Business owner Michelle Shanks, headspace Horsham LGBTI youth support worker Maddi Ostapiw, Wotjobaluk traditional owner Joanne Harrison-Clarke, and Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Catherine Morley will speak at the annual event at the Horsham Town Hall.

This year’s theme is #pressforprogress, which highlights issues such as the gender pay gap.

The day aims to bring people together to think about what they can do to unite women and be gender inclusive.

Ms Morley will share how anyone has an opportunity to teach others.

"The focus of my talk will be that we all have the opportunity to be a mentor or a teacher and perhaps we don't recognise that," she said. "We should be a bit more conscious of that, because little things can make a big difference.

"I've had some wonderful teachers in my life, including my grandparents and my daughter.

"It's encouraged me to learn more and try harder to make a difference to people's lives.

"It's always good to learn and understand how you can do better, and that's what I try to do."

Ms Morley said she became involved with the event to help celebrate amazing women in the region, and encourage people to share their stories.

Miss Harrison-Clarke is a Wotjobaluk woman who works as a family violence case manager and also as a cultural adviser.

She also works with Wimmera Primary Care Partnership to provide cultural awareness training in partnership with Horsham’s Centre for Participation.

"The reason why I got involved in this event is the importance of having Aboriginal voices out there, and having a voice for Aboriginal women across the state," she said.

"What I'm going to focus on in my talk is breaking the shame for Aboriginal women, what that really means and how we can best do that as a collective group."

Miss Ostapiw is a youth support worker for the region’s lesbian, gay and bisexual community.

“I work one day a week at headspace Horsham and I run the Rainbow Youth Group along with other staff at the centre,” she said.

“We are also working on a few LGBTI projects at the moment and we have an event coming up where some young people will head to Melbourne for a conference.

“My role is to do anything I can to support LGBTI young people in the Wimmera.”

Miss Ostapiw said she jumped at the chance to be involved in International Women’s Day.

“International Women’s Day is something I hold quite dear to my heart because I’m a strong feminist,” she said.

Miss Ostapiw said the event was a great chance for people to open up and talk about issues.

“I believe it is really important to support all varying identities of womanhood and femaleness, no matter what people look like,” she said.

“It's important for us to open up and talk on International Women's Day.”

Ms Shanks is a Horsham business owner, who also works with an international charity.

She moved to Horsham two years ago to be with her partner, who is a farmer.

“I’m originally from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland – I had never heard of Horsham before I came here but it’s been fantastic,” she said.

She worked with Robyn Kelm at Horsham hairdressing salon Sir and Hers for nine months before buying the business a year ago.

Sir and Hers is now called George and Co after Ms Shanks’ dad, who was involved in an accident and was left with a serious injury.

Ms Shanks said she was nervous about speaking at International Women’s Day, but she was also looking forward to it.

“I am going to speak about a charity that is very closed to me – it is a group I’m involved with called Hair Aid,” she said.

The not-for-profit organisation works with poverty-stricken communities in Thailand and the Philippines, particularly with young girls, to give them a livelihood hairdressing on the streets, instead of selling their bodies in the sex trade.

“It started in the Philippines and what we do is go over there  and work with young women that are living in terrible circumstances,” Ms Shanks said.

“We give them the skills to be hairdressers, which keeps them off the street.”

Women’s Health Grampians, Horsham East Rotary Club and the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre will host the 2018 International Women’s Day event in the city.

Club’s Robyn Lardner said the whole premise of the day is to celebrate Wimmera women of all ages.

“We have invited people to talk who might not be widely known throughout the community,” she said.

“Last year we had a train driver as our guest speaker.

“We are trying to celebrate what people do, as well as looking at things that are out of the ordinary.”

Mrs Lardner said the guest speakers were all pushing for progress in their own fields.

“It’s not a women-only event – anyone can come along,” she said.

“It goes from noon to about 1.15pm so people can come along in their lunch break.

“I think people will leave the day very enlightened.”

People can buy tickets through the Horsham Town Hall, either online at www.horshamtownhall.com.au, at the box office in person or by calling 5382 9555.