Women of Spirit Breakfast

We are delighted to announce our Women of Spirit Breakfast on 11 March, featuring our distinguished alumna and guest speaker, The Honourable Justice Houda Younan (1991), Federal Court of Australia.

This special celebration of International Women’s Day that brings our community together to honour the strength, leadership and impact of women at Wenona and beyond. Embracing this year's United Nations theme, Balance the Scales, we will reflect on what becomes possible when barriers are dismantled and pathways opened. In doing so, we will recognise that when we give respect, visibility, knowledge, support and resources, we help create a more just and empowered future for all.

Justice Houda Younan was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia on 19 December 2024. Her Honour graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts (Government) (Honours I) in 1996 and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours I) in 1998. In the same year, she distinguished herself on the international stage as the National Champion and Best Oralist in the final of the Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition, and was also named Best Oralist in the international rounds in Washington DC.

In 2001, Justice Younan was awarded a Master of Laws (Honours I) from the University of Cambridge, where she also received the Clive Parry Prize for International Law. From 2001 to 2005, her Honour served as a legal officer and later senior legal officer in the Office of International Law within the Attorney-General’s Department, participating in disputes before the World Trade Organisation and being recognised for her service advising on matters relating to the law of armed conflict.

Justice Younan was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2006 and to the New South Wales Bar in 2007. She also lectured in international law at the University of Sydney until 2008 and was a co-author of the Australian Yearbook of International Law. In 2020, her Honour was appointed Senior Counsel and, prior to her judicial appointment, practised extensively at the Bar in administrative law, constitutional law, international law, extradition, revenue and customs, and sports law arbitration.