Mary Knowles OAM is serving her second term as Northern Midlands Council’s Mayor after first being elected over 15 years ago. With her busy schedule as Mayor, Mary is a tireless advocate for victim-survivors of family and sexual violence.
She has served on the State Government’s Sexual and Family Violence Consultative Group (SFVCG) and has been active in promoting safety for women escaping family violence and early education inclusion of Respectful Relationships programs. She was invited by the State Government to be the ‘voice’ in the Hearing Lived Experience survey campaign in 2022, outlining her own family violence trauma and encouraging survivors to speak up so that legislation can be based on what can work for those who had experienced or are experiencing domestic or sexual violence.
In 2008 Mary was Runner-up and a member of the winning group at the Tasmanian Volunteer Achievement Awards and inducted onto the Women’s Honour Roll in 2011. She received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2017 for her service to the community and in 2021 was awarded the International Women’s Day ‘Inspiring Leader in Local Government’ Excellence Award.
Mary has been a guest speaker at activism rallies in Hobart and Launceston, the Migrant Resource Centre in Launceston, Local Government Professionals Leadership programs and at the WESP Womens Essential Service Providers meeting in 2023. She has supported the Our Watch Senior Advisors for local government.
Mary’s resilience and compassion in overcoming her own trauma to help those facing their own is persistent and ongoing.