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WomanGoing Places

A social enterprise advocating for economic security and social inclusion of Australian women aged 50+.

We campaign against the discrimination and general invisibility women 50+ face.
We spotlight the growing number facing impoverishment and homelessness.

We tells the stories of women 50+ who are re-defining how women age.

Support us to remain accessible to all women and to grow our advocacy.

SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive latest posts in your inbox.

SUPPORT Choose HERE the amount you wish to contribute.

Stories of Australian Women

What we are talking about…

Places

What we are talking about…

Susan Sontag - 'On Women'

On Women Ageing

“For most women ageing means a humiliating process of gradual sexual disqualification.” Susan Sontag

Second wave feminists in the late 20th century simply did not see older women. We were essentially advocating for feminism for younger women. Older women were invisible to us, just as now that we are older, we have become invisible to the rest of society.

But there was one woman who in 1972 did write about women ageing. It was Susan Sontag, a highly esteemed and controversial American essayist, critic, novelist and filmmaker.
June 25, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

I Won’t Celebrate International Women’s Day 2024

I have been a feminist all my adult life. In my personal and professional life I have campaigned to fight discrimination against women.

But now I won't be celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 as I choose not to identify with international women's organisations.

You see, I don’t believe you can ever ‘contextualize’ rape. I don’t believe you can ever ‘contextualize’ sexual atrocities. I don’t believe that ‘by any means’ can justify the sexual brutalisation of women. And yet this is precisely what has happened regarding the rape, sexual atrocities and massacre of Israeli girls and women by Hamas on October 7th.

Now, 5 months after October 7th, a report to the U.N. Secretary-General by the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict has finally confirmed widespread sexual violence by Hamas during its October 7 attacks, as well as ongoing sexual violence against Israeli women hostages.
March 8, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

Brutal Consequences of Gender Pay Gap

The long term consequences of the gender pay gap are brutal. There is a direct connection between unequal pay and the rapidly escalating numbers of women aged 50+ becoming impoverished and homeless in Australia. 

Too many women in the workforce face a grim reality. They must be aware that despite leading exemplary lives dedicated to their work and their families, they are more likely than men to end up on society’s scrapheap.
March 3, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

Dr. Lowitja O’Donoghue: Against All Odds

We need to take the time to reflect on the heroism of Dr. Lowitja O’Donoghue who passed away on 4 February aged 91.

Consider the odds against her.

She was stolen from her Aboriginal mother when she was only two years old in 1932.
Lowitja was stolen from her siblings and her extended family.
Her identity was stolen from her when she was forcibly placed in a mission home, her name anglicised.
Her heritage and her culture were stolen from her as she was prohibited from speaking her own language and removed from contact with her mother or with any Indigenous community.
Her agency was stolen from her as she was left alone and powerless.
Her education and prospects were stolen from her as she was trained for a life of servitude.
Her sense of self worth was stolen from her as she was repeatedly told by the matron of the home that she would never amount to anything.

And yet.

Against impossible odds, Lowitja O’Donoghue took her place as a truly great Australian woman.
February 9, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

Why Is The Israel-Hamas War Different From Other Wars?

The Hamas-Israel war that began on October 7 2023 is a war different from other wars in the modern era. It is a war in which women are a strategic target.  It is a war spearheaded by sexual violence. Female casualties are not ‘collateral damage’, the unintended consequences of war. They were designated by Hamas as military and political objectives.

Since Hamas launched its assault on Israel on October 7, it has succeeded in winning multiple victories despite not winning any military victory.

Its victories stem from its use and abuse of women.

Israel’s losses stem in part from its failure to listen to women.
January 21, 2024/by Augustine Zycher
Press Conference of Families of Israeli Hostages on Day 59 of the War. "Time has run out for the hostages - they have no time left, no food and no air".

The Power of the People

October 7th had a transformative impact on Israeli society. But it was probably not the impact that Hamas had intended when it launched its meticulously planned massacre of 1200 Israeli civilians and the taking of 240 hostages. A key element of the Hamas plan was the assault on Israeli women and girls. “The torture of women was weaponized to destroy communities, to destroy a people, to destroy a nation,” said Cochav Elkayam Levy, the head of a nongovernmental commission investigating crimes of murder, rape, sexual atrocities, beheading and mutilation perpetrated by Hamas. 

But instead of destroying a nation, it unleashed a dramatic upsurge in ‘the power of the people’ civic activism and an intensification of solidarity amongst Israelis. 
December 5, 2023/by Augustine Zycher

The Moral Clarity of Marcia Langton

Indigenous leader, Professor Marcia Langton, has expressed once again the moral clarity at the core of courageous leadership in her article on the Hamas-Israeli war.

