KAIL-2193-Inspiring-Women-Book-03[2]

Empower. Inspire.
Achieve.
A brand built on one inspiring woman’s
dexterity and resolve, in celebrating 40 Years
of Kailis Australian Pearls, we are celebrating
brilliance, strength, excellence and individuality.
Characteristics shared by the rare and beautiful
Australian South Sea Pearl and the exceptional
women herein who personify them.
What better way to celebrate our heritage,
our history, than with the stories of these six
women? Leaders in their field, unique in every
way, whose determination and courage have
empowered them to achieve the extraordinary.
After all, this is what we are all about.

Davida Forshaw
International airline pilot, Women in STEM advocate, Mother
Davida Foreshaw is one of those
people who always knew what they
wanted to do. From childhood, she has clear
memories of her father taking her to the local
airport and watching the light aircraft take off
and land. “I wanted to be a pilot,” she says.
It was as simple as that.
Flying is the most
incredible career...
it’s extraordinary.
“Flying is the most incredible career...
it’s extraordinary,” she says.
Living this extraordinary life, never did it cross
Davida’s mind that, in pursuing her career at
that time, she would be one of the forerunners
of Australia’s female aviation industry. Even
today, having achieved that goal, flying all over
the world, often the only woman on the flight
deck, she doesn’t stop to consider herself a

pioneer of her industry. It’s just not what it’s
about for Davida. For her, it’s a simple story of
a girl following her dream and being determined
and strong enough to achieve it.
“When I started out flying, I never really
thought about how difficult it would be. I
never thought about breaking a glass ceiling
or anything like that. I was just following my
passion, putting one foot in front of other to
achieve my goal,” she says.
“It’s really giant steps, one after the other.”
Really only you know, yourself,
deep down inside, what it is that
you can be and what you can do.
That passion and determination have been the
driving force in Davida’s career and continue to
be today. She has a checklist she lives by - “all
pilots love check-lists” she says. P for passion
in what she does and for those around her,
including her family who play a huge role in her
life. H is for health and maintaining a balanced
life and D for decision, assessing and evaluating
her choices to always achieve excellence.
Her passion for the industry expands to
teaching and empowering young, aspiring
female pilots to trust in their own potential and
be the individuals they want to be.
Her message is quite simple.
“Really only you know, yourself, deep down
inside, what it is that you can be and what you
can do,” she says. “If somebody wants to share
that with me and I can help them, then that’s
BLUE AURORA COLLAR
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”

Kylie Radford
Business owner, Fashion designer, Mother
It’s not necessarily a passion
any more. It feels like it’s
family to me.
Listening to Kylie Radford’s job
description, you wonder how she
could possibly get it all done in a day. Yet
there’s something about her which tells you
that if anyone could, it’s Kylie.
The founder, designer and operations manager
of Morrison’s clothing brand, Kylie runs the
company behind 16 retail stores, whilst multitasking
as a mum of two young boys. And she
thrives on it.
“I absolutely love what I do,” she says. “It’s not
necessarily a passion any more. It feels like it’s
family to me. I have found my fit.”
Before creating Morrison, Kylie’s biggest
aspiration was to be the first person in her

family to graduate from University. Achieving
that, she moved from Launceston to Perth and
soon discovered her creative edge.
“I reflect on a moment when I was driving home
from work at the Fremantle store with my
husband one night. We’d had our first wholesale
customer come in and ask if they could
purchase a pair of pants I’d created,” Kylie says.
“And, I remember saying to Rich: ‘Imagine, we
could actually make some money out of this gig!’
We went onto sell 25,000 pairs of those pants.”
BLUE AURORA EARRINGS
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”
I would prefer to do nothing, if
it wasn’t of the highest quality.
For Kylie, running such a successful business and
being a mother has been, and continues to be,
a constant juggling act. But it’s a role she loves
and is thankful for.
“Running the business, raising a family and
juggling both is rewarding for many reasons,”
she says. “I get to do my work, which I love, and
at the end of the day, I get to be with my boys.”
It is pretty clear that Kylie doesn’t do anything
by halves. Her abounding energy, humility,
leadership and motivation are all characteristics
which exude out of her every pore. It’s all about
doing your very best for Kylie, and it shows.
“Quality is the most important part of my
brand,” she says. “From design, fabric selection,
workmanship, to the fit out of the stores, it’s
always been the top priority for me. I would
prefer to do nothing, rather than something
that wasn’t of the highest quality.”

