Mayor and MP step out to support women's history tours

Tania Brown, the first woman Lord Mayor of Wollongong, and Alison Byrnes, the federal Member for Cunningham, may well make future history books. But here and now the politicians are backing the local branch of She Shapes History by going on a walking tour.

After the Illawarra Flame reported how a group of women faced harassment at Flagstaff Hill on Sunday, leaving some in tears and sparking calls for a national conversation on misogyny and the ‘manosphere’, the city's Lord Mayor was quick to express her support.

“Everyone in our community has a right to feel safe and respected, so it’s always upsetting to hear that anyone has been a victim of intimidating or anti-social behaviour,” Cr Brown said yesterday. 

“I urge anyone who experiences or witnesses this type of behaviour to report it to police.”

Cr Brown said community safety was "a major priority" for Wollongong City Council. "We work with Police and community groups through the development of our Community Safety Plan, and we’ve previously partnered with the NSW Government as part of the ‘Safer Cities: Her Way’ program to help women, girls and gender diverse people feel safer in our city.

“It’s disappointing to hear people have had a negative experience in this instance, but I’m very pleased to see the She Shapes History tours operating in Wollongong and I’m looking forward to going on the tour myself with Alison Byrnes this weekend.”

Yesterday She Shapes History's Dr Zoe Condliffe posted a response to Sunday's incident on their social media, with a content warning: "harassment and intimidation in public space".

Ward 1 Councillor Jess Whittaker posted on the Flame's Facebook page, saying: "I hope this leads to an influx of men booking She Shapes History tours in solidarity with the women who had to put up with this shocking behaviour. Unbelievable they felt so emboldened to target a group of women like this in a public place."

The co-founders of International Women’s Day Illawarra, Vicki Tiegs OAM and Judith Henderson, have also expressed "deep concern".

“She Shapes History is undertaking important work in ensuring women’s stories are visible, valued and understood,” Ms Tiegs said. “These tours help people connect with the women who have shaped our communities, our cities and our nation — many of whom have historically been overlooked.

“No person should feel unsafe while engaging in a peaceful community activity focused on education, inclusion and the recognition of women’s contributions to society.”

Judith Henderson, Wollongong's 2026 Senior Citizen of the Year, said: “It raises important questions about respect, empathy, online influence and the way misogyny and intimidation are increasingly normalised among some young people.

“The irony that a tour focused on women’s history and women’s place in society was allegedly disrupted in this way is not lost on anyone.”

Sunday's incident was a first for She Shapes History, which launched five years ago in Canberra and runs tours in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong. Last year CEO Sita Sargeant published a book on the back of her successful business titled She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women. 

"Just to see [the film footage of] 20 young boys surrounding a group of middle-aged mums is pretty confronting,” Sita said on Tuesday.

“We are having a conversation about the manosphere, but no one has that much hard evidence. This is such a clear example of how these online spaces are shaping how people show up in the real world and shaping behaviour."

Sita employs three part-time guides in Wollongong, and the encounter has only made them more determined, she said.

“As a team we've gone, this is why we do this. Because women are made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in the cities that they live in – that is why we show up and share these stories.”

She Shapes History tours run on Saturdays and Sundays in Wollongong.