International Women’s Day has been in focus for Gunnedah Evening VIEW Club with young indigenous pharmacist Kirra Natty as guest speaker at the club’s March dinner meeting and Dr Kate Bricknell revealing her inspiring story at the zone IWD celebration in Tamworth.

Describing herself as ‘just a country kid’ Kirra Natty’s journey began with community pharmacy which she followed for seven years before deciding to ‘do something better’.

Although she had a dislike of study, she persevered and graduated in 2022, describing local pharmacist Karen Carter as a ‘great inspiration’.

Kirra was the 71st indigenous student to become a pharmacist and now it is her goal in life to encourage other First Nations people to believe that they too can become a pharmacist or follow any other profession that interests them.

“There is still a lot of trauma in indigenous history and I want to help close that health gap by encouraging them to come in regularly for health checks, including blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases, by helping to break down the barriers,” Kirra said.

“I want to encourage First Nation people to believe that the pharmacy is a safe place and to help relieve the stigma of being on a program to reduce dependency issues.

“We can’t help everyone but it is important to keep trying through trust and education.”

To help indigenous people believe that the pharmacy is a safe place, Kirra, with the support of Karen Carter, designed a pharmacy uniform featuring traditional aboriginal artworks to be worn instead of the usual white coat.”

She is now working towards further education in pharmacy to help spread the word to other young indigenous people.

Meanwhile, six club members enjoyed a day of friendship and inspiration at the International Women’s Day gathering at Wests in Tamworth on Saturday, catching up with members from other clubs and listening to inspirational speakers.

Gunnedah Evening VIEW Club president, and Kamilaroi woman, Kate Knight, was invited to deliver the Welcome to Country.

Among the inspirational speakers was Dr Kate Bricknell, an education specialist, who established Crossroads Education in Tamworth and sisters Emma and Jody Peters who were sponsored by VIEW through the Smith Family’s Learning for Life program.

As the children of a single mother with five daughters to raise, the sisters spoke about the value of their LFL scholarships and how it helped them achieve a full education without feeling marginalised because they could not afford the correct uniforms or curriculum essentials.

Those students all went on to obtain degrees or diplomas and are gainfully employed in various occupations.

“With a brilliant Mum and the kindness of strangers, we were able to achieve our dreams,” Jody said.

“We had the odds stacked against us – so here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.”

Gunnedah Evening VIEW Club president Kate Knight, a proud Kamilaroi woman, delivered the Welcome to Country.

Keynote speaker Dr Kate Bricknell turned adversity into opportunity after the sudden death of her husband at an early age leaving her with two young children.

Starting in her own converted garage, Kate used her education background to form her business Crossroads Education, creating a space for children to learn and gather in a safe place for help with their studies and life skills.

Today Crossroads Education in Bridge Street, Tamworth is a supportive learning program for individuals or groups.

Shut Up & Write is another program supporting budding writers of all ages and disciplines to do exactly that.

The Lions games hour for students from Kinder to Year 10 is for board game enthusiasts allowing them to learn the skills supported by Lions Club members.

“How do you learn to learn – by learning,” Kate said.

“Crossroads is a learning hub and I am proud that many of our students have gone on to complete university degrees leading them to careers in medicine and other fields.”

Dr Kate Bricknell’s mission in life runs parallel to The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program which is supported by VIEW Club members who sponsor students and their education allowing them to follow their dreams.

“I overcame fear of the future alone by following my dreams,” she said.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Give to Gain’ and Dr Kate Bricknell has certainly given much to gain more.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated every year on March, 8 commemorating the fight for equality and liberation with a focus on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

International Women’s Day was first celebrated in Australia in 1928, highlighting demands for equal pay, eight-hour workdays for shop girls, and also paid leave.

The day was formally recognised in Australia in 1975 during the United Nations’ International Women’s Year.