2023 NSW WOMEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Lynda Edwards has been named the 2023 NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year at the NSW Women of the Year Awards held in Sydney today.
Premier Dominic Perrottet congratulated Ms Edwards on the accomplishment after winning her category, NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year Award.
“Ms Edwards is a proud Wangkumara and Barkandji woman from the Central West who is a dedicated voice and volunteer for her community, as well as a passionate advocate for the financial rights, fairness and inclusion of First Nations people across NSW and Australia,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Ms Edwards’ work in the financial sector over the past 17 years has resulted in significant improvements in the way financial services engage with, assist and support First Nations people and communities.”
Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor congratulated Ms Edwards’ achievements and said her career was driven by a genuine sense of purpose and desire to achieve better outcomes for First Nations people.
“This prestigious award celebrates nobility of character, commitment to change and the strength to succeed, all attributes held by Ms Edwards,” Mrs Taylor said.
2023 NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Lynda Edwards said I feel incredibly honoured to receive this award.
“I am surrounded by strong women. This isn’t just about me, it’s a journey of everyone that works in the financial literacy space for First Nations people,” Ms Edwards said.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders together with Lynda Edwards
34 women and girls were recognised as finalists in the NSW Women of the Year Awards. 84 Local Women of the Year were also celebrated at the Awards.
Mrs Taylor said on behalf of NSW, I extend a massive congratulations to all the winners and finalists recognised today. You are all incredible individuals who make enormous contributions to our communities.
The NSW Women of the Year Awards are a highlight of NSW Women’s Week which runs from Monday, 6 March to Sunday, 12 March.
2023 NSW Women of the Year Award winners are:
- NSW Woman of Excellence Award – Dr Rebecca Deans (Randwick)
- NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year Award – Lynda Edwards (Narromine)
- Aware Super NSW Community Hero of the Year Award – Mary Hollingworth (Glen Innes)
- NSW Minerals Council Regional Woman of the Year Award – Gayle Dunn (Ulladulla)
- NSW Young Woman of the Year Award – Chanel Contos (Sydney)
- The One to Watch Award proudly supported by the Advocate for Children – Haniya Syed (Oran Park)
For more information including biographies for winners and finalists, visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/women-nsw/awards-and-events/nsw-women-of-year-awards
Lynda Edwards
Lynda Edwards is a proud Wangkumara and Barkandji woman who has been a dedicated voice and volunteer for her community, as well as a passionate advocate for the financial rights, fairness and inclusion of First Nations people across New South Wales and Australia.
Lynda has worked for almost 17 years in the financial sector, initially as a financial capability worker and then as a financial counsellor, sharing her expertise of the financial sector to educate and increase the financial literacy of the First Nations community. She is driven by a genuine sense of purpose and a desire to achieve better, fairer financial outcomes for First Nations people who are frequently the target of unfair dealings and too often fall victim to these practices.
Prior to this, Lynda spent the early part of her career as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer within the NSW Police Force. She then spent 11 years as a finance officer with her local council which led to her joining Catholiccare Wilcannia-Forbes as an Aboriginal Financial Literacy Worker with the ‘Manage Your Income’ Program – a project she would later head up for more than nine years.
Lynda’s work with Catholiccare Wilcannia-Forbes, and then with Financial Counselling Australia as the Coordinator Financial Capability, has been pivotal in leading campaigns calling out unethical sales tactics and building financial health across the region.
