Promoting, supporting and recognising the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australasia.

AWE Newsletter June 2025

While membership of AWE remains free, we rely on donations from our members, friends and allies to help us cover our costs. Donate today so we can continue our great work!

AWE News

Scholarships congratulations!
Congratulations to the following AWE members for receiving a 2025 Philippa Woolf Scholarship:
Ashleigh McKay, Triple Zero                    
Jasmin McClelland, SES SA 
Karina Striegher, Disaster Relief Australia
Katie Love, ACT Rural Fire Service
Marissa Murnane, SES QLD 
Megan Popic, NSW Ambulance        
Meghan Holman, Marine Rescue Qld 
Nicole Conway, CFA Vic                   
Piper Hudson, Surf Lifesaving SA     
Renee Stuart, Dept Health Tas      
Rose Carney, SES QLD                    
Rosie Bolingbroke, SES SA  
Susan Lucas-Smith, ACT Ambulance
Vicky Clarke, CFA Vic
ACIM Director Philippa Woolf said, “We are so proud to be again working with AWE members as part of the 2025 Philippa Woolf Scholarships program. This year is all about building confidence and capability in incident management across the emergency/disaster management sector.  We would like to thank everyone who applied. It has been really exciting to see the interest in the Scholarship program grow each year, with a record number of applicants from across Australia in 2025. Those who are in the successful have diverse backgrounds, are drawn from volunteer and paid staff and are working in many different organisations across Australia supporting communities in emergencies. We look forward to working with you all.”
Congratulations also to AWE member Briony Jones, Senior Sergeant with Victoria Police and CFA Volunteer, for receiving the August Foundations in Disaster Recovery Scholarship.
AWE is very grateful for the generosity of ACIM Solutions and the University of Melbourne. With their support we will help build the incident management and disaster recovery knowledge and skills of almost 20 AWE members this year alone!
AWE and the University of Sydney will be announcing a new Scholarship soon.
Keep an eye on the AWE Newsletter for more information.
AWE/AFAC Breakfast 
A big thank you to everyone who joined us at the AWE/AFAC Lessons Management Breakfast in Wellington, NZ, during the AFAC Lessons Management Forum! It was a fantastic morning of connection, conversation, and coffee with AWE members, friends, and allies from across the sector. We’re grateful for the kōrero and enthusiasm in the room — and excited to keep building momentum for inclusive, connected emergency management across Aotearoa and beyond.
AWE Breakfast Queensland
What better way to start the day at last week’s Queensland Disaster Management Conference than breakfast with a group of AWEsome women from across the sector? The informal catch-up over coffee and breakfast was a valuable opportunity to reconnect, build new relationships, and engage in meaningful conversations. Many members appreciated the chance to connect outside of a coordination centre—where many have spent much time during the first months of 2025 responding to Queensland’s challenging start to the year, including monsoonal conditions, a tropical cyclone, and widespread flooding across the state.
AWE in Japan
It’s not every day you bump into fellow AWE members in Japan!
AWE Co-founder and Committee Member Kath Cooney gave a presentation on AWE at the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) 23rd biennial Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Tokyo in May. Kath was thrilled to bump into AWE member and 2024 AWE Recognition Award winner Malin Zachau, and ally Campbell Doak at the Congress, both proudly wearing their AWE badges!
First Responders Day 7 June
First Responders Day is an opportunity to recognise all first responders who work to protect and keep our communities safe. Whether paid or volunteer, our police, firefighters, search and rescue, lifesavers and people in other frontline roles live ordinary lives but do extraordinary work. On First Responders Day, AWE says thank you to all our members who are first responders, and to all first responders across Australia!
Feedback wanted!
This edition of the newsletter has been prepared using our new CRM. We’re keen to get your feedback, so please email us to tell us what you think!

AWE Events

At the Frontline: Rachel Kelleher on Leadership, Crisis, and Women in Emergency Management
12-1pm NZST
2-3pm AEST
Wednesday 18 June
Online
AWE NZ is thrilled to host Rachel Kelleher, Director, Community at Auckland Council, and member of the Auckland Emergency Management Controller group for a virtual ‘lunch and learn’ session.
Rachel will share her leadership journey and what it was like being the public face of Auckland’s emergency response during the 2023 floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
An inspiring conversation not to miss and open to everyone!
AWE Mentoring Program
Our recent goal-setting workshop was a great success, with two-thirds of our mentors and mentees joining us for a valuable session of connection and reflection. Together, we explored meaningful development goals using the GROW and SMART models, and we’re grateful for the energy, honesty, and enthusiasm everyone brought to the room.
Mentors and mentees will continue meeting through June, with our next workshop planned for July. This session will focus on building confidence in public speaking — offering mentors a chance to share insights from their own experience, and mentees a safe and supportive space to practice and grow. We’ll share more details closer to the date.
This intake will wrap up in September, and we can’t wait to hear how participants progressed with their goals, what mentors took away from the experience, and how we can strengthen the program for next year.
For more information or to register your interest for next year’s 2026 intake, visit: https://www.awenetwork.org.au/mentoring/

