To celebrate International Women's Day, Stockland Point Cook wanted to shine the spotlight on local inspirational women who have been making a significant contribution to our community. We want to thank these incredible women for sharing their stories!
Katelyn Matheson from Cake Creations by Kate
Tell us a bit about Cake Creations by Kate and how your business contributes to our community:
I am the founder of Cake Creations by Kate. Day to day, I manage our kitchen team, and bake every day. We love baking fresh desserts daily, and I get to lead my team in designing new items. We provide the community with high quality desserts with ease through our Point Cook store and easy home delivery. We also donate hundreds of desserts every week to those in need in our local community.
What are some of your achievements that you are proud of? (No need to be humble here!)
We are so proud of the innovation we have taken on changing up the dessert industry and creating unique products. Through this, we have gained amazing recognition such as winning Wyndham Councils awards – Young Business Person of the Year and most recently in 2022, Business of the Year. We are also very proud to employee many young locals and train them up to gain a skill set that will be able to help them in any pastry job in the future.
What do you love most about living/working within the Wyndham community?
The people!
Wyndham region is one of a kind – it really feels like a community. I am so grateful for the support I have been given by the locals, that really care about small business. I also love living here because the facilities are amazing – lots of nice parks, walking paths & sporting grounds.
Please share your wisdom! What’s one piece of inspiration or encouraging advice you would share to other women?
I always have loved the quote ‘If you believe you can, you are halfway there’.
I always tend to think back to this and remind myself I am strong and resilient, and can take on anything I need to face as a business owner. I always recommend people to practice this and build on their self-belief, because when problems do arise, it is a lot easier to deal with it when you are in a calm state. The mind is a powerful tool, and you need to back yourself all the way. You can do this!
Betty Seah from the Point Cook View Club
Tell us a bit about your role with the View Club and how it contributes to our community:
View (Voice, Interest, Education of Women) Club is a national women's organization supporting the education charity, 'The Smith Family'. View has 14,000 members, who advocate for and support the educational outcome of underprivileged Australian students in 300 communities. Through its connection with The Smith Family, members support students with various help programs - Learning for Life, Mentoring, Financial and more.
When I moved to live in Point Cook, an opportunity arose to setup a new VIEW (Voice, Interest, Education of Women) Club! I have been an inaugural member of View as the Program Officer for several years, and the coordinator of the View Club's gift wrapping events at Stockland Point Cook.
Point Cook View Club raises funds through volunteer work at gift wrapping events, sausage sizzle, craft & cake stall, bicycle counting through Bicycle Australia, and any other form of revenue that comes our way. It has been heart-warming, fulfilling and rewarding to see the results of our volunteer work making a difference in a student's educational life!
What are some of your achievements that you are proud of? (No need to be humble here!)
I arrived in Australia from Singapore in 1991; my first home being in Geelong. Knowing no-one, I had to go out to make friends and connect with the local community. I volunteered at Geelong College PTA, as Treasurer and helped at the school Library & Bi-annual Carnival.
Over the years, through my husband's career overseas postings, I was heavily involved with much community work as spouse of an expatriate. In the Philippines, through the office community project for the underprivileged women in the local community, I had set up livelihood projects. I also went on health mission, volunteered to be an Assistant Leader for the Girl Guide in ISM (International School of Manila), volunteered at ISM International Food Festival fund raising event and helped set up Singapore Club (for Singapore residents in Manila).
While in The Hague, Holland, I joined The International Women's Club (IWC) consisting of 600+ women from foreign diplomatic and commercial offices based in The Hague, partook in representing Australia, ASEAN (Singapore) in The American School of the Hague (ASH) and IWC Events.
Asides from the VIEW Club in Point Cook, I am also a member of U3A Werribee Region Inc.- teaching Eastern (Asian) Mahjong and Bolivia card game.
What do you love most about living/working within the Wyndham community?
I love the Wyndham community which has a very vibrant and diversified community of cultures; I am enjoying the many different restaurants that have opened here - a melting pot indeed! I love the neatness and openness of the Point Cook area, with all essential services like electrical and phone lines buried under the ground!
Please share your wisdom! What’s one piece of inspiration or encouraging advice you would share to other women?
Never underestimate anyone and overestimate yourself!
