Lyn’s work with Kooris wins Zonta’s top award

Andrew Mathieson
HAVING a yarn with the downtrodden and listening to hard-luck stories is what Lyn McInnes does best.
In fact, she does it so well that the Geelong Koori woman has scooped the top honour at Geelong Zonta Club’s annual awards for women.
Mrs McInnes said she was “very proud” to win the club’s annual Outstanding Woman of Achievement award.
“I was very surprised when I got the phone call,” she said.
“It was a surprise and quite an honour.”
The award recognised her work advancing the status of Geelong women during the past 12 months.
Judges noted Ms McInnes’ three decades of dedication as a Barwon Health Aboriginal health liaison officer and her work with the region’s Wathaurong community.
“I just enjoy meeting people and spending time with them,” she said.
“I get a lot of enjoyment from having a yarn with people.
“Everyone is special in their own way.”
Other annual Zonta winners included Clonard College’s Aleisha Smith for Young Woman in Public Affairs.
Scholarship winners included Gemma Digby, a young mother who moved from Hamilton to study VCE at Corio Bay Secondary College and is now set to study criminology at Deakin University.
Lara Secondary College student Sarah Jolly won an award for her outstanding final school year after overcoming the death of her father.
Zonta club president Jane Adornetto said proceeds from the dinner awards would support Geelong and international projects to advance the status of women.
The Independent sponsored the awards.