Women have shaped Victoria, its communities, institutions, environment and culture.

Her Place Women’s Museum is committed to providing services and resources that are designed to help anyone, from community members and families to educators, councils and developers, understand how to honour women.

Finding Her Resource Hub

Public commemoration is not merely a cultural gesture — it is an act of recognition with real consequences for how communities understand themselves, who they see as significant, and whose stories are passed on to future generations.

When the names on our streets, parks and public places reflect only a narrow slice of the community — overwhelmingly men, often from a single cultural background — those omissions are not neutral. They send a signal about whose lives matter, whose contributions count, and who belongs in public life.

The Finding Her resource suite brings together ten documents designed to support stakeholders involved in commemorative place naming and women’s recognition in Victoria and beyond. Each document serves a specific purpose within the commemoration process and is designed to work together.

Finding Her @ Her Place Resource Suite – Introductory Guide

For communities, councils, developers, researchers and advocates

Read this Guide before moving on to the othe rdocuments in the suite.

Finding Her Place — Guide to CommemorationFinding Her Place — Guide to Commemoration

For Individuals, families, community groups

Introduces all forms of public commemoration, explains eligibility criteria, and guides readers through five steps to building a strong nomination.

Intersections in Place — Guideline & Intersections in Place Checklist

For councils, developers, naming authorities

A guideline for intersectional, gender-inclusive place naming. Provides six principles, community-specific guidance and implementation strategies.

This guideline is supported by A practical working checklist for applying the Intersections in Place Guideline at each stage of a naming project, from governance to monitoring.

Cultural Protocols Framework

Councils, developers, researchers, families

Guidance on ethical engagement with First Nations communities, families and cultural custodians throughout any commemoration project. Covers permission, consent, cultural safety and dispute resolution.

Biography Research Guide

For researchers, volunteers, and contributors

Companion guide to the Biography Data Collection Form. Explains how to approach research, handle permissions, address bias and write with care.

This Guide works in tandem with the Biography Template

Biography Data Collection Template

For researchers, families, community contributors

A structured form for documenting a woman’s life, achievements, learning and legacy in preparation for any commemoration purpose.

Finding Her Nomination Submission Form

Anyone nominating an existing site

This form used to nominate an existing public commemoration — a road, mural, plaque or park — for inclusion on the Finding Her digital map.

GNV Submission Readiness Checklist

For Councils, developers, naming authorities

Prepares a checklist against geographic naming proposal for lodgement with Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) via the Vicmap Editing Service.

Family Invitation Letter Template

For Councils and developers

Template for approaching families on behalf of an organisation where privacy laws prevent Her Place from making direct contact. Customisable for any site.

Finding Her Services

Her Place Women’s Museum offers specialist support for anyone seeking to commemorate a Victorian woman — whether you are an individual, a family, a community group, an organisation or a council.

Finding Her @ Her Place brings together deep expertise in Australian women’s history, gender equity and public commemoration with practical, on-the-ground project support.

In-depth biographical research, fact-checking, source verification, and intersectional historical analysis. We can help find records for women whose stories are underrepresented in mainstream archives.

Expert support in writing, reviewing and finalising biographies suitable for Finding Her map publication, formal GNV submissions, and other public commemoration projects.

Assistance with preparing a Name Bank for commemorative consideration. Name Banks can range is size and complexity.

Guidance and templates for approaching and involving families, including our invitation letter template for use by councils and developers where privacy laws prevent direct contact.

Practical advice on completing nomination forms, preparing evidence packages, and working with naming authorities, councils and other bodies.

Projects supported by Her Place Women’s Museum may be featured on the Finding Her digital map or in exhibitions at Abbotsford Convent, amplifying women’s stories across Victoria.

Her Place Women’s Museum maintains a growing digital archive of women’s histories. Contributing a woman’s story to the archive ensures it is preserved and accessible for future generations.

Gender-based and intersectional place naming, exhibitions and commemoration workshops for councils, developers and community organisations. Includes preparation, delivery and follow-up materials.

Professionally curated exhibitions at Her Place Women’s Museum at Abbotsford Convent or at metro and regional venues. Developed in consultation with clients and communities to bring women’s stories to life.

Education Resources

Her Place Women’s Museum develops and shares engaging and wide-reaching education programs to accompany exhibitions. The programs include primary and secondary curriculum-linked education resources for students and teachers.

These free classroom resources are intended to assist teachers to introduce and contextualise the stories of Her Place exhibitions

The future is always unknown, but the broad range of work being done in STEM helps us to prepare for it. One thing we do know is that diversity within STEM is important and, with women making up half the population, the involvement of more women in STEM leads to new voices, ideas and solutions.

As our world changes so rapidly, we can’t know what the jobs of the future look like. What the women in this exhibition demonstrate is that STEM has equipped them to take on the unknown. As creative, big picture problem-solvers, they are making a difference in the world and thinking ahead to what is possible

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