Lifting spirits
JANE’S SUPPORT PAYS OFF
JANE Holmes is all about supporting women.
The mother of three was last night crowned the overall winner of the 2021 Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year for her charity work running Support the Girls, which helps disenfranchised women, particularly in regional areas, by providing correctly fitted bras and sanitary and beauty care packs.
At just six years old, Olivia Rose-Stanbank took home the People’s Choice award voted by more than 6000 Bulletin readers.
A COMMON thread runs through the journeys of the finalists and winners of this year’s Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year.
All have overcome significant challenges, both personal and professional, on their journey to being successful and strong members of the community.
None more so than overall 2021 winner, Support the Girls founder Jane Holmes, crowned the champion at a glittering dinner event at The Star Gold Coast on Friday night.
The mother who emigrated from South Africa via New Zealand to the Gold Coast has been robbed at gunpoint, had her husband take his own life in Australia and has had more health problems than anyone should have to deal with.
Cancers, foot problems, lupus, cornea surgery. You name it, she’s had it.
“For me it’s more important someone can see my story and go ‘I can do this for myself’. They can say ‘If she can fulfil her dream, I can fulfil my dream’.”
Despite the litany of dramas to beset her life, Ms Holmes runs popular charity Support the Girls which aims to lift up the plight of marginalised, disenfranchised women, particularly in regional areas with correctly fitted bras and sanitary and beauty care packs.
She estimates she has given away tens of thousands and recently received a $65,000 state government grant for the Support the Girls vehicle.
Her story is not an outlier. Champions of Sport winner Montana Atkinson is pursuing her Paralympics swimming dream despite a traumatic brain injury caused by an epileptic episode which stopped oxygen to her brain. Joint Champions of Education winner Jodie Forster says she can identify with the isolated, marginalised kids whose lives she is helping – in a pilot program at Arcadia College – due to her own “difficult upbringing”.
Enterpreneurs finalist – and Cross Promotions boss plus Nineteen at the Star partner Jackie Cross recounts as a young woman she would struggle to be taken seriously.
It’s been a common refrain throughout the editorial series: “It is not uncommon to be referred to as a wife or working mum or even being called a ‘good girl’ during a meeting.”
Star Gold Coast chief operating officer Jessica Mellor revealed in the Bulletin at the launch of the 2021 awards she was once referred to in a highpowered corporate setting – before she was employed at Star – as the “token” woman.
For entrepreneurs winner Tamika Smith, such attitudes led to her being under-estimated in the dog-eat-dog construction industry.
“I remember having a boss once and he said ‘Tamika, I love having you on my team because you look like a Barbie but you’re as aggressive as a tiger and no one sees it coming.”
Ms Holmes wins a $5000 Harvey Norman prize pack. All category winners got a $1000 Harvey Norman prize pack. Entertainers winner Emma Milikin also won a night’s accommodation at The Star Gold Coast, breakfast and a $300 dining voucher.