Margaret Hardy recognised

Peninsula resident Ms Margaret Hardy has been recognised as a finalist for a national women's leadership achievement award in support of her dedication and commitment to the arts.

The Australian Centre for Leadership for Women recognised Ms Hardy's work in developing the Significant Women of the Central Coast books to record women's stories and achievements for the benefit of others.

The success of the first two books has prompted Ms Hardy to begin compiling a Significant Men of the Central Coast book.

Peninsula News has published several of the biographies of Peninsula women featured in her books.

Ms Hardy is also the president of the Central Coast Multi Arts Confederation.

"My commitment in the early days was to get the arts accepted as an important part of life and to get the politicians and community to accept that advancement of society needed the arts to give soul, meaning, escapism from worry, a recording of history, and to bring people together to accept all genre of arts, importance to health, attitude, environmental awareness and business," Ms Hardy said.

"I hoped the Significant Women of the Central Coast books would help to make everyone aware that by recording these stories we could learn from history, give women credence for their involvement in their community and the wider world and establish inspiration for young people to follow a path of appreciating what has gone before."

Website, 10 Mar 2009 Australian Centre for Leadership for Women