Women's mentor shares her survival story

Gaye Morrison

26 September 2006:The Women's Group Mentoring Program celebrated another successful year of assisting professional and academic women last week at their annual dinner.

Now in its seventh year, the Program strives to provide women at various levels within the University with career development and training opportunities.

Ms Doogue (left) and the mentoring program's coordinator Vicki Watson Photo: Jacquelyn Curtis

The evening's special guest of honour, Geraldine Doogue, spoke candidly about her experiences in the media world - a job she said has given her "pleasure from day one".

A renowned broadcaster and Officer of the Order of Australia, Ms Doogue began her media career as a young cadet with The West Australian and has also worked with ABC TV and radio, Channel 10 and radio 2UE. She currently hosts the international politics and business program Saturday Extra on Radio National and Compass on ABC television.

Ms Doogue has had a distinguished career and has been awarded two Penguin awards and a United Nations Media Peace Prize for her reportage of the 1991 Gulf War.

She shared her beginnings as a "lazy, resistant student" who feared stepping outside the comfort zone, and advised women in a similar situation to "take your insecurities with you".

"When learning new things, sometimes you need to accept that you may be mediocre for the first little while," she said.

"One of the great things I have learnt is to build on success, not dwell on failures."

Ms Doogue acknowledged the positive role mentoring can provide women, and credited the University's former Chancellor Wendy McCarthy as one of her own early role models.

"She was a real mentor. Wendy showed me that a fully engaged life is the ideal," she said.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Sharon Bell praised the Women's Professional Development Program and the mentoring program as contributing to the "wonderful gender profile" at the University.

"Women are a critical part of the enabling culture of this university," Professor Bell said.

Participant Cathie Blackmore said the mentoring program had allowed her to make a "lot of good contacts" and gain a "much broader knowledge of the University".

"I have taken a lot out of the program - especially from the participants sharing stories as well as guest speakers," she said.

Applications are now open for the 2007 Women's Mentoring Program. For more information please contact Vicki Watson or email the program