Since it was established in 1996, SWAN has assisted countless women to pursue their own social justice journeys. One avenue for doing so was via generous donations made by members to fund bursaries to help young women to complete their education. Initially, small ‘Community Participation Encouragement’ Awards were given to encourage local school students to take up training in public speaking, public presentation and media management. The inaugural recipient of this youth award in 2005 was Bonnie Einseidel, who remains an active SWAN member to this day.
Between 2011-2023, more substantive bursaries were given through Graduate Women Victoria, to support low-income students to undertake tertiary studies leading to careers in human rights, equity and social justice. Several of these Award recipients came from First Nations communities.
INFORMATION ABOUT PREVIOUS SWAN BURSARIESAND AWARDS
2011 – 2024: Bursaries awarded through Graduate Women Victoria (GWV) to support the studies of tertiary students who were pursuing careers in human rights/social justice
2023: Rachael Thompson ($3,500) – Masters of Human Rights Law, University of Melbourne.
“My path took a turn about 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I declined significantly both mentally and physically and was unsure what the future would hold. Through years of my healing journey, I am grateful to have found a new kind of ‘self’. A self that wants to contribute to progressing a more inclusive society. After some experience in disability support work, I found my place in the disability advocacy sector, where I have combined my law expertise and lived experience. I never thought I would be able to return to study, but my determination and stubbornness won. The last four years have been a rollercoaster with many challenges. I have come from nearly giving up on the course, to celebrating big wins like getting an article published in the Australian Journal of Human Rights addressing challenges about the NDIS reviews and appeals system. I recently had the incredible experience of completing an international internship with Inclusion International, who advocate globally for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. This experience fuelled my passion to contribute to a more inclusive society, where people with intellectual disabilities are co-creators of shaping policies and laws in areas that impact them.
I am so grateful for all the people who have directly and indirectly supported me on this journey. It is such an honour to receive the SWAN Bursary Award. It is beyond the financial benefit, for me, it is the recognition of inclusion.
2022: Nicole Holding ($3,500) – Honours thesis in prenatal care in the rural United States (1910-29) finding that maternal and infant mortality rates in the US at that time were the highest in the industrial world and that they continue to be among the worst. Her Masters thesis focuses on the faith-based practices of African American midwives and Black women in the same time period.
Throughout life I have been an avid scholar, particularly in women’s studies, whether that be in the field of science or history. Initially, I started my career as a Registered Nurse, working primarily in the operating theatre and midwifery, then moving on to breast cancer research. It was when I developed cancer myself, leaving me with mobility issues, that I needed to change careers. I went back to Monash University and focused on a history major. In 2020, I completed my honours thesis in prenatal care in the rural United States 1910-1929, in which I was lucky enough to have access to a trove of letters written by poor, rural women to the US government demanding better access to prenatal care. The maternal and infant mortality rates in the US at that time were the highest in the industrial world and continue to this day to be among the worst. Currently, my Master’s thesis expands on this topic by focusing on the faith-based practices of African American midwives and Black women in the same time period.
Despite my work focusing on the US my research and analysis is important for women of all societies, especially those living in rural areas and from minority groups. Research indicates that the monopolisation of childbirth by medical practitioners, a lack of midwifery-based care, and the undermining of women’s faith in childbirth practices leads to greater birth trauma and higher death rates among mothers and babies, particularly in areas that have limited access to maternal care. I hope to continue with a PhD on birth control and abortion among African American women in the early twentieth century US. A pertinent topic considering the antiabortion laws now dominating the US.
I would like to thank GWV and SWAN for this bursary.
Update from Nicole in 2023: I received the SWAN bursary in 2022. I just wanted to let you know that I finished my MA and received 90% from Examiner A and 85% from Examiner B with an overall mark of 88%. I am currently applying for my PhD at Monash in history. Many thanks and thanks to SWAN.
2021: Hannah Petocz ($3,500) – Masters degree at La Trobe University exploring the long-term impact of abusive intimate partner relationships and the social structures perpetuating it within Australia.
I experienced an abusive intimate partner relationship for the first three years of my 20s, which has significantly shaped my life. Due to this abuse, I developed a severe anxiety disorder, involving frequent panic attacks, and lost all sense of trust in both myself and others. I started university after the relationship ended and fell in love with social science. However, the process of my education has been slow; interrupted with several breaks in order to tend to my mental health. Despite these significant challenges, I maintained a high grade-point average and achieved first class honours.
