The circle has long been an important part of feminism. It’s egalitarian, non-hierarchical, inclusive. An endless loop. In practical terms, sitting in a circular formation allows us to see and acknowledge the group all at once. It sets the tone for healthy dialogue and deep listening.

For Shane O’Neil, the idea of a circle — what she calls “the Circle of Women” — is one she has returned to throughout her life. The circle, a symbol of women’s way of working, captures the process of bringing women together across different backgrounds and experiences to foster something new and meaningful.

Done well, Shane believes the Circle of Women builds networks and connections that wouldn’t otherwise exist and exposes women to different ways of seeing the world. Shane believes it is especially important for young women to have a forum that offers them a chance to find and use their voice, and practice leadership in a real sense: not as a position of authority, but as awareness, action and advocacy. It also gives them something often in short supply: time and space to think about what they actually want for themselves and others.

It was this philosophy that sparked the Shane O’Neil Sub-Fund: our 19th, and the first dedicated entirely to the leadership of young women, girls and gender diverse people. With a passion for travel and learning, Shane has seen throughout her life the power of connection — cutting across community divides to better understand others, and our role in creating a better future together.

Image: Shane O’Neil (supplied)

Shane has always had a sharp eye for how people are treated differently due to gender, class or ability. It wasn’t something she read about but something she observed and experienced: in school, in workplaces, at home and in her travels. One early moment was telling. In Grade 6, three children were invited to sit a scholarship exam for a boarding school. The next day, Shane discovered it was only open to boys. No explanation given. It was simply how things were. That kind of ordinary exclusion, experienced and observed in small and large ways throughout her early life, has shaped how Shane thinks about fairness and opportunity.

Shane’s mother was a quietly influential figure, a woman with opinions and the ability to articulate them. While she didn’t call herself a feminist, she clearly was one. For a long time, Shane didn’t define herself as a feminist either. What matters to Shane is the practical reality: where are people being left out, and what can be done about it? 

Born in 1951, Shane completed an Honours degree in English and History at the University of Melbourne on a teaching scholarship, and spent a few years in the classroom before her curiosity took her elsewhere. She travelled extensively through Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, deliberately choosing places with different systems of government and different ways of life. Shane wanted to understand how other people lived, including what it felt like to be an outsider. In the early 1980s she visited a friend working in refugee camps for displaced Vietnamese people making their way to Australia, an experience that gave her an early and vivid sense of what both displacement and belonging really mean.

Image: Shane O’Neil (supplied)

Education and communication have been the thread running through Shane’s working life. She is deeply passionate about making ideas accessible to people. After teaching, she worked in the Ministry of Education producing films and educational materials, then spent a decade with the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union, and tutored journalism at Monash University. Shane worked at a Steiner school, which she found genuinely life-changing, and explored art therapy and marriage celebrancy along the way.

The Shane O’Neil Sub-Fund, established through the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust, will support initiatives for young women, girls and gender diverse people that build leadership, develop capability and foster connection. The Sub-Fund reflects Shane’s lifelong view that when people, particularly those who have historically had less access to opportunity, are given real support to grow and connect, the results are good for them and good for everyone around them.

She believes three things matter most in understanding people and life: travel, which exposes genuinely different lives and perspectives; further education, which is particularly important for women finding their voice; and working across different kinds of jobs, from a factory line to an office, which teaches you directly where opportunity is offered and where it isn’t.

Shane is a deeply curious person. She has been told, more than once, to stop asking questions. She has not listened and we love her for that.

The Shane O’Neil Sub-Fund will be accepting grant applications in April, 2027. To find out more, visit our grants hub →

Dr. Kirsten Abernethy, Executive Director

Dr. Kirsten Abernethy is a social scientist, researcher and educator with over 20 years’ experience working with coastal and seafaring communities across Australia, the UK, and the Pacific. Her work is grounded in feminist values, and her research and advocacy has been centred upon worker’s rights, looking deeply at the experiences of women, a demographic often underrepresented. Kirsten has led major research and sector-wide programs focused on women’s leadership, workplace inclusion and systemic reform. In 2017, she won the VIC AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. In 2025, she was appointed Executive Director of the Victorian Women’s Trust.