We are hosting an event on the evening of International Women's Day, 8 March, to reconnect everyone, celebrate life and have an inspirational discussion around this year's I.W.D. topic#EmbraceEquityWorking towards a world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We hope by hosting this event in the evening, more of our working women and mums can attend.
The incredible Leonie Marsh, the producer of many podcasts and films, will be moderating our panel of beloved locals (more details to come) on the night. We are in very safe hands for a robust and insightful discussion.
Come and enjoy a light supper by the vines, connect with other like-minded people and be inspired and educated by our guest speakers.
Everyone is welcome, so bring your best friend and have that long-overdue face-to-face catch-up, your teammates at work or a friend that could use a pick me up.
Tickets $45 (plus admin fees) include a cocktail or mocktail on arrival, canapes, grazing dinner and your chance to listen to wonderful, inspiring and educational speakers—lots of fun.
Tickets are on sale now!
Thank you to the Women's Connection of Ulladulla,Michelle Treweeke and Robyne Bamford (Niche Photographics) for their photos from previous events at Cupitt's Estate.
Meet the Panelists.
We have asked four beloved locals to participate in a panel discussion with Leonie Marsh, who inspires anyone who has met or listened to her podcasts.
Virginia Connor
Social worker Virginia Connor has spent thirty years in welfare services, including policy development in effective engagement and cooperative intervention strategies. Her interests include sociological perspectives on child protection and family functioning. She is the Co-Editor and Founder of the beloved local White Wash Magazine and has three sons and seven grandchildren (five girls and two boys).
Dean Howcroft
Dean has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and gets a real kick out of the creative process. That and his interest in cars and motorbikes led me to establish Picassos Workshop in 2015, a family-run automotive paint refinishing business with my brother now managing the workshop. Dean's life path has included being diagnosed with MS in 2005, which has been one hell of a journey with his family. He faces many daily challenges.
It's also given rise to his true passion, fostering conscious awakening and developing a solid tribe by building community strength and resilience. Most of his time is now spent on initiatives that will make a positive difference in the world. He has been a part of the community grassroots environmental movement Treading Lightly, hosting and producing its podcast. He also co-founded the local group Better Together and facilitated its monthly men's group called The Men's Council. He believes our future lies in reconnection with ourselves and each other and, ultimately, a reconnection to country and Mother Earth.
Marita Smith
Marita is an author, editor, and gourmet mushroom grower. After finishing a PhB (Hons) in Science at the Australian National University, she worked as a paleobiogeochemist in the Netherlands. She then vagabonded her way across Europe, working on small farms. She now lives in a tiny house on the NSW South Coast, where she writes young adult science fiction, cultures bioluminescent fungi, and hangs out with her donkey, Mindy.
Trish Butler
Trish Butler and her husband Noel Butler, a Budawang Elder of the Yuin Nation, are the founders of Nura Gunyu, a cultural education centre near Ulladulla on the south coast of New South Wales. Trish has worked with children and adults, Indigenous and non-Indigenous guests, to foster cultural awareness, acceptance and a richer understanding of Indigenous Australia.
Trish is a singer-songwriter who has created cultural stories through song, music and dance. Trish is publishing two children's books building on the success of an album of children's music she recorded by Keith Potger produced from The Seekers, and a follow-up album is on the way. Trish and Noel have dedicated their lives to storytelling and education. The Butlers have created cross-cultural performances, food and other exploratory work that has taken them worldwide to share the values and the richness of their understanding of this land and its people.
Our Moderator: Leonie Marsh
Our beloved and gracious host is Leonie Marsh, we asked some questions to Leonie about the upcoming event, and you can read that interviewHERE.
Leonie Marsh is an Australian film and podcast producer in Yuin Country, NSW, South Coast. She was a co-founding partner and producer of Arcadia, a film production, distribution and event cinema company established in 2016. From 2007 - 2013 she was based in London, working at Matthew Vaughn's MARV Films. During that time, she worked on numerous studio pictures, including Kick-Ass (Chloe Grace Moretz), The Debt (Helen Mirren) and X-Men: First Class (Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender). Her final credit at MARV was Co-Producer on Kick-Ass 2 (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
Upon her return to Sydney, Leonie produced various short films, including The Aquarium (Best Screenplay, St Kilda Film Festival 2016), and The Beehive(Tribeca Film Festival 2017), both written & directed by Jacobie Gray and Outbreak Generation, written & directed by Brooke Goldfinch (Sydney Film Festival 2017).
Leonie founded the Screen Vixens (a female-identifying screen producers collective) in 2015, was Treasurer for WIFT NSW in 2016 (Women in Film & Television), and received the Natalie Miller Brilliant Careers Leadership Program 2017. She is a Finalist in this year's Women's Agenda Emerging Leadership Awards, Arts & Entertainment Category. She also runs Milton Work Hub, a co-working space in Yuin Country.
Leonie completed The Writers Studio Unlocking Creativity Online Course in 2018 and was selected for Seth Godin's AltMBA in 2020. She has written for various publications, including White Wash Magazine and Comunete. Her most recent feature, Dark Whispers Vol 1, is a women's horror anthology created by Megan Riakos (iTunes, SBS on demand).
Her podcasts include Unpaused by Judith Stewart, Dispatch To A Friend S1 by Annabelle Hickson and Gillian Bell (iTunes Best of 2018 podcasts), In The Kitchen Garden At Glenmore House by Mickey Robertson; Wellbeing Gets Real™ Conversations by Charlotte Jameson, Well Nice by Nia Pejsak, Lucy Doherty-Cole and Lizzie Bland, Lettuce Chat with her sister Liz Ford and Secret Happy Podcast by Turia Pitt.
