Jenny O’Neill was born into a loving and positive environment where women and men were treated and encouraged equally. Jenny completed a social work degree focusing on mental and community health, including sexual assault and domestic violence.
Both Jenny and her husband share values about fun, finances, social justice, outdoors and valuing differences and chose to be childless. They decided to give to social causes with time and within their financial means, including ‘social’ housing over the last 25 years. In 2019 in memory of both of their mothers, Jenny and her husband initiated the nursing scholarship amyandnancy. They have found you don’t need big money to ‘do’ philanthropy.
Jenny has experience on a range of voluntary committees and boards in various executive positions, as well as completing governance training.
Jenny’s proudest achievement remains introducing the Acknowledgement of the Aboriginal people to Wellington Shire Council meetings when acting Mayor in 2008. It wasn’t well received by some councilors, but it has stayed. A personal buzz was starting to run at 50 years old, despite asthma. “I mightn’t run far or fast, but I run and it’s always a thrill. And my friends and extended family think it’s mad!”
Our paths are a combination of luck and choice
