Parramatta Female Factory Friends presents:
International Women’s Day 2026 Programme
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have crafted an exciting programme to celebrate International Women’s Day. Come along for a lively discussion celebrating incredible women in Australia – it’s going to be inspiring and empowering.
Programme: Friday, 6 March 2026
- 9:30 am: PFFF Rooms Open
- 10:00 am: Research Rooms Open
- 10:00 am: Guest Speaker Presentation: Australian Women of Note
- 11:15 am: Morning Tea – Matron Gordon’s Tea Room
- 12:00 pm: Site tours including the 3rd Class Sleeping Quarters & Penitentiary c. 1823
Guest Speaker Presentation: Australian Women of Note
Our Australian banknotes are graced with some very ‘note-worthy’ women, but how much do you know about the important role each has played in our country’s history to deserve the honour to feature on our notes? Today, our banknotes feature a woman on each, but this was not so on our earlier notes, so when did it change? Kerima-Gae Topp’s research has discovered some amazing facts about these women, some of which were totally unexpected. This presentation will leave you with a new appreciation of our wonderful ‘Women of Note’.
About the speaker
Kerima-Gae Topp has lived in the Parramatta area all her life and is still living on her 1911 family property, near Parramatta’s CBD. She has a passion for the history of her local area. She is a past President of Parramatta National Trust, a former committee member of Parramatta and District Historical Society, and Parramatta Female Factory Friends, where she is still very active as a volunteer guide. Currently, she is President and Treasurer of Friends of Mays Hill Cemetery, Treasurer of Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Friends of St. Patrick’s Cemetery and Hills District Historical Society. In 2007, Kerima-Gae received a Parramatta City Council Heritage Award for her ‘Meeting The Bounds’ historical tour of Parramatta. In 2021, she was awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the Royal Australian Historical Society. Since 2000, she has operated her own tour company, Topp Tours, specialising in historical tours of Parramatta, Sydney, country New South Wales and Norfolk Island.
Event details
When: Friday, 6 March 2026.
Where: Parramatta Female Factory Rooms, 5 Fleet St, North Parramatta.
Getting here: No parking onsite; 4hr street parking or Parramatta Leagues Club; Take the light rail from Parramatta – alight Ngara – short walk to site.
Cost: $20 (Talk $5; Morning Tea $5; Tours $10).
Book early – limited places available.
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