“ The loss of thousands of lives in Gaza is unjustifiable. I condemn Hamas. I am horrified and deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the Levant, the Israelis who were murdered and kidnapped by Hamas and the innocent Palestinians who are being used as human shields by Hamas.

As an Indigenous Australian, I can have little effect in stopping these horrors but it is necessary to be clear about a few matters.

'Blak sovereignty' advocates have entwined two extraordinary propositions - one that is simply untrue and one that is a moral outrage.

Our Jewish and Palestinian communities deserve respect and compassion. "
November 17, 2023/by Augustine Zycher

The Sophisticated Strategy of Barbarism

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, had been meticulously planned for over a year. It was the expression of a sophisticated strategy designed to implement barbarism as a means of achieving Hamas’ political goals. The primary goal of Hamas, as part of  the regional alliance led by Iran and its other proxies Hezbollah and the Houthis, is to bring permanent war to all Israel’s borders in order to " annihilate Israel ".   

The timing was targeted to shatter a trilateral deal between the U.S, Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise relations and change the face of the Middle East. 

There are 5 key elements to the Hamas strategy of barbarism.
November 9, 2023/by Augustine Zycher

Older Women – Targets of Hamas

Never before have I had to tell the stories of older women designated as targets for terrorism and hostage taking. This is what happened in Israel on October 7th. Older women were not the only target of Hamas, but they were a deliberate target.

There were many older Israeli women amongst the 1,400 massacred on that day. There are also many older women amongst the estimated 250 hostages Hamas took to Gaza. Whole groups of 80 year-olds were abducted.

The New York Times reported that Hamas documents at the scenes of the massacres revealed that it was a meticulously planned assault with precisely designated targets. The objective of the heavily armed Hamas militia was not to battle with Israeli soldiers. It was to kill as many civilians as possible, in their homes and at the music festival, and take large numbers as hostages.
October 19, 2023/by Augustine Zycher
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WomanGoing Places

A social enterprise advocating for economic security and social inclusion of Australian women aged 50+.

We campaign against the discrimination and general invisibility women 50+ face.
We spotlight the growing number facing impoverishment and homelessness.

We tells the stories of women 50+ who are re-defining how women age.

Support us to remain accessible to all women and to grow our advocacy.

SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive latest posts in your inbox.

SUPPORT Choose HERE the amount you wish to contribute.

Stories of Australian Women

Leading Australian women share their favourite stories

Patricia McPherson (Part 4) – A Pioneering Life

By 1972, Patricia McPherson had finished a decade of work in the Kimberley region of Western Australia,first as a sister at the AIM Hospital Fitzroy Crossing, and then as the pioneer of itinerant nursing in the Aboriginal camps.
Her Kimberley experiences had left her with two life-changing consequences.

One was her realisation that she wanted to dedicate her professional life to community health.

The second consequence was the meeting between Sister Pat, a legend of a nurse, and Luke McCall, the legendary outback stockman. Their lifelong friendship endured across the continent of Australia and across time.
November 20, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

Sister Pat (Part 3) – Swept Away in the Big Wet

The weather was one of the most formidable challenges Sister Patricia McPherson faced in the Kimberley region of Western Australia when she was a nurse in Fitzroy Crossing. Indeed, the Big Wet of 1966-67 almost took her life. Two seasons dominated the region. The Dry at its zenith, with its dust and searing heat that drained everyone of all energy by mid-morning and reached temperatures so extreme that her thermometer exploded. The Wet, that lasted around three months, flooded and cut off Fitzroy Crossing from all access outgoing and incoming except for the occasional emergency helicopter. 
August 15, 2024/by Rosalie Zycher

Patricia McPherson (Part 2) – Becoming Sister Pat

In 1966, Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia had the highest Indigenous infant mortality rate in the entire state, as well as a signifiant number of hospital admissions of Indigenous peoples. Patricia McPherson, a young nurse, was tasked with reducing this rate.

Extraordinarily, within 3 years, she succeeded in almost eliminating Indigenous infant mortality in the region.

Pat did this by driving daily out to the Indigenous camps attached to the vast cattle stations and treating people from the tailgate of her car.

Pat pioneered and established the Itinerant Child Care Service in the West Kimberley. It became a template for public health nursing services to other remote areas of Western Australia.

