Tom W., Newington Year 12 student and House Captain of Manton, never imagined accompanying a school mate to a classroom meeting would awaken a zeal for advocacy. However, one lunchtime with the Gender Equity Committee, and he was hooked.

‘I was actually tagging along with a friend who was a member of the committee, but I found my passion through it and after that, there was no looking back for me,’ Tom says on the eve of a week-long calendar of events at Newington to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 and the UN Australia 2025 official theme, March Forward.

‘I think everyone’s biggest motivator to become part of the Gender Equity Committee is the women closest to them in their lives,’ says Tom.

‘In my case’s that’s my mother but in others it tends to be a sister or an aunt or a godmother or just because they want to understand and try to raise awareness within our community of the inequities often faced by women globally.’

Founded in 2017, Tom says Newington College Gender Equity Committee has never shied away from uncomfortable truths. Weekly, up to 25 members meet to discuss thorny issues such as gender pay disparity, ingrained bias and gendered language in the workplace, and on the sports field, and the shocking prevalence of domestic abuse and violence against women, especially in Australia.

‘Our motivation is to try and make an impact that could possibly change a person’s life. Our objective is to come together to name, address and think to try to come up with solutions, or by simply spreading awareness of the steps needed to achieve greater equity,’ says Tom.

The committee was started by English teacher and Head of Johnstone House, Ms Caterina Troncone who was convenor until 2023.

Says Ms Troncone, ‘in November 2016, our Senior Prefect Jack Jacobs initiated the newsworthy event of assembling his cohort into the shape of a White Ribbon on Johnson Oval, to pledge their commitment to being an ’upstander’ not a bystander’ in the campaign against domestic violence and abuse against women and children in Australia. This was the start of something meaningful and I wanted to be a part of it.

‘It was wonderful to see students working in that space. The interest was there. The passion was there. The need was there. Those students felt it. The college felt it.’

Since its inception eight years ago, the Gender Equity Committee has marked International Women’s Day annually. Female teachers will speak at a IWD Assembly on Tuesday to share their personal successes, and their recollections of challenging gender bias. Also, all students from K to Year 12 will be given a IWD gratitude card to express thanks and recognition of a significant woman or girl in their life.

Another high point for the Gender Equity Committee next week, says Tom W., will be the IWD Student Led Forum, also on Tuesday at Newington. Expected to be held again in collaboration with neighbouring MLC students, the theme of the forum this year is Challenging Discrimination.

‘We want the forum to be very discussion based because it is very important as an all-boys school presently, that we get the perspective of discrimination from our counterparts at MLC,’ says Tom.

‘It’s vital we help spread awareness of women’s lived experiences to share knowledge and rebut and call out stereotypes and bias. We have serious conversations which we all really enjoy about these issues because they are real and important issues in our world.’

Chaplain Richard La’Brooy became convenor of the committee two years ago. He says the need for greater diversity and inclusion voiced by the Gender Equity Committee are also instrumental in the College’s longtime affiliation with the Uniting Church.

‘These conversations around gender equity and what does that mean, and what does it look like in society, as well as in our students’ own lives, are very natural conversations for our young people to be having because they are totally switched on to the issues that concern their generation today’ says Pastor La’Brooy.

‘Having this space in the form of the Gender Equity Committee gives them room to discuss and explore and challenge the issues they feel incredibly strongly about in terms of gender, equity and inclusion. They are all incredible young thinkers and there is no doubt, the leaders of tomorrow.’

Next week Beijing + 30 reconvenes in at the United Nations Headquarters in New York marking 30 years since 192 countries including Australia, are held accountable for their actions to improve life for women across the world on 12 issues/platforms.