Throughout history, the contributions and achievements of women, girls, and gender-diverse people have often been overlooked or sidelined. At the Victorian Women’s Trust, we believe that documenting our history is just as vital as creating it.

We are delighted to introduce our new Digital Archivist, Ingrid Walter, who is transitioning from a volunteer role to ensure our feminist legacy is preserved for generations to come. In this interview, she shares her journey from a dedicated Trustworthy reader to steward of our digital records.

You started out your journey with VWT as a volunteer, and you’ve now joined the team as our Digital Archivist. What motivated you to connect with the Trust?

“I had been, for some years, aware of VWT through Trustworthy (VWT’s weekly feminist news round up) and felt aligned with their feminist approaches. I started volunteering at VWT because of that alignment — I wanted to give my skills to the Trust, and to feminism, whilst building those same skills so that I could give more in the future.”

What do you hope to achieve with your new role at VWT?

“I’m keen to create a digital system through which the record of VWT can live on. I think it’s important that we’re able to look back on what we’ve done to get us to this point. The Trust has done a lot in this space, through initiatives like Madam Speaker (VWT’s digital record of Australian women’s speeches). That needs to be remembered.”

What does feminism mean to you?

“To me, feminism is the freedom to be who we want to be and live how we want to live, to make our own decisions and choose our own paths. It is the giving and receiving of support to do this. It is choice and respect for everyone; women, men, and everyone in between.”

Learn more: www.madamspeaker.org.au
Subscribe to Trustworthy: www.vwt.org.au/trustworthy