In 1970, Patricia McPherson received the British Empire Medal for her pioneering work in the Fitzroy River region.
July 18, 2024/by Augustine Zycher

Patricia McPherson (Part 1) – ‘Sister Pat’ A Legend Of A Nurse

In 1963, 25 year-old nurse, Patricia McPherson, crossed Australia’s vast continent from her home in pastoral Gippsland in Victoria to arrive at Fitzroy Crossing, a tiny remote settlement in the centre of Western Australia’s rugged Kimberley region.

Nurse McPherson became ‘Sister Pat’, a legend of a nurse who pioneered itinerant nursing and transformed the delivery of health services to a vast region of Australia’s outback, and set the template for public health nursing that was adopted statewide.

Pat McPherson’s story is one of exceptional service and far-reaching achievements.

But it’s also a story of great adventure. It is a remarkable Australian story.
June 5, 2024/by Rosalie Zycher

WomanGoingPlaces interviews Professor Kim Rubenstein

Professor Kim Rubenstein has become a popular guest on programs such as Q&A because she clearly articulates how the Australian Constitution impacts on the most important issues we face as a nation and as individuals. So when she announced in August the she had formed her own political party, Kim For Canberra, and would run for the Senate, her candidacy was welcomed by many. 

WomanGoingPlaces has a special interest in spotlighting the stories of Australian women aged 50+ and so we interviewed Professor Rubenstein recently on her candidacy, goals and vision.
September 19, 2021/by Augustine Zycher

Michelle Garnaut – My Top 5 Places in Australia

For centuries, empires, governments and global companies have vied with each other in displays of wealth, grandeur and power along the Bund in Shanghai. For close to a quarter of a century, one Australian woman has maintained her position on the Bund with no power other than the power of her reputation.

Michelle Garnaut, CEO of the M Restaurant Group, has established restaurants and lounges that have pioneered independent fine dining in both China and Hong Kong.
December 9, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Rosie Batty AO – My Top 5 Places in Australia

Rosie Batty made Australia listen.

Her son, Luke aged 11, was with his father playing cricket in the park when his father walked over to him and killed him.
In expressing her personal grief, Rosie compelled us to see that family violence was our business. She made us see that the plight of thousands of women and children could one day be our plight, or that of someone close to us.
September 11, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Maureen Wheeler – My Top 5 Places In Australia

Maureen Wheeler AO is a pioneer of landmark enterprises in both travel and in the cultural life of Melbourne.

She was the co-founder, with her husband Tony, of Lonely Planet books - guides as indispensable to travellers as their backpacks or suitcases.
Maureen was also the co-founder of the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne. This centre for books, writing and ideas played a critical role in Melbourne achieving its status as a UNESCO designated City of Literature.
April 21, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Fabian Dattner – My Top 5 Places in Australia

" You have to have a beard to be a leader in Antarctica." It was this statement that sparked the indignation and the imagination of Fabian Dattner and led to an unprecedented expedition of 75 women scientists to Antarctica.
February 17, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Maestro Simone Young – My Top 5 Places in Australia

Maestro Simone Young AM is one of the world’s great opera and concert orchestra conductors. She has been called a ‘superconductor’, a conductor whose elegance and power, strength and sensitivity on the podium inspire her orchestra. She is a highly esteemed interpreter of the works of Wagner and Strauss, Mahler, Bruckner and Brahms, as well as those of contemporary composers.
July 4, 2016/by Rosalie Zycher

Polixeni Papapetrou – My Top 5 Places in Australia

When photographic artist Polixeni Papapetrou chose her 5 favourite places to visit in Australia, they were not just travel destinations. They were landscapes that captured her imagination and inspired her to transform them into her art. Dramatically beautiful, they are insightful and unsettling works.
July 3, 2016/by Augustine Zycher

Professor Marcia Langton AO – My Top 5 Places in Australia

Professor Marcia Langton AM is an anthropologist and geographer and holds the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. She is a strong Indigenous leader with an unwavering commitment to achieve justice for her people.
May 27, 2016/by Augustine Zycher
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WomanGoing Places

A social enterprise advocating for economic security and social inclusion of Australian women aged 50+.

We campaign against the discrimination and general invisibility women 50+ face.
We spotlight the growing number facing impoverishment and homelessness.

We tells the stories of women 50+ who are re-defining how women age.

Support us to remain accessible to all women and to grow our advocacy.

SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive latest posts in your inbox.

SUPPORT Choose HERE the amount you wish to contribute.

