International Women’s Day: Bayside Women Who Inspire Us

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a marker for women’s achievements everywhere. It puts a spotlight on the worldwide goal of social, economic and political equality for women, and to celebrate, C&G have highlighted the successful careers of three accomplished women whose careers were influenced by the beautiful Melbourne area of Bayside.

Renee Geyer

Singer / Songwriter

Rock historian Ian McFarlane describes Renee Geyer as having ‘a rich, soulful, passionate and husky vocal delivery.’ Indeed, Renee Geyer is famous for her jazz, soul and R&B tunes, and as a solo female artist, she knows as well as anyone that ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s World!’ Renee’s vocals are highly coveted worldwide, with artists like Sting, Toni Childs and Joe Cocker featuring her voice as backing vocals on a range of chart-toppers. Renee was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, but made a full-recovery and is considered by many as a contemporary national treasure of the Australian music industry.

Mirka Mora

Contemporary Artist

While Mirka Mora is a French-born artist, her Australian upbringing means that her contributions to the national art world are distinctly local, and her paintings, sculptures and mosaics play a significant part in defining contemporary Australian art. Mirka’s family were Lithuanian/Romanian Jews, and their survival was largely due to hiding out in the forests of France prior to their immigration to Australia.  Mirka’s father became an influential art dealer following their settlement in Melbourne, founding the Tolarno Galleries in St Kilda. As an artist, Mirka grew to experiment with a wide range of media, using colours, symbols and animals as recurring subject matter. 

Giaan Rooney

Olympic Swimmer

Training as an 11 year old with Grant Hackett at the Miami Club in Queensland, Giaan Rooney moved to Port Melbourne in 2002 following her 1998 swimming debut for Australia in the Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur. She won gold in the 100ms backstroke at 15, later becoming a key swimmer in the Australian relay team. Giaan also took home two silver medals for the 4x200m freestyle relay with Susie O’Neill, Kirsten Thomson and Petria Thomas at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.