Felicity Beissmann
2024 WOMAN OF GOLD
‘The glory of God is a person fully alive.’ St Irenaeus
I think what grieves me most about the life of my mother and some other women I’ve known, is that they, nor the world ever got to witness them in their full glory. The light and life in their eyes were whisked away or snuffed out by men in their inner worlds who did them harm, real irrevocable harm before they even got started.
My mother’s schoolbooks up until mid-primary school were impeccable. Perfectly kept, the scientific drawings exquisite, her cursive script refined beyond her years as a young bloom of six years old. She was clever, very clever. Then the pages visibly deteriorated at the introduction of sexual abuse. A little girl’s schoolbook told the story of a girl whose light was snuffed out before it got to blaze in its full glory.
I used to think that my mother’s life was the one lived in the shadows but now as I’m older, I also see that mine has too. My little heart absorbed the belief that if she wasn’t safe, then I wasn’t either. As a girl and as a woman, I waited for the world to tell me I had potential and open the doors to me before I felt safe to walk in. Although I knew in my bones that I had potential and value, if I wasn’t wanted in a space, I didn’t want to be there. Maybe I didn’t have the inner self belief or confidence to prove them wrong, or maybe I just didn’t want to exist in a world where I wasn’t wanted. Instead I exited stage left and became an advocate for women in my professional and personal life.
My journey as an advocate has led me to work for organisations that passionately campaign for gender equality and meet women at their point of need to help change their trajectories.
As I get older, I witness the myriad skills, gifts and interests that have lain dormant within myself begin to flicker. Although I wish that I noticed and nurtured these young flames a lot further back in my journey and wish they could be in full blaze right now, it’s ok. There’s still time to blaze.
“I want to help create a world where women are safe and valued. I want to see a world where women blaze in their full glory and are beheld with awe rather than dismissed or derided.”
- Felicity Beissmann
2024 WOMEN OF GOLD ARTISTS
Women of Gold is a multimedia project celebrating the stories and contributions of women in the City of Greater Bendigo. Increasing the representation of women across different sectors and inspiring industry to innovate and meet the needs of our community as a whole.
