Last week a woman became President of the Boating Industry Association for the first time in its history. Today I am assessing two young women beginning their own maritime pathways.
This morning I also saw Marine Rescue Merimbula recognising the women within their own team.
Seeing all of those things together feels significant. Not because women have suddenly arrived in maritime. We have always been here.
This Didn’t Happen Overnight
But for a long time many women worked quietly in the background, often needing to prove themselves repeatedly before being fully accepted in operational, leadership, technical and training roles.
Over the years I have watched more women step confidently into visible maritime positions across rescue, training, vessel operations, regulation, industry leadership and commercial boating; through competence, resilience and persistence.
This Matters
Because maritime needs capable people. It needs calm decision makers, strong communicators, practical thinkers, people who are prepared to take responsibility and people who genuinely care about safety, standards and professionalism.
Across my own work I continue to meet extraordinary women entering the industry at all levels. Some are just beginning. Some are already leading.
Heartening
What is heartening is that younger women entering the sector now are starting to see pathways that perhaps felt less visible years ago. They are seeing women teaching, assessing, skippering vessels, running businesses, serving in marine rescue, advising government, and now leading peak industry bodies.
That visibility matters more than people realise.
Congratulations to Tracy Souris on this historic appointment, and to all the women contributing across the maritime industry every day, whether publicly recognised or not.
Our industry is stronger because of it.
Read out article on the importance of confidence onboard over more equipment