QVWC marks 30th anniversary with launch of Conservation Appeal Fund

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre (QVWC) has introduced a new Conservation Appeal Fund, aimed at preserving and enhancing the iconic heritage building.

The initiative, in partnership with the National Trust, honours three decades of advocacy for women’s rights and the promotion of gender equality.

The QVWC aims to raise $4 million over the next four years to fund a series of conservation and restoration projects, guided by the Centre’s Conservation Management Plan.

The fundraising campaign will be officially launched on December 12 by Broad Radio founder Jo Stanley, with a special event at the Centre’s historic location on Lonsdale St.

The launch will feature several distinguished guests, including Minister for Women the Hon. Natalie Hutchins, QVWC Trust chair Jennifer Kanis, and the Centre’s feminist historian-in-residence Barbara Wheeler.

Entertainment will be provided by Yorta-Yorta woman Madi Colvil-Walker and catering by Jarrah.

“Over the past three decades the QVWC has evolved into a vibrant hub dedicated to women’s empowerment, community connection and advocacy,” Minister Hutchins said.

It is an honour to work alongside the QVWC towards our shared vision of a safer, more equitable world for women.

QVWC has a long and rich history dating back to the late 1800s, founded by Dr Constance Stone, Australia’s first registered female medical practitioner.

Ms Stone defied the social barriers of her time to establish the first hospital in Australia dedicated to women and children, which operated at the Lonsdale St location from 1946 until it was decommissioned in 1988.

The facility served thousands of Melburnians and played a pivotal role in women’s healthcare.

Following a determined campaign by Victorian women to save the building from demolition, the QVWC was founded in 1994.

Today, it continues to carry the motto “Pro Feminis A Feminis”, or “for women, by women” and serves as a vital space for gender equity and social justice advocacy.

The Centre hosts more than a dozen organisations that support women’s causes, as well as providing community event spaces and supporting female and gender-diverse artists and entrepreneurs through its gallery and shop.

“The QVWC is now 30 years old, and I am honoured to be the Trust’s current chair, knowing that I am standing on the shoulders of giants – women who have come before me making sure the special significance of this place is not lost,” Ms Kanis said.

“With the support of our Conservation Appeal, and in partnership our friends at the National Trust, I am confident that it will live well into the future.”