Sika Kerry OAM

Née Zinaida Georgievna Kirichuk (Зика Керри)

The first female councillor in the 113-year history of Footscray City Council. Champion for migrant women.

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“Неудача часто сменяется победой”
“Failure is often followed by victory”

— Sika Kerry OAM ( Зика Керри)

 

Sika’ Kerry was a passionate advocate for migrant women and multicultural communities in Melbourne’s west. Fluent in four languages, she broke barriers in local government and built bridges across cultures. Her leadership opened the way for women to participate in public and political life. [1]

Zinaida Kirichuk was born in 1937 in Belgrade to Russian parents and was known as “Sika.” She later recalled the impact of war on her childhood:

 “We lived well, in a beautiful apartment with a summer house on the Danube. Then the Germans came and sent my father to work in what was then German-occupied Czech territory…The English and Americans frequently bombed the industrial areas…I started school, but the building was bombed. After the war we were first in the American zone, then moved to the French zone where my father found work.” [2]

 

Sika and her family migrated to Melbourne by sea, arriving on 26 June 1949 as part of the post-war migration wave. They were sent by train to Bonegilla Migrant Camp. Arriving as an 11-year-old without English, she recalled:

 “It was very cold… it was hard to find housing. My father worked in a factory. There was only enough money for half a house and simple food. My mother, who had never worked before, took a job cleaning in a restaurant.” [3]

 

Despite these challenges, Sika was encouraged to develop a commitment to community participation and service. Reflecting on her upbringing, she said:

“My family has always had this attitude: what can you actually give, what can you do? … Basically participate whether you are young, middle age, or old.” [4]

 

In 1954, at age 17, Sika married George Kerry. The couple lived with her husband’s parents until they were able to buy a house in Footscray. Sika had children and became active in school organisations.

Sika’s interest in local government was sparked after the council failed to respond to her phone calls about flooding in her street. She attended a council meeting and later vividly remembered:

“I went to a council meeting. I sat in the gallery and looked around. Fifteen councillors, all men. All the officers, all men.  The journalists who covered every council meeting, all men.  That’s when I became interested.” [5]

 

Sika began regularly attending meetings and decided to run as an independent for election:

“As the first female candidate, I was in the newspapers every day. There were caricatures, but I’m not easily offended. In the first election, I lost by just 50 votes. I ran again, going door to door, telling people I was an ordinary mother and housewife, not a feminist. I won the next election by several hundred votes.” [6]

 

In 1972, Sika became the first woman elected to Footscray City Council. [7] She worked across a broad range of community initiatives. This included establishing the first Footscray Migrant Resource Centre in 1981 (now the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre), advocating for newly arrived Australians, and improving access to services for women, families, and migrants.

Sika faced persistent gender bias throughout her five years on council, reflecting broader patterns in how women in public leadership are scrutinised and represented.

“I don’t think there was a week where there wasn’t something I did or didn’t do that wasn’t written up in the paper. But the emphasis was always on how I looked rather than what I did. ” [8]

 

This form of appearance‑based commentary, which disproportionately targets women in leadership, undermined the reception of her advocacy for women, families, and migrants.

Reflecting on the political climate at the time, she commented:

 “In those days in Victoria, we had 211 municipalities with roughly 2500 councillors, 68 of whom were women, out of 2500. Think of it.” [9]

 

Undeterred, Sika continued to make a significant impact in the community. She worked at Keilor City Council in aged care services, served on Victoria University’s ethics committee, contributed to the Western Centre Against Sexual Assault, and became a life governor of the Western General Hospital. She also held leadership roles in the Victorian Branch of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association and the Russian Ethnic Community Council. [10]

In 1991, Sika was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her outstanding service to local government and multicultural communities.

Sika passed away on 18 April 2023, aged 85. [11]

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Acknowledgement

This biography was written by Her Place Women’s Museum in consultation with family and using archival and public records.

Photo: Sika Kerry OAM – Advance Australia Award, photograph provided by family.

 

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Commemoration

Sika Way was named by Maribyrnong City Council in recognition of Sika Kerry OAM, Footscray’s first female councillor and a champion for migrant women. The Road sits within Footscray, where Sika served as councillor.

The road was gazetted by Geographic Names Victoria on 1 August 2024.  In March 2025, the naming was referenced in ministerial communications as part of the Remember a Local, Name a Place campaign, which at that time marked the first occasion on which more than half of new Victorian place names honoured women. By the end of 2025, this had increased to 70 per cent.