Mission

About Us

About #WORSHIPP Creator Louise Evans

Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney). A women sports’ pioneer and advocate, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald (1987) and the first female sports editor at The Australian (2001). Louise went on to work at seven Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships so far.

Over the 2018-2019 summer Louise created and launched #WISPAA – the annual and ongoing Women in Sport Photo Action Awards – to help change media and public perceptions about the portrayal of women in sport by showcasing their skill, strength and athleticism. With Louise as the driving force, #WISPAA evolved into a national touring exhibition which went on display at 28 corporate, retail, university and government sites in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia from June 2019 – April 2020. Watch the two-minute YouTube Exhibition Launch video. Louise also worked with Melbourne’s Federation Square creative team to produce a six-minute video, featuring the images of the inaugural 30 #WISPAA finalists that played on Fed Square’s Giant Outdoor Screens.

Award-winning journalist Louise Evans, OAM, was inspired to create #WORSHIPP after seeing so few women’s names on public spaces and places while on a driving holiday around Australia.

Big and tiny towns alike had parks, buildings and bridges named after prominent local men.

But the hard-working women who also helped build and sustain these communities were not being acknowledged. Louise wanted to help correct this imbalance by researching and recognising the achievements of auspicious women at all levels and making them more visible in their communities.

Louise devised a national campaign called #WORSHIPP = Women Of Respect and Substance Honoured In Public Places. #WORSHIPP’s mission is to encourage local people and communities to honour their homegrown heroines by attaching their names to appropriate public places and spaces where they can be seen as acclaimed role model.

#WORSHIPP will celebrate each local dedication by adding it to the Roll of Honour on the #WORSHIPP website and on our social platforms. The Roll of Honour is an inspiring list of admirable women whose names have already been attached to everything from awards, avenues, auditoriums, assembly halls and arenas and celebrates the significant contribution Australian women have made and will continue to make to their communities, country and fellow citizens. Louise chose the colour purple for the logo because it was used by the suffragette movement which successfully campaigned for women’s right to vote in the early 20th century.