For further information:
1) Point Cook VIEW Club, contact Catherine Cronin - 0407 726 852
2) U3A Werribee Region Inc., contact Rick Conn - 0402 299 220
Kerrie White from Gracie's Boutique
Tell us a bit about Gracie's Boutique and how your business contributes to our community:
It would be easy to simply stock mass-produced items and focus only on the bottom line, but we have a chance to do so much more than that.
We currently support 16+ local artists and makers, selling their work and sharing their stories. We offer our customers the chance to have a big impact, by shopping small. We hold unique fundraising events, allowing our customers to support their community groups and clubs, while shopping at Gracie’s, by offering a percentage of the sales to their cause of choice. These small things add up, and we will never stop looking for ways to make a difference.
What are some of your achievements that you are proud of? (No need to be humble here!)
Our customers often share the enjoyment they derive from visiting our store. The warmth and care they receive from my amazing team and the excitement they experience when they discover our ever-changing unique collection - the love our customers feel for Gracie’s is something I will never stop being proud of.
Customer service is still number one with us, and we know it is appreciated.
What do you love most about living/working within the Wyndham community?
The people! We really do have such a diverse community, with so many stories to share. I never stop learning, and it is so enriching.
The support I receive from my customers, my fellow traders, my family and friends - it is invaluable to be part of a community like this. And it never stops growing.
Please share your wisdom! What’s one piece of inspiration or encouraging advice you would share to other women?
Genuinely, I hear pearls of wisdom from so many people on a daily basis, and I love to pass them on. Being the parent of a young adult on the Autism spectrum, I would have to say that the most important thing that I have learnt would be to pause. Often people just need a moment to absorb or share and if you can wait just a few seconds longer, you often learn so much more.
Phebe Yeo from 8SENSES
Tell us a bit about Gracie's Boutique and how your business contributes to our community:
8SENSES provides cultural learning community service since 2017, this is a charity service and have been supporting Wyndham community and various other western suburbs with many cultural activities for families.
What are some of your achievements that you are proud of? (No need to be humble here!)
Sharing my culture with families, especially young children are always close to my heart. Bringing joy and fun is 8SENSES sole objective. This is only possible with God’s blessings, great support from my family (especially financially) and friends volunteering their precious time and effort the past years. The 'Kids Lunar Fun Day' held at Point Cook Pop Up Park since 2021 is the main highlight of 8SENSES cultural activity with hundreds of families having fun together.
What do you love most about living/working within the Wyndham community?
Wyndham is a diverse cultural community, meeting families at activities, facilitating playgroups with young children, and bringing positive influence on their lives is what I love most serving our Wyndham community.
Please share your wisdom! What’s one piece of inspiration or encouraging advice you would share to other women?
It takes courage and sacrifices to do the things the one really enjoys doing. It took me almost 50 years to start my journey, and ONLY because God has given me the strength and guidance. It is together with love and support from family, friends and community partners that 8SENSES as a community service can continue to serve in Wyndham. There will always be struggles and challenges in life, look towards the important objective and continue step by step.
Sara Mitchell from CoLocal
Tell us a bit about CoLOcal and it contributes to our community:
We founded CoLocal (a not-for-profit organisation) in 2018 off the back of the initial pop up park pilot, to build capacity for community led placemaking in collaboration with key stakeholders like local activity centres and council. The aim being to build social connection in our fast-growing communities and to support our local businesses.
What are some of your achievements that you are proud of? (No need to be humble here!)
Obviously, the Point Cook Pop Up Park is one, but another project that still makes me smile was working with other amazing locals to get our Point Cook Pirate ship rebuilt, after it was burned down by vandals. It is so lovely now that I have grandchildren to be able to take them there!
What do you love most about living/working within the Wyndham community?
The friendships I have made with amazing people who give so unselfishly of their time and talents to contribute to amazing places and experiences for all to enjoy.
Please share your wisdom! What’s one piece of inspiration or encouraging advice you would share to other women?
Part of the speech at BCNA the Pink Lady Lunch I heard as a breast cancer survivor in 2013 has stuck with me: "Work hard. Have a goal and go for it. Don't take the soft option. Give more than you take, probably give a lot more than you take. You don't live forever but great work and ideas can."
