronze at the 2005 World Youth Netball Championships. She captained Australia to a win in the 2016 Netball Quad Series, and retired from netball after leading the Australian team to victory in the 2016 Constellation Cup.
9. Charlotte Caslick
Charlotte Caslick is bringing female strength to the male-dominated sport of rugby, busting stereotypes and earning a huge following along te way.
As well as being one of the biggest names in the sport, Caslick has generated a huge social media fanbase that allows her to empower the future generation of female players.
The Olympic gold medallist, who lives in Stanthorpe with her fiance and fellow rugby star Lewis Holland, recently said she was aware of her influence and the importance of empowering her fellow players.
“In women’s rugby when I first started, there were a lot of stereotypes about what players looked like, what their interests were, what their sexuality was, what their body type was, what they wore, how they wore their hair, but it has really shifted over the past 10 years, and nobody cares about any of that stuff,” she said.
“We are a sisterhood, and we talk a lot about that. I like to lead by example, so I talk with the girls about the importance of caring for each other. When we are playing we have to put our bodies on the line for each other, we have to protect each other, so together we are a pretty strong machine.”
11. Sister Elizabeth Kenny
When she broke her wrist falling from a horse at age 17, Elizabeth Kenny began reading her treating doctor’s anatomy books and talking to him about ways of treating polio.
She had no formal training in the medical field but had worked in a maternity hospital in Guyra before out of her father’s Nobby home.
She later opened a home hospital in Clifton, where she treated wounded soldiers returning from World War I, and where she pioneered new methods for treating polio and cerebral palsy.
Her work saw her targeted and ridiculed for being a “quack” and “charlatan”, but after a demonstration at the renowned Mayo Clinic in 1942, Kenny was teaching doctors and physiotherapists around the world.
12. Laura Geitz
Laura Geitz is the local athletic machine adored by young girls not only in the Southern Downs, but right across Australia.
From her incredible skills on the court, to her warm smile and determination, the former Firebirds captain has become one of the most popular and recognisable faces of the sport.
The now mum of four played 71 Tests, led Australia to victory at the 2015 World Cup in Sydney, guided the Diamonds to the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and represented her country at three Commonwealth Games.
She was also a part of the Australian side that won gold at the 2011 World Cup in Singapore.
The Allora Sports Museum recently unveiled a statue to the sporting legend, in honour of her contribution to not only the sport, but the community.
13. Katie Bickford
Former Scots PGC Katie Bickford was appointed the first female director of the Brisbane Broncos in 2011, in what was just one of a laundry list of incredible achievements for the businesswoman.
Ms Bickford also served on the Baseball Federation Board for seven years.
Mother and Freestone resident Gloria Parker told the Warwick Daily News in 2011 she was increasingly proud of her daughter.
“I have encouraged (my children Katie and Brinsley) to always better themselves and to apply themselves in everything,” she said.
“They‘ve just been wonderful children.”
Ms Bickford also represented Australia in polo, forged a successful career in both print and television journalism (including a stint at the Daily News), taught equestrian and speech, helped restore an old homestead, held senior advisory roles with government, and led a $3 billion redevelopment of the RNA Showgrounds.
14. Elizabeth Usher
Former Warwick High School student Elizabeth Usher was the first person in Queensland to study speech therapy and would later be instrumental in establishing a course at the University of Queensland for training other therapists.
Usher, who also taught at Warwick Central from 1928 to 1946, worked with returned World War II soldiers who were injured, after losing her own fiance in combat.
She was the first speech therapists to work full time at what is now the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
After much negotiation, petitioning and work by Usher, a university course in speech therapy was established in 1962 and Usher became a lecturer.
A statute in her honour remains at the university.
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Originally published as International Women’s Day: Warwick region’s biggest female success stories
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