Lake Crackenback will provide a stunning backdrop when Jindabyne High School vice-captain Emelia Greville and principal Kelly Henretty join a panel to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The March 16 event at The Oaks will bring three generations together to share their journeys.

Emelia, a talented writer, told ABC South East she was excited to share her perspective as a young woman from the region.

Her passion for writing began in Year One with her first story.

“It’s taken a whole life of its own now,” she said.

“It’s really grown and developed, as I keep reading and learning.”

Emelia is studying the Irish writer Colm Tóibín’s novel Brooklyn for English Extension 1.

“That is inspiring, looking at literary homelands; that is relevent to us, in a small town, understanding what home looks like.

“It will influence what I write in the next couple of months.”

Ms Henretty said it was “empowering to see the next generation of women coming through”.

“It is great for young people to see other young women achieving their best and Emelia is a perfect example of that,” she said.

“Emelia is a talented young leader who will represent our school and young people well.

“She was honoured as a featured artist in the 2025 School Spectacular Writing Competition.

“She was also listed among the Top 100 featured artists and published in the Dymocks Beyond Words Writing Competition.

“She was highly commended in the 2025/26 Heywire competition and she was accepted into the prestigious 2026 National Schools Constitutional Convention, a forum for young leaders to discuss democracy in Australia.

“She is also through to the District Final as Jindabyne Lion's Youth of the Year overall winner.”

Emelia and Ms Henretty will join Lions Club representative Nira Windeatt on the panel.

"I will speak about public education and how, as a young person from a low socioeconomic background, teachers empowered and mentored me to be more than a product of my environment,” Ms Henretty said.

“Now I try to provide that for the young people I work with, so they know they can be anything they want to be if they are willing to work for it.”