Sharing their messages of Hope

Baby Boomer Women have been at the forefront of trends and developments in World events and culture since the day they were born. In our communities there are countless everyday women who inspire us to make a difference to our lives; our mothers, daughters, friends and acquaintances, but it is the few who have the privileged position of being known to most of us through their fame or fortune that are in a position to change our thinking for the good.Her are just a few of those inspirational women who are currently making us think differently about ourselves:

Magda Szubanski

From her comedy roots to our favourite best friend on ‘Kath & Kim’and then to svelte and sexy in ‘The Australian Woman’s Weekly’ August Edition, we have watched and loved Magda for years. Coming to terms with the real health issues surrounding her weight, she courageously made public her battle, and subsequent success with weight loss. Magda has gone further and shared her insights into how she feels people have reacted to her weight over the years, quoted as saying that ‘Everyone has a right to feel respected and valued’, and that she would love to ‘get involved with some public policy about obesity’. She is honest in her approach to weight loss, looking to be ‘good 80% of the time’ and let’s face it who can be good all of the time? We agree with her philosophy, and hope she is successful in all her endeavours.

Olivia Newton John

We all love our ‘Livy’, and some of our husbands/other halves still go a little starry eyed at the mention of her name. From the beautiful ‘Band Stand’ girl in the 60’s to the ‘sexy girl next door’ in ‘Grease’ right through to the beautiful and talented woman she still is today, we have been part of her extraordinary journey as we grew up together. She is not only a fighter for Environmental and animal rights, a survivor of Cancer, and a person of grace when faced with life’s trials, but she is a passionate advocate for Wellness. Her current work for the Austin Centre for Cancer and Wellness, particularly her ‘Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre’ shows her commitment to the future of Women’s Health in Australia. We applaud her inspiration and commitment.

Rebecca Gibney

Rebecca’s bright and smiling face on our Television screens has brought both though provoking social commentary, and lots of fun and laughter to us recently with the hit show ‘Packed to the Rafters’. Here she represents the quintessential younger Baby Boomer struggling to keep up with the multiple pressures of work, family, a husband, and now a late pregnancy. She seems to do it with an element of ‘grace under fire’ that warms hearts, and gets us nodding in sympathy. We have also been privileged to share the personal side of her life, with her revelations of emotional collapse, agoraphobia, depression and panic attacks, and struggles with her past. We have been inspired by her ‘can do’ attitude, and her courage in the face of difficulties not of her own making. Her ability to maintain a ‘normality’ and humility throughout all the fame, and the bad days, makes us admire her even more. She is really down to earth, ‘a natural’, and that’s part of why we love her.

Dr Fiona Wood

Although Fiona has been outstanding in her field of medical science for many years, she came to our collective consciousness for her tireless work treating burns victims after the 2002 Bali bombings, and in her assistance with the emergency care of airplane crash victims of the Yogyakarta disaster in Indonesia in 2007. Her work with the use and patented development of spray-on skin at the Royal Perth Hospital has dramatically enhanced the lives of burn victims, reducing scarring and speeding the recovery process. She was honoured with the title ‘Australian of the Year’ in 2005, and has gone on to further develop a research fund for future work in the field called the McComb Foundation. We admire her abilities as a mother of 6, juggling the everyday pressures of work and family life, while maintaining seriously ground breaking work in medical science, changing the lives of ordinary Australians.

Shane Gould

It was at the 1972 Summer Olympics, in Munich, that Shane Gould rose to instant stardom, winning three gold medals, setting a world record in each race, and firmly stamping a place in our hearts.  Not only is she the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 m to 1500 m simultaneously, and the first female swimmer ever to win three Olympic gold medals in World record time, but she has always called Australia home. Born in Sydney and having spent much of her years away from the limelight since the age of 16, this mother of 4 now divides her time between Sydney and Launceston, is an active member of the local swimming club, continues to participate in World Masters Pool Swimming competitions, and is a consistent advocate of the need to keep active. She was a recipient of an MBE in 1981 and the 2003 Centenary medal in recognition of her achievements, and we had fun watching her put her theories into practice on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2005. We applaud her commitment to sharing her passion and helping others by raising Global awareness about water safety, disadvantaged people, and people who cannot swim.

We hope this article has been of interest to you. Please feel free to print a friendly copy, email to a friend or relative, or download the PDF article for your reference.


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Disclaimer: The information contained in this section should not be used for individual medical or professional advice.

Please see your Doctor if you have concerns or specific questions relating to your health or seek professional advice as required.