In the company of one of Australia’s most prominent women, Her Excellency, the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the honourable Quentin Bryce, and some of the inspiring Australian women who have graced the cover of The Weekly, the magazine’s 80th birthday collector’s edition cover has been revealed.
Australia’s own royal, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, covers The Weekly for the very special 80th anniversary edition, inviting readers to experience a glimpse of Palace life.
In addition to the souvenir issue, packed with exclusive content, the milestone anniversary was marked with a celebratory lunch in Sydney attended by three former editors, Ita Buttrose, Deborah Thomas and Robin Foyster, current editor-in-chief Helen McCabe, as well as many prominent Australian women who have been involved with the magazine.
But it wasn’t all about the past 80 years. The event also celebrated the future of Australian women, awarding the inaugural Women of the Future scholarship fund to a very deserving young woman.
Susanna Matters, a 25-year-old Sydney schoolteacher who has started a charity providing and teaching girls to makes their own sanitary pads in Kenya, was awarded a $20,000 scholarship fund by a panel of judges including 7.30 anchor Leigh Sales, who hosted the lunch.
The people’s choice winner, 18-year-old India McGuigan, was given the people’s choice award. The Queensland medical student was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 15, and since then has raised money for young people with cancer, and chased her dream of becoming an oncologist.
The Governer-General, who presented the young women with their prizes, congratulated Susanna and India saying what each of them was doing was “marvellous” and “awe-inspiring”.
“Their commitment, their principles — we can look to their futures and to our country’s future with optimism and hope from these young women.”
The Australian Women’s Weekly’s 80th birthday issue is on sale on Thursday October 26, with Crown Princess Mary of Denmark on the cover.
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