Katrina Dawson’s powerful legacy - Women's Agenda

Katrina Dawson’s powerful legacy

Just before Christmas the family of Katrina Dawson, one of the victims of the siege in Martin Place, established a charitable foundation in her honour. 

“Katrina has inspired so many people to ask us what can be done to preserve and honour her memory. After much thought, we have decided to establish a charitable foundation in her name, which will be known as The Katrina Dawson Foundation. The Foundation will be focused on the education of women and former Governor-General The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO will be its founding member. It is our hope that out of her senseless death we will, through the opportunities the Foundation will provide, bring meaning to the lives of other amazing young women.” 

It undoubtedly will. But I suspect the legacy of Katrina Dawson will extend well beyond those directly touched by the foundation. At the end of last year as tributes from family, friends and colleagues flowed in it was impossible not to conclude Katrina Dawson was a truly remarkable woman.

She was remembered as a loyal friend, a formidable barrister, a fabulous baker, a loving mother of three, a committed volunteer. From all accounts this was a woman who threw herself into work, into her family, into her friends, into a great number of different causes and into life itself. And there is plenty that is quite extraordinary about that.

Because even though it is a generalisation it is also true that we still offer women limited choices. We are all familiar with the standard female stereotypes: the alpha female executive, the workaholic mother who neglects her kids and the nurturing stay at home mother. Even though in reality there are as many options in between as there are women, those crude characterisations endure. They’re the portrayals and images we still see the most.

It is one explanation for the breathless reporting of the number of children a woman has every time a “mother” secures a new appointment. Mother of six becomes COO! A woman works AND procreates!

The importance of role models for young women, in particular, is significant because of this. Men and women of all ages need to see a variety of options for how they can live and work. Tired stereotypes limit the choices individuals give themselves.

If you need proof of the power of thinking beyond boundaries consider Katrina Dawson, a woman who seemingly wasn’t concerned with being confined to one box. For Katrina Dawson it wasn’t work or family, it was work and family. Somehow, to the awe and admiration of everyone who knew her, she managed to make time for her career, her family and her friends. And, from all accounts, she enjoyed herself enormously along the way.

I cannot imagine it was always easy or seamless but it was possible and that in itself is a powerful legacy for other Australians – men and women – to aspire to. It does not, in any way, detract from the senseless tragedy of her death but it is my hope that Katrina Dawson will be remembered and revered for showing young women what is possible. That would be a fitting legacy for an extraordinary woman.

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