Fremantle authors make the WA Hall of Fame

Lekkie Hopkins, Elizabeth Jolley and Sally Morgan were amongst 100 inspiring Western Australian women inducted into the inaugural hall of fame for the centenary anniversary of International Women’s Day 2011.

Organisers, UN Women (Perth), chose the inductees from hundreds of suggestions made by the general public. At a gala ceremony at the Perth Convention Centre, inductees watched a video message from Prime Minister Julia Gillard before being serenaded by Jessica Mauboy’s rendition of ‘I Am Woman’.

Sally Morgan, author of My Place and illustrator of the soon to be released My Country, said she always thinks of the strong women in her family line and other strong women in general.

“I think we walk in the footsteps of the women who have gone before us and hope that for the women who come after us, the path is a little easier,” said Morgan.

Lekkie Hopkins, author of Among the Chosen, said she saw her inclusion as a wonderful recognition of the entire community of feminist scholars, friends and community based activists in WA with whom her life had intersected over the past three decades and more.

“An overriding passion is to ensure that women are no longer hidden from history, and that as a community we are aware of the history of women’s collective activism and of the debt we owe to all those courageous women who have revolutionised our lives in the past century,” said Hopkins.

“I hope we can all come to understand that feminism is about celebrating difference, fighting injustice wherever it occurs, and ultimately ensuring that all human beings can reach their full potential,” she said.

Other inductees with a connection to Fremantle Press include Carina Hoang, author of Boat People_; Dr Rika Erikson, a botanical artist featured in Brush with Gondwana; Kate Lamont, author of three Fremantle Press cookbooks; and Pat Giles, the subject of “_Among the Chosen“:/books/1134.

According to the UN Women website, the organisation is dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality by offering financial and technical help to innovative programs that foster women’s empowerment.

A virtual Hall of Fame will be launched at the International Women’s Day website soon: www.powerof100.com.au