Melba Marginson - first Filipina to be inscribed on the Shilling Wall

KASAMA Vol. 24 No. 3 / July-August-September 2010 / Solidarity Philippines Australia Network

On July 13 this year in Melbourne, Melba Marginson, Executive Director of the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition (VIRWC), was one of ten female commissioners whose names were inscribed on the Shilling Wall at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.

The Shilling Wall is a public tribute wall made from coloured glass, established by the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre in 2008. The Shilling Wall acknowledges and celebrates the many and varied contributions of women in shaping the world in which we live.

Ms. Marginson is the first Filipino woman to be inscribed on the Shilling Wall. Her advocacy work for immigrants and refugees was recognised by the Labor Government in Victoria under then Premier Steve Bracks when she was appointed one of the first new Commissioners of the Victorian Multicultural Commission in 2000, where she served for 5 years.

The Victorian Multicultural Commission led the way to formal acknowledgment of its female members by getting the names of the ten Commissioners inscribed on the Shilling Wall. The Commission hopes that by taking this step, more women of diverse backgrounds would be acknowledged by having their names inscribed on the Shilling Wall.

You can contact Melba Marginson at:

Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition (VIRWC), Level 1, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Australia, 3000
Ph: (03) 9654 1243 Fax: (03) 9654 1249
Email: virwc@virwc.org.au
Web site at http://www.virwc.org.au/

For more information about the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre go to http://www.qvwc.org.au/index.html