Happy International Women’s Day!
This year, the IWD theme is #BreakTheBias. How can we help break biases encountered in our communities, workplaces and places of education?
Here on Somebody Different, we’ve shared the stories of incredible women from different walks of life, to help people break out of their bubbles and see the world from other perspectives. We are so grateful to know and celebrate these women, and all the women in our communities, today and every day of the year.
Click the link in our bio to read the longer-form stories of some of the inspiring Australian women who have contributed to the #somebodydifferent campaign in the past two years.
#IWD22 #InternationalWomensday #inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Eddie, Tamworth NSW
At seventy-eight years old, Eddie Whitham’s life is as busy as they come. Born in Wangaratta and now a long-term Tamworth local, he holds a lifelong passion for people’s welfare and wellbeing, which has afforded him the fond moniker of ‘Uncle Eddie’ around town. His organisation, Multicultural Tamworth, exists to assist migrants settling in the area in all facets of life, and operates as a helpful friend rather than a difficult-to-understand bureaucratic service. People respond best to face-to-face contact, he says, which explains his habit of inviting those who need his help over to his house for a cup of tea and a chat. To him, it doesn’t matter who they are or what their background is—as long as they need him, he’ll be there.
You can read more about Eddie via the link in our bio, where you'll also find other in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Anna, Sydney NSW
Anna Kochetkova grew up in Russia, in a conservative and closed-minded culture where men in drag were admired but homosexuality was taboo. She moved to Australia at the age of 22, encouraged by her family who wanted her to see the world. What she discovered was a country of opportunity with a welfare system that supported disadvantaged people and those living with a disability, which wasn’t something she had often seen back in Russia. She was also surprised by the openness of people with diverse sexualities and gender expression; however, while exploring her own sexuality she found a distinct lack of online community for bisexual people in Australia. So, she created the Bi & Prejudice Instagram space to celebrate multisexual attraction and human diversity.
You can read more about Anna via the link in our bio, where you'll also find other in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Mobinah, Sydney NSW
Mobinah Ahmad works hard to cultivate the kind of woman she wants to be. As a proud Muslim woman, she loves to talk about Islam and represent her faith. Like many people, her spirituality fluctuates in intensity as she juggles external religious practices versus inner faith — in fact, she believes spirituality at its core is about navigating the gap between this internal and external elements. Mobinah is extremely accomplished in her career, and also loves food and loves traveling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures, religions and lifestyles. She finds that this helps her reflect on her identity, and puts into perspective her experience as a person of privilege from the West.
You can read more about Mobinah via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it and more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Hakim, Melbourne VIC
Hakim Halim is living proof that you cannot judge a book by its cover. With his effervescent personality, a hard-to-place accent and a formidable career as a cheesemonger at the iconic Queen Victoria Market, you would never guess the hardships he has faced to reach this success. Born in Singapore, Hakim faced ethnic discrimination in his home country before moving to Australia. Here, as an Asian Muslim, he has encountered further prejudice — but he is determined to not let those experiences define him.
You can read more about Hakim via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it and other in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Stacey, Castlemaine VIC
From a young age, Stacey Tolley has felt drawn to horses. Her grandfather—“not just an incredible horseman and grandparent, but a best friend”—owned a stud farm, and this was her earliest introduction to the animals which would guide her life and career. Through running her horse-training business, which focusses on dressage and show-jumping, she learnt that horses are sensitive creatures who intuit human intention through body language and non-verbal communication. So, she has turned this intuition into a new business that is designed to encourage confidence and leadership skills: Equiano.
You can read more about Stacey via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it and more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Rinku, Concord West NSW
Rinku Razdan is a proud migrant who still finds herself humbled by her astonishing lifepath. Born in India, she first moved to Australia for what became a “highly dysfunctional” marriage – but 17 years ago, she walked away from that marriage with only her son, one suitcase, and $20 in her pocket. Now, Rinku is an in-demand leading consultant in data and digital who is renowned across the country. She volunteers her time to create and run Connections Australia, a ground-breaking app designed to ease the often overwhelming transition into Australian society that new migrants experience.
You can read more about Rinku via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it and more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Ahdie, Dandenong VIC
Ahdie Rasouli, a primary school teacher in Dandenong, is an inspirational testament to the power of resilience, determination and passion. After fleeing Afghanistan with her mother and siblings in early childhood, Ahdie experienced exclusion and discrimination in Iran before moving to Australia at 9 years of age. It is this childhood hardship which, in part, inspired Ahdie to become a teacher who empowers students from diverse cultural backgrounds and who advocates for the importance of education. “If I can change someone’s perspective on refugee or Aboriginal students, then I have achieved my goal,” she says.
You can read more about Ahdie via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it and more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#somebodydifferent #inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Patrick, Shepparton VIC
Given ten guesses, you could never predict Patrick Quinn’s age. The Shepparton local describes his daily routine: he wakes each day at 6:30am and cycles 12 kilometres, followed by an afternoon walk and another bike ride at 3pm. He also enjoys tennis, and plays piano at least twice a day. It’s an impressive itinerary, especially given Pat seems to fit more into his days at 86 years of age than most teenagers would in an entire week. “I am so blessed,” he says, “I can’t believe it”.
You can read more about Pat via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it, as well as more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#somebodydifferent #inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
Hailey, Batchelor NT
Hailey Skye is a rodeo and fitness fanatic from Batchelor in the Northern Territory. Born and raised in the Australian outback, she has a passion for the outdoors, animals, and farm life—which includes lots of time with her family (and competing in their custom-made rodeo arena with her brothers!). Her dream is to take her rodeo competition on a cross-country tour with her family, adding to what she calls her “wonderful, exciting, and totally crazy life”.
You can read more about Hailey via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it, as well as more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even better.
#inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
Whether or not you celebrated, hopefully the day was full of sunshine, friends and family. After all, everybody celebrates differently; here at Inclusive Australia, some of us spent the day taking photos of our festive furry friends, while others enjoyed venting pandemic frustrations with a timely Christmas Day piñata.
We’ll be back to sharing Somebody Different next week, but for now: enjoy a relaxing Boxing Day!
John, Yarraville VIC
Born in Malaysia, raised in Singapore, and now a proud resident of Yarraville in Melbourne’s inner-west, John Ng has a lot of life experience to share. A finance broker by trade, his passion project is Humans of SKY (Seddon, Kingsville & Yarraville) where he showcases his love for Melbourne’s inner-west community by sharing the photos and stories of everyday locals. He hopes it will help inspire more acceptance, saying “we all need to respect each other, and be happy that we’re all able to flourish in this amazing country”.
You can read more about John via the link in our bio—click the ‘News’ tab on our website to find it, as well as more in-depth stories from our wonderful Somebody Different contributors.
Each week this summer, we’ll be throwing back to previous contributors with longer profiles on our website, so you can get to know #somebodydifferent even more.
#somebodydifferent #inclusiveaustralia #inclusion #diversity