AWE Member Profiles

Kylie Kleinig
SA Country Fire Service
Kylie is a passionate and dedicated member of the South Australian Country Fire Service (SACFS), serving both as a staff member and volunteer on the Eyre Peninsula. She leads and supports community engagement efforts, coordinating Emergency Preparedness events that connect residents with vital information from SACFS, SASES, Red Cross, and local government. Her enthusiasm, integrity, and collaborative spirit foster strong networks that empower communities to understand their risks and plan for emergencies.
As a mentor and peer supporter, Kylie is respected across the sector for her empathy, leadership, and tireless commitment to resilience, education, and volunteer support.
Kylie received a Commended AWE Recognition Award for an individual whose leadership has significantly enhanced the emergency management and disaster resilience sector.
Mischa Hill
WREMO
Mischa Hill is a highly respected leader in emergency management in New Zealand with over a decade of experience, currently serving as Senior Advisor, Marketing and Communications and Group Public Information Management (PIM) at WREMO. She has played a key role in strengthening regional PIM, leading major initiatives such as the Acute Water Shortage response and developing nationally consistent training. Her creativity and innovation are exemplified by the award-winning “Poonelope” emergency toilet campaign. Mischa also helped expand the Community Emergency Hub model across Aotearoa and internationally. A champion for women in the sector, her mentorship, collaboration, and strategic communication have significantly enhanced resilience and inspired others. Micha received a Highly Commended AWE Recognition Award for an individual who makes an important contribution to building resilience with communities to enhance disaster resilience.
AWE Member Profiles showcase the diversity, skills, and experience of our members. They also highlight the vast range of roles, paid and volunteer, that make up the emergency and disaster resilience sector. This year, we’re featuring the recipients of the 2024 AWE Recognition Awards.

AWE Australian Chapters

AWE VIC
AWE Yarra Ranges Breakfast
AWE members living or working in or around the Yarra Ranges and outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne are invited to come along to breakfast at Hutch & Co, 251 Main Street Lilydale at 8.30am on the third Wednesday of each month. Email Amanda at [email protected] to let us know if you can make it.
AWE New Zealand
Kia ora AWE whānau!
We’re keeping the energy going with a mix of engaging in-person and online events across Aotearoa. Here’s what’s coming up – we’d love to see you there!
Wellington Monthly Breakfast – Back in July!
Please note: our June breakfast (Tues 3 June) is cancelled, but we’ll be back at Dillinger’s on Tuesday 1 July from 7.30am–8.45am.
It’s a relaxed way to connect with others across the sector.
RSVP via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/awe-nz-wellington-monthly-breakfasts
Wellington Book Club – Thursday 5 June
Join us at Elixir, Wellington from 5.30pm for this month’s book club, where we’ll be discussing The Battle for Paradise by Naomi Klein.
Didn’t finish the book? No worries – you’re still very welcome!
Kapiti Learning & Networking Event – Tuesday 10 June
Come along for an evening with Jenny Rowan, former Mayor of Kāpiti, as she reflects on leadership through disasters and her journey in the emergency sector.
Mayor’s Office, 175 Rimu Rd, Paraparaumu
Doors open at 5.15pm, talk begins at 6.00pm
Everyone welcome!
Leadership, Crisis, and Women – Wednesday 18 June
Don’t miss out on our online event with Rachel Kelleher, member of the Auckland Emergency Management Controller group, who will share her leadership journey and what it was like being the public face of Auckland’s emergency response during the 2023 floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. Everyone is welcome!
12.00pm – 1.00pm NZST
Keen to help shape local AWE events?
We’re always on the lookout for event hosts, organisers, and enthusiastic participants – especially in Auckland, where there’s growing interest from AWE members and allies. If you’re keen to host, speak, or just connect with others in your region, let us know!
Get in touch with Amy via [email protected].
Thanks again to everyone who joined us for recent events, especially our AWE-AFAC Lessons Management breakfast. Your presence and passion help grow our incredible community!
National Volunteer Week – 15-21 June
AWE recognises and celebrates the extraordinary contribution of volunteers to emergency management and disaster resilience every day, and especially during New Zealand’s National Volunteer Week! Volunteers play critical roles before, during and after emergencies and disasters, and our communities are significantly strengthened by their skills, time and dedication. This National Volunteer Week, AWE says a huge thank you to all those who volunteer to help keep communities safe – Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu.
Matariki 20 June
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades that rises in midwinter. For many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year and a time of remembrance, joy and peace.
Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki.                  Celebrate the rising of Matariki.
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi.                         Celebrate the rising of the lord of the sky.
Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te tau.                        Celebrate the rising of the New Year.
If you have any specific news or information to share with other AWE NZ members, or queries,
please forward them to AWE NZ Chapter Lead Amy.

