Today is International Women’s Day (March 8) and to celebrate Lutheran Care is sharing inspirational stories from five incredible women we have working in our organisation. 

Building on from a series of profiles last year, the features we have published in 2024 offer just a small insight into the many stories from across our strong female workforce.  

Today you will hear from Lutheran Care’s: 

• Financial Capability Worker – Phyllis Ricky 
• Operations Manager for Financial Wellbeing – Kelly Hughes 
• Receptionist/Administration Officer and Aboriginal Elder – Rachael Swan 
• Executive Manager Community Services – Susan Richards 
• Principal Clinical Lead for NDIS service Elcies Disability Care – Tamsin Petzer 

International Women’s Day is a global movement to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, as well as a call to action for all people to demand and action gender equality. This year’s UN theme is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.  

Achieving gender equality and women’s wellbeing in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet.  

The world is facing many crises, ranging from geopolitical conflicts to soaring poverty levels and the escalating impacts of climate change. These challenges can only be addressed by solutions that empower people from a variety of lived experiences – a seat at the table to better enrich our discussions, decision making and future outcomes for our societies.  

Today, we acknowledge that accelerated progression pathways are needed for women who may not have readily available access to such opportunity, and who are often biased with additional societal barriers of traditional roles and unique challenges face by women.  

By investing in all women, we can spark change and speed the transition towards a healthier, safer and more equal world for all. 

We hope you enjoy the following stories and join us as we celebrate all women on International Women’s Day 2024.  

	Phyllis Ricky – Financial Capability Worker, NT Financial Wellbeing “Be the best role model to others. Show that you care, be kind, be respectful and work hard at what you do and keep going.”
	Kelly Hughes – Operations Manager, Financial Wellbeing “Using my voice to advocate for those who can’t is what I love.”
	Rachael Swan – Receptionist/Administration Officer, Alice Springs Office “I won a grant to purchase a laptop, so I could learn how to use a computer and teach others. The end goal was to teach other Indigenous women how to manage their finances and to look after their families.”
	Susan Richards – Executive Manager, Community Services “I have much more I would like to achieve. I want to continue making a bit of difference to people’s lives and the things that are important to me.”
	Tamsin Petzer – Principal Clinical Lead, Elcies Disability Care “What I’ve been guided by is to advocate for what is right and ensure that your work aligns with your values. And if you work with integrity and compassion, do not accept anything less than to be valued for the work you produce.”