www.virwc.org.au

History of the VIRWC

In 1994, an assembly of 200 immigrant women at a conference entitled "Voicing our Diversity" at La Trobe University Abbotsford Campus, mandated an interim committee to work towards setting up a statewide advocacy body that would take up issues that specifically concern immigrant and refugee women.

The call was finally realised by a group of 25 women who met on July 23, 1997, and formally set up the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Women's Coalition (VIRWC) by approving its constitution and electing four interim office holders prior to its first annual general meeting.

The VIRWC held its first AGM on November 26, 1998, attended by more than a hundred women representing many cultures. A committee of Management comprising 11 women was elected.

Since then, the VIRWC has grown substantially and includes a variety of organisations and individual members and has completed many exciting projects and intiatives.

History of our logo

Our original logo was designed by Marriet Perrinjaquet.

Our current logo was designed by Maureen Whitaker in November 2004. Maureen was invited to create an image that was fresh, innovative and inspiring, using the colours orange (for harmony and diversity) and purple (for women). Her design, a woman in front of a globe, reaching for a star, encourages all women to think of the potential they bring from anywhere in the world.