AWE Pacific

Please note that AWE Pacific is taking a temporary pause from regular activities due to capacity challenges.
While the pause is temporary, it allows us space for reflection, regrouping, and planning for what’s next.
We’ll keep you updated on any developments, and welcome your support or expressions of interest if you’d like to be part of shaping AWE Pacific’s future. Please email us at [email protected] to arrange a discussion.
Women in Emergencies for Climate Action
The Women in Emergencies for Climate Action meetings are a great opportunity to meet, learn from and support other AWE members working in climate related roles, or with an interest in climate action. We all learn from each other at every meeting. Make sure you register the dates for the upcoming meetings in your diary and come along and share and learn with us. Meeting dates and registration details can be found here.

Professional Development

Free webinar
Stop Fixing Women – Gender Equality in Emergency Services
This ESF webinar, featuring Dr. Niki Vincent, Victorian Commissioner for Gender Equality in the Public Sector, will unpack the ongoing impact of gender inequality in workplaces and share how emergency service agencies can lead the way in driving lasting change. Free to attend.
4pm Tuesday 24 June

Sector News & Resources

Bushfire-safe gardening WA: This new resource outlines the steps needed to create a safer, more resilient garden that can help protect homes during a bushfire in Western Australia.
Care through disaster: The Care through Disaster Community of Practice is a space for people to explore what it takes to care and be cared for through times of disaster, and how can we put these ideas into practice. Next meeting 11 June.
Disastrous writing: Join policy makers, practitioners and researchers for intensive writing sessions interspersed with opportunities to meet colleagues to help build potential future collaborations. UniMelb: June 16 + 17 or Monash (CBD campus): July 21 + 22
Drought: This article explores the current drought conditions in Southern Australia and when they might end, while this article explores whether we have the right support arrangements in place to help farmers and communities survive.
Evacuation behaviour: This article explores some of the complex reasons why people decide to evacuate or stay in place.
First responders and family: This article explores how first responders prioritise their commitment to their communities and the safety of the public while also protecting their own families and homes.
Heat related deaths: New research from Monash University shows increasing urban vegetation could have saved over 1.1million lives in two decades.
Hospitals and disaster: This article queries how ready our hospitals are to cope when disaster strikes.
NSW floods: This article explores what regional and rural communities everywhere can learn from the recent extreme weather event in NSW.
Rural young people and climate change: This article explores the perceptions of, and responses to, the climate crisis by young people, particularly young women, in regional and rural communities.
Surviving disaster after disaster: This podcast explores the toll that the experience of compounding, cascading or multiple disasters can cause and features AWE members Elly Bird and Claire Leppold.
US disaster policy: The US Chamber of Commerce says the focus on response and recovery must be balanced with effective mitigation, preparedness, and resilience.
If you’ve got news or resources you would like shared in the AWE Newsletter, please email us the details by the end of the calendar month in time for publication the first week of each month.

Sector Events

2025

11 June                   Animals in Emergencies Conference 2025 (Sydney)

18-20 June              Natural Hazards Research Forum 2025 (Adelaide)

12-15 July               Disaster and Emergency Management Conference 2025 (Gold Coast)

23-25 July               Climate Adaptation 2025 (Perth)

29-30 July               Emergency Management Conference 2025 (Melbourne)

26-28 August           AFAC/ADRC 2025 (Perth)

13 -16 October        The 8th International Adaptation Futures Conference (AF2025) (NZ)

2026

23 – 24 March          Gender and Disaster Conference (Melbourne)

If you are attending any of the major events this year and would like to meet up with other AWE members, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll help you to connect.

About AWE

The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network (AWE) promotes, supports and recognises the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australasia.
To become an AWE member, please visit www.awenetwork.org.au/join-us.
AWE acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. AWE acknowledges the injustices committed against First Nations people and recognise Sovereignty has never been ceded. Australian land always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
AWE recognises the unique role of Māori, and embraces the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti), NZ’s foundation document confirming Māori as tangata whenua, the first people of Aotearoa, New Zealand. It recognises that they have tino rangatiratanga (absolute authority or sovereignty) over their lands, resources, and taonga (treasured possessions) while embracing the three guiding principles of the Te Tiriti – partnership, participation and protection.
AWE acknowledges, values and celebrates the rich diversity and intersectionality of our members, workplaces and communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, respectful and safe network, where people of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, abilities and experiences feel they belong and are empowered and able to strive and thrive.
Newsletter Contributions: The AWE Newsletter is published monthly and is distributed to more than 2200 AWE members across Australasia. For contributions, queries or to let us know what you would like to see in the newsletter, please email us at [email protected].

Australasian Women in Emergencies Network