Lessons in Disaster, Geelong, February 2026

Our training strengthens the capacity of local government, health, community and emergency sectors to understand the relevance of gender stereotypes and inequalities in a disaster context.

• Understand gender and disaster and why violence against women can increase during and after disaster.
• Unpack how gender inequality during and after disaster distinctly impacts women, men and LGBTIQA+ people.
• Learn how applying an inclusive gender-lens can lead to world-leading disaster recovery.

Led by expert trainers and delivered nationally by two of our 50+ expert trainers from every State and Territory. For this session, you'll be guided by Mary Barry and Wennie Van Riet.

Mary Barry (she/her) has been an accredited trainer with Gender and Disaster Australia since 2019. She has held the role of CEO at Our Watch, a national leader in the prevention of violence against women and their children (2016-2018) and the Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) from 2006-2014. Mary has also worked in CEO and senior executive roles across health, aged care, and local government further enriching her diverse skill set and understanding of complex organisational dynamics.

Wennie Van Riet (she/her) is originally from the Netherlands where she studied Gender & Sexuality studies and completed her Research Master in Social Sciences from the University of Amsterdam. For the past decade she has worked in the Not-for-Profit sector of Melbourne working in community development and social justice, with many communities experiencing disadvantage including migrant and refugee women, people with disabilities and older Victorians. For the last 7 years she has been volunteering on the Board of Span Community House in Thornbury, with the last 3 years as their chairperson.

Since 2023, Wennie has worked at GenWest, a women’s health organisation in Melbourne’s West. She is the lead on flood and climate change preparedness with an intersectional feminist lens. Initially, she focussed on flood recovery work after the Maribyrnong River flood of 2022. She delivered the program “Our Community, Our Voice”, which is centred around working with identified migrant & refugee communities in an urban setting. She championed the peer-to-peer based bi-cultural education model which proved very successful in establishing trust, addressing access barriers, and delivering recovery initiatives while pivoting to community needs. She is now taking these flood recovery lessons into disaster preparedness and the prevention family violence.

Testimonials

'This was the best training I have attended in some time. Incredibly relevant and practical. Great at broadening considerations and explains ‘why.’'

'All those who work in the Emergency Management space - preparedness, response, relief or recovery - should complete this training. Incredibly thought provoking.'

What to Expect

• The training will run from 9.30am to 5.00pm.
• You'll receive a link to download and print the Participant Guide in your Eventbrite confirmation email.
• A light lunch will be provided.
• Please register via Eventbrite so your accessibility and dietary requirements are captured. Please note, we'll do our best to accommodate all requests, but we can't guarantee every request will be met.