My experience with intimate partner violence allowed me to cultivate a passion for gender equality and women’s rights, for which I am extremely grateful.
My current Masters by Research Thesis explores the social structures perpetuating dating violence within Australia, and the impact dating violence has on young Australian women. I have conducted empirical research involving both qualitative and quantitative analyses of online survey responses from 79 young Australian women (18-26). I use a feminist theoretical perspective to argue the patriarchal structure of Australian society encourages dating violence to perpetuate uninterrupted through patterns of silencing, normalising, and excusing of abuse against young women. My study also argues the impact of dating violence on young women’s lives is extremely influential and long-lasting, with education, employment, personal identity, and future relationships being key areas negatively affected. This research project has a great deal to offer by providing a detailed and comprehensive understanding of dating violence, informed by the direct experiences of young Australian women and by simultaneously being grounded in my own experience with abuse.
Following the successful completion of my Masters degree, I plan to secure a PhD position exploring the topic of the ‘continuum’ of dating violence – as experienced both through technology and in-person, with a particular interest in the effect dating violence has on young women’s higher education. In addition to my Masters degree, I am also currently working on outreach opportunities to synthesise my research into bite-sized information accessible to young women through social media platforms; developing my Master’s thesis into a journal article; and building social support and a sense of community for Master’s and PhD students within my department in my role as a HDR representative.
I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to both Graduate Women Victoria and the Southern Women’s Action Network for the honour of this scholarship, and the support it has provided me in completing my studies and furthering my efforts to fight against gender inequality and violence against women and girls.
2020: Chloe Waddell ($3,500) – Post-graduate study at the Australian Catholic University in Educational and Developmental Psychology.
2019: Robyn Oxley ($3,500) – M.A. in Criminology at Monash University, with a focus on Pre and Post release support programs for Aboriginal offenders and self-determination within the present programs.
Robyn Oxley, a SWAN winner in 2019, has continued to be a prolific publisher, volunteered as an assessor for the scholarship program in 2020 and in the same year was appointed as a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Western Sydney.
2021 news Robyn has been appointed to a Lectureship in Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydney: “With a background in Aboriginal affairs within the criminal justice system and self-determination, Ms Oxley will lecture in social sciences, policing and criminology. As one of the few Indigenous criminologists in Australia, Ms Oxley hopes more Indigenous people will explore this career path.”
Members may remember Robyn’s impressive speech to the 2019 AGM. Despite our regret at her loss to Victoria, we congratulate her on this appointment and wish her every success in her future career.
2011-2014: Bursaries to support the studies of First Nations women
2011 Olivia Slater – Mature age student studying Indigenous Studies at Victoria University. Olivia later became a Charlie Perkins Scholar (2016), graduated with a MPhil in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University, and went on to undertake a PhD in Education also at Cambridge.
2012 Sarah Stephens – Teacher of mathematics.
2013 Penelope Scott – Master of Employment and Labour Law at The University of Melbourne.
2014 Jennifer O’Sullivan ($2,500) – Masters degree student from Federation University.
2004-2007: SWAN Community Participation Encouragement Awards
This bursary, valued at $300, aimed to encourage young women aged between 16-26 years to take up training of their choice in the fields of public speaking, public presentation and media management. Between 2005 and 2007 six bursaries were awarded to school students and one to a young woman, aged 23.
2005: Bonnie Einsiedel (2005), put the funds towards an intensive French course after which she lived in France for five years, qualified as a translator and later became a live captioner of news bulletins for the Deaf community in Australia.
2006: Three bursaries were awarded. Chloe John completed a B.A. and a Law degree and was admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria as a Juris Doctor. She worked with Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in both the Aboriginal Partnerships and Engagement Team and the Self-Determination Reform Unit. Her career also involved her in the Manus Island Detention Centre Class Action and traumatic Court of Appeal decisions. She has volunteered with community legal centres, including the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, and provided policy assistance with the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care.
The other two recipients were Amelia Travers who used her award to support her participation in a European Space Camp in Norway and assisted Jacqui Hollandto further her involvement in environmental and social justice issues by attending a ‘Strengths in Action’ workshop at Deakin Management Centre. In addition to these youth bursaries, SWAN donated $200 to local young woman Elise Klein, the Australian Youth representative to the United Nations General Assembly to assist with her travel expenses.
2007: The final bursary recipients were Ellie Brown and Stella Thurbon.
Southern Women's Action Network 