So to celebrate we've compiled a list of the Top Five stories written about Southern Highlands women over the past year.

Read more: 'Absolutely terrifying': Wildes Meadow residents dig in amongst rising flood levels

Two falls, but more opportunities for medals

Jessica Raschke always searches for ways to create art that starts conversations, and questions about the human condition.

She has been determined to create spaces where residents can express themselves anonymously, through interactive installations and writing workshops.

Two Highlands women weer awarded Order of Australia Medals (OAM) on Australia Day 2022.

For Sharon Hoogland, a former general manager of Mission Australia and former chair of what is now Jobs Australia, the call to public service came very young.

She has lived in the Mittagong area for 47 years, serving on several local educational bodies when her three sons were young, and taking on a number of roles at the Bowral Uniting Church.

A lifetime spent coaxing the joy of singing from people of all ages was recognised for Heather Tredinnick .

Mrs Tredinnick has been involved with music her whole life, beginning with church and community choirs, and continuing into a career as a music teacher for over 30 years.

Sophie Westlake invented the COVID-killing disinfectant spray Virosol+ in 2020, taking matters into her own hands due to husband Steve having a condition called Myasthenia Gravis (MG), similar to MS.

In 2021 she again stepped up to the plate during a national shortage of Rapid Antigen Tests.

Welby local Melissa Perrine was a joint flagbearer alongside Mitchell Gourley in the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

She is already a dual paralympic bronze medalist, both coming in Pyeongchang four years ago, but the flag bearer for Australia at the closing ceremony in 2018 still has a lot of fire left in her belly.

When Highlands football star Georgie Lewis set off for college in 2020, little did she know just how intense her American experience would be.

In amongst the college and sports culture of the States, she's unfortunately also witnessed one of the country's most infamous features.

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