Places

Our Top Places in Japan

WomanGoingPlaces has chosen some of the places we saw as first-time visitors to Japan that became our Top Places in Japan.
These are to be found on 4 different islands of Japan - Honshu, Miyajima, Hokkaido and Shikoku. The choices are arranged according to islands and not in order of favourites.
March 3, 2017/by Rosalie Zycher

Hokkaido – the Northern Island of Japan

Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands gives you a sense of space, of wilderness and of untamed nature, thanks largely to its many national parks and large stretches of uninhabited spaces. In winter, it becomes a wonderland of ice and snow and people flock to its ski resorts. Autumn arrives earlier in Hokkaido than in the rest of Japan, so you are more likely to see the turning of the leaves here first. Of all the wonderful sights and attractions of Hokkaido, its volcanoes and natural hot springs, are the most impressive.
January 27, 2017/by Rosalie Zycher

Japan’s Brilliant Bullet Train

Remarkably, Japanese trains have an annual average late arrival time of only 38 seconds!
The bullet train or Shinkansen that connects major centres, is a marvel. Travelling at up to 300km per hour, this sleek, white, green or red serpent of a train is whisper quiet and provides a smooth ride when you are inside. Outside, it appears as a rush of wind if you’re lucky enough to catch it passing at full speed.
January 24, 2017/by Rosalie Zycher

The Pleasures of a Japanese Toilet

The pleasures of the Japanese toilet are gaining worldwide attention. The BBC in its news today, made an announcement about toilets in Japan. And recently the New York Times ran a feature story on Japanese toilets. Why toilets would qualify as news might puzzle many - but it would not surprise those who have been to Japan.
Japanese toilets are quite ingenious.
January 19, 2017/by Rosalie Zycher

Ryokans in Japan

Ryokans in Japan have been described as national treasures. These traditional inns for travellers are located throughout the country. You can stay in Western-style hotels throughout Japan, but you would be missing out on very memorable and pleasurable experiences by not staying in a ryokan. Many hotels also offer you a choice of Western or Japanese-style rooms. The latter are similar to a room in a ryokan. These rooms tend to be larger than Western-style rooms which are often tiny.
January 13, 2017/by Rosalie Zycher

Onsen in Japan

Japan’s ubiquitous volcanoes frequently cause land and sea to shudder. But they are also the source of the healing waters of the Onsen, the public bath houses all over Japan that are often supplied with mineral water drawn from hot springs in volcanic craters.
Onsen have been part of Japanese life for millennia.
And one of the great delights of visiting Japan is staying in ryokans - traditional inns - with Onsen.
January 6, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Geisha in Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is the centre of Japan’s Geisha culture. There are almost 200 Geiko (Geisha) in Kyoto, making it the largest concentration in Japan. It is hard to find a Western equivalent for this exclusive profession. It combines the rigorous training and discipline of an elite ballet school and music academy, with the self-renunciation of a nunnery. Exquisitely costumed Geiko are sometimes seen along the narrow streets in the Gion quarter. Meeting a Maiko, a young woman in apprenticeship to become a Geiko, was one of the most memorable events of our time in Japan.
January 2, 2017/by Augustine Zycher

Autumn in Japan

WomanGoingPlaces chose to go to Japan in autumn in order to see the beauty of the autumn leaves.
Spring in Japan is a very popular time to visit because of the beauty of the cherry blossoms.
But it is also very brief. So it is hard to time your trip with any certainly of seeing blossom.
You will have better luck with autumn foliage.
December 23, 2016/by Augustine Zycher

Notes on Japan

WomanGoingPlaces visited Japan for the first time this year. As did 20 million other visitors. And with the summer Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo in 2020, this number is expected to soar with many more travelling to see the marvellous sights and rich experiences that Japan can offer.
December 22, 2016/by Augustine Zycher

Kakadu National Park – Jarrangbarnmi (Koolpin Gorge), Northern Territory

I had asked my daughter Genevieve, who lives in Darwin and works in surrounding Aboriginal communities, to take me to one of her favourite spots. She had heard of Jarrangbarnmi from friends and as it was a sacred site she thought it would be an ideal place to go to with her mum and sister Anna. I had always wanted to visit a sacred site as I am interested in Aboriginal culture and ways of relating to the environment.
October 24, 2016/by Rosalie Zycher

Donald Trump and “Crooked Hag” Hillary

Donald Trump’s lewdness towards young women has caused an uproar that looks set to end his chances of winning the presidency. By contrast, his attacks against Hillary as an older woman have barely drawn a murmur. Trump and his supporters have conducted a vicious campaign against Hillary using her age as a weapon against her. As though being an older woman is contemptible. They have played on negative stereotypes of old women and used scary, nursery rhyme images of witch-like women. “Crooked hag” is just the latest double-barrelled epithet they have hurled at her.
October 14, 2016/by Augustine Zycher
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