EWHA Annual General Meeting 2026: Celebrating Our Community and Looking Ahead
The 2026 EWHA AGM was held on 26 August 2026 at the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre. The AGM was followed by a talk by Olivia Thwaites.
On 26 August, EWHA members came together for our Annual General Meeting – an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been, celebrate our achievements and look ahead to another year of connecting, supporting and inspiring women in horticulture.
A key moment of the evening was the unanimous approval of changes to EWHA’s purpose, reaffirming our commitment to supporting and empowering women across the diverse world of horticulture.
Members also took part in the annual committee elections. With no new nominations received, the majority of the existing committee will continue in their roles, providing continuity and experience as EWHA moves into another year. We also farewelled three valued committee members, Carol Jordon, Luda Unitt, and Deb Bancroft, who have made important contributions to EWHA during their time on the committee. We thank them warmly for their enthusiasm, skills and commitment, and wish them all the best for the future.
An inspiring evening with Olivia Thwaites
Following the AGM, we were delighted to welcome Olivia Thwaites, founder of Green Hip Workwear, for an inspiring presentation about her journey from horticulturist to entrepreneur.
Olivia created Green Hip after experiencing firsthand the lack of comfortable, practical and well-designed workwear for women. As a horticulturist, she knew exactly how frustrating it could be to work in clothing designed primarily for men. Her response was to create something better – workwear designed specifically for women, combining comfort, safety, functionality and style.
Since its beginnings, Green Hip has grown into a well-known Australian women’s workwear brand, with products designed for horticulture, gardening, farming, trades and other hands-on industries. The business also has a strong environmental commitment, planting a native grass, shrub or tree for every garment sold and supporting large-scale revegetation projects.
Olivia’s story of identifying a problem, backing herself and turning an idea into a thriving Australian business was a fitting way to conclude our AGM. Her journey reflects many of the qualities we value at EWHA – initiative, resilience, creativity, connection and a determination to create positive change for women in horticulture.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the AGM and helped make it such a warm and inspiring evening. We look forward to another year of growing EWHA together.
Here’s to another year of supporting, inspiring and celebrating women in horticulture!
Flowers supplied by sustainable florist Botany Melbourne.
