General News
15 March, 2025
Ex mayor honoured for community roles
Former Horsham Rural City Council mayor Pam Clarke OAM has been celebrated for her outstanding contribution to community.
The honour was paid at a Horsham East Rotary special International Women's Day meeting on March 5.
It was this outstanding work as a councillor for 14 years (including three terms as mayor) and her ongoing service to the Horsham and Wimmera communities for many more that resulted in her receiving the Order of Australia Medal.
Ms Clarke said she saw the inside workings of local government first-hand during this time.
Her passion for her community was evident in her roles as she continued to advocate on many issues with prime ministers, premiers and government ministers, resulting in millions of dollars of funding coming to Horsham and the broader Wimmera.
However, she said she was not prepared for the organised, planned effort that some members of the community put into personal attacks.
"I had never experienced such vitriol – it was foreign to me," Ms Clark said.
"But I looked on those making the attacks as a weakness, especially when the attacks were not based on facts.
"The job as a mayor is to make sure the business of council continues during meetings too and it is their job to clear the gallery if that business is interrupted by the gallery."
Ms Clarke said that if a woman spoke up, she was criticised, but if a man did exactly the same thing, he was considered to be strong.
"The imbalance is evident and if we progress equality at the same rate we are now it will take another150 years for women to parody men," she said.
In 2018 she was awarded the Mayor Emeritus Certificate for her "outstanding contribution to local government and the Horsham community".
In January 2020 she received the Order of Australia Medal, again for her "outstanding contribution to local government and the Horsham community".
Some of the most notable building projects she was involved in include the Wimmera Uniting Care Building with $9 million, the Horsham Aquatic Centre with $9 million, the redevelopment of the Horsham Town Hall with $20 million and the Kalkee Road Children's Community Hub with $4.3 million.
Looking back over her years in local government she said while it wasn't always easy, the outcome was always worth it and she would encourage women to get involved in council.
"People who were not in favour of some of the projects at the time have since told me they love them now, and that's what being in local government is about," she said.
"Everyone will not always agree with your decisions but you make what you think is the best decision for the majority and the overall benefit of the whole community."
Ms Clarke said even as the mayor or a councillor, she often made a suggestion that was overlooked but a male counterpart would repeat her suggestion at the same meeting and be applauded for it.
"My message to women is to hold your ground, be strong, have an opinion, stand up for what you believe in and do it with confidence," she said.
"Women set the bar high for themselves but we all make mistakes so don't be afraid of that."
Her work in the community was always the focus of her professional career, with roles in the disability sector and mental illness after she completed her tertiary studies and became a change-maker in these fields.
One of her greatest achievements was threatening the Victorian Government for its Disability Discrimination Act, resulting in mobile ramps being installed in all railway stations in the state.
Ms Clarke served as chief executive of Wimmera Job Match for 10 years.
She set up the Victorian peak body Network Vic/Tas.
Some of her counterparts would meet at the pub on a Friday night to discuss ideas but she was never included, firstly because she was a woman and secondly because she didn't drink.
However, becoming an executive in those organisations turned that around.
From the success of this group she set up ACE Australia, a national peak body, and held the roles of chair and national secretary.
Her professional roles have predominantly been in advocacy, especially for rural people.
"What might seem like a good idea in Melbourne or Sydney will not be in Murtoa or Kaniva," she said.
"Advocacy is important to make sure rural people have the same opportunities as those in the cities."
Wimmera Job Match was the first Victorian organisation to provide employment opportunities for people with mental illness – another life-changing achievement for her community.
Ms Clarke has served as chair and a committee member in many organisations, including youth suicide, mental illness and Uniting Wimmera.
"On this International Women's Day and every day, women should support other women and celebrate their achievements," she said.
"Women do better when surrounded by other good women."
Ms Clarke said she was always grateful for the support of her husband and family.
