Proud achievers honoured

Cairns women of year award winners come from all walks of life with inspirational stories to share

l CAIRNS

| Isabella Guzman

Gonzalez

SMALL business owner and mental health advocate Jo Piggott has received the 2023 Cairns Woman of the Year award for her work through the women’s support group Your Tribe Walk + Talk.

Ms Piggott was presented the award at the International Women’s Day event at the Pullman International Hotel on March 8.

Your Tribe was founded in 2019 to provide a safe space for women from all backgrounds to talk about everything. The group, which has surpassed 760 members, organises walks, hikes and workshops to connect and empower women.

Ms Piggott said the support of women had led her to win Cairns Woman of the Year.

“I feel humbled and very proud that I had women that stood beside me and helped me on this journey to create this supportive community,” she said.

“I was critically ill in 2018. Lots of women reached out to me while I was in hospital; once I was out, I wanted to give back to the community, so I started Your Tribe Walk + Talk, a free community initiative.

“When we started, there was just one walk a week, and now we’ve grown to 15 walks a week with 15 walk leaders; we also have dinners and discussions, lots of social connections and retreats.”

Mayoress Claire Manning, who presented the award, said Your Tribe had tremendously succeeded in bringing women together in an inclusive setting.

“Jo’s leadership skills have been instrumental to the success of Your Tribe,” Ms Manning said.

“As well as guiding the group herself, she has encouraged and empowered other women to lead walks, making the group remain relevant and sustainable.

“The group has now grown to more than 760 local women; a strong a, connected network that supports and encourages women to be their best selves.”

Ms Piggott said it was crucial to have safe spaces for women to be themselves and to communicate without judgment.

“I love watching the women grow; we all support each other,” she said. “It’s so important to have a safe space, I didn’t realise when I started this how many people needed this, and that’s why the group keeps growing.

“It’s a private group on Facebook, so it’s always amazing to see how many people have reached out, and now we’ve rebranded with some teal shirts, so we’re getting a lot of women coming over and starting conversations.

“This is my passion; I love watching everybody connect.”

Passionate netballer Ashleigh Meikle, 17, received the 2023 Young Woman of the Year in recognition of her efforts on and off the court.

Ms Meikle said she did not expect to win the award.

“I honestly didn’t expect it; it’s mind-blowing,” she said. “Many young girls do so much for the community, so receiving this award feels surreal.”

The Cairns State High School student has represented Peninsula and Cairns at state competitions and has gone into coaching, mentoring and umpiring. Ms Meikle was recognised by her club, the North Cairns Tigers, as Coach of the Year in 2022 after guiding the U14 team to finals.

“When I was younger, I had a lot of role models and coaches that I loved, and I wanted to be one of those coaches that kids look up to,” Ms Meikle said.

Cairns African Association president Anna Jones received the Recognition Award, worth $2000, for her advocacy and support of refugees and migrants in adapting to life in Cairns.

Ms Jones also founded the Maisha Bora Program in 2019, which helps migrants and refugees integrate into the community, linking them to services and encouraging them to take on volunteer and mentoring roles.

“I’m excited for this award because it shows we can recognise the women, the settled refugees, the migrants and my sisters from Africa,” she said.

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Artist Mali Smedts’ created a dress inspired by the hickory horned caterpillar. Picture: Supplied

Talented new artists on show

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THE Flame 2023: International Women’s Day Exhibition at the Tanks is a celebration of local talent resulting from a mentorship program for young female artists.

Mentor Keelie Nicholls said Flame was establishing a network of young female artists.

“Flame is a platform that gives young artists a chance to create a network within the art community, to exhibit their work professionally and to explore their arts practice freely,” Ms Nicholls said.

“The mentees have no set guidelines or rules; they’re given complete freedom to create however they want to create.”

Mali Smedts, 17, said Flame allowed her to explore her passion for fashion and costuming.

“For my work, I did two pieces; I made a dress and a print of it where I dressed up as this sort of character,” Ms Smedts said. The dress is based on the hickory horned caterpillar, which I was very inspired by the silhouette of it and wanted to translate that and create a character around the caterpillar,” she said.

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