Looking at the honour roll of the Beechworth Health Service board, the number of female presidents can be counted on one hand.
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But that’s changing, as it is across Victoria.
Women now make up 54 per cent of all public hospital and health service board members, and regional areas match that ratio, increasing from 43 per cent in 2015.
At BHS, seven of 12 board members are women – Katie Warner is the longest-standing, and the president.
“In the time I’ve been on the board, there’s always been female members, but certainly not greater than 50 per cent,” she said.
“When the government announced their intention to have 50-50 representation, we were at about 39 per cent women on the board.
“Prior to that, we would have been either at or below those levels.”
Mrs Warner joined in 2010 after the birth of her first child.
“I was looking for something to do that would give back to the community,” she said.
“I was interested in the health sector but knew nothing about it – I applied to be on the board and was lucky enough to be appointed.”
Trish Mom, a member since 2014, was hesitant to apply to the board at first.
“I thought I didn’t have the skills – I wasn’t a lawyer, but I did have another set of skills in community services, and I’m very passionate about the community,” she said.
“We have an incredible mix of people sitting around the table.”
In the last two years, the board has secured $400,000 for capital works – the largest at the time for a small rural health service – and appointed a new chief executive.
Vice president Jennifer Gordon said it was under the guidance of Mrs Warner these decisions were made.
“It's a group of different people with different views, but who very much work as one single team under the leadership of Katie,” she said.
“Women see things differently from men.
“It’s not about who is better – the reality is you need both – in society, the ratio is roughly 50-50 and we need to be reflective of that.”
Physiotherapist and teacher Isabel Paton, the newest board member, said it was about building the confidence of men and women from all walks of life to apply.
“We don’t want to put women on the board for the sake of having enough; we need to make sure we have the skills we need,” she said.
“We need people with different expertise, such as in financial areas, and traditionally more men work in those fields – so we have to figure out how we tap into the women who have that expertise.
“Whether people are young, old, or are stay-at-home mums, it’s such an exciting opportunity.”