Ellie Cole
Swimmer, Six-time Paralympic gold medallist, 15-time Paralympic medallist
Paralympic swimmer, Six-time gold medallist, 15-time medallist
Nothing resonates stronger with Ellie
Cole, than her potential to inspire
others with the belief that anything is possible,
no matter the odds.
Nothing had changed about me,
other than I’d lost a leg.
When she was two, Ellie’s mother noticed what
she thought was a spider bite on the back of
her leg. That spider bite turned out to be a
rare form of cancer, which saw Ellie’s parents
having to make the excruciating decision to
amputate their daughter’s leg or face losing
her altogether.
“Speaking to my Mum about that time, she said
she was worried the little girl going into the
operating theatre wouldn’t be the same when
she came out,” says Ellie. “But two days after
I had my leg amputated, I was going up and

I just wanted to be the best. And
always, always striving to be the best
led me onto the Australian team.
down the hospital corridor on a skateboard
and having a lot of fun. She realised then, that
nothing had changed about me other than I’d
lost a leg.”
From there, Ellie has defied the odds. Time
and time again. First, it was ticking off each of
the activities her doctor had said she’d never
be able to do. Next, it was being amongst the
fastest in her swim squad of able-bodied kids.
“I remember I would turn up to training at the
beginning of every session and say, “I’m going
to be the first one back to the wall today”. And
even when I was doing my kicking sessions, you
know, I had one leg and the other kids had two,
but I still wanted to be the fastest,” says Ellie.
It took a great deal of work, but over time and
with sheer determination, Ellie was one of the
fastest in that squad and, at age 14, she found
herself in the Australian swim team.
“That was never part of the plan,” she laughs.
“I just wanted to be the best. And always,
always striving to be the best led me onto the
Australian team.”
Today, she holds 15 Paralympic medals, six of
which are gold, with her sights on another
Games.
“I had one working limb and that was a
really difficult period in my life,” says Ellie.
The physical hardship was one thing. More
challenging, Ellie says, was her mental state
which had her staring in the face of defeat.
Then chance stepped in and, only months
after her operation, Ellie had the opportunity
to hear Australian swimmer, Petria Thomas,
recount her story of overcoming shoulder
reconstruction to win an Olympic Gold.
“I left that room, went straight to the pool and I
decided I was going to work back to being the
best, no matter how much work it took. Within
nine months, I broke my first world record,” says
Ellie.
For Ellie, personal success and overcoming any
perceived limitations is who she is, totally and
absolutely.
“Women who are really inspiring are those who
have gone against the grain and done what they
want to do, despite what anybody else thinks,”
she says.
BLUE AURORA PENDANT
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”
“I’m trying to hit 20 Paralympic medals. I think I
should be able to retire happily, if I can achieve
that,” she laughs.

Dr Nikki Stamp
Heart and lung surgeon, Author, TV presenter
Once I developed my
self-confidence, I really
never looked back.
Looking at Dr Nikki Stamp today, it’s
difficult to imagine a little girl who didn’t
believe she “had the smarts” to study medicine.
Yet, with a supportive family behind her, she
says self-doubt was the only thing that stood in
her way.
“Once I developed my self-confidence, I really
never looked back. I did all the things people
said I couldn’t do,” she says. “When I hear
people tell me there’s something I can’t do,
it’s a little bit like a red rag to a bull!”
That self-belief has been key to Nikki’s life from
then on, not only throughout her studies, but
in her role as a surgeon. “I need to believe in
myself and I need to back myself to do my job,
it’s an essential part of what I do,” she says.

Yet, while it would be easy to concentrate
on the enormity of the interventions Nikki
performs on a daily basis, instead her greatest
lesson is about human relationships.
“I get to see people at their best and worst
during their life, and it’s a real privilege to be
able to do that,” she says.
BLUE AURORA CUFF
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that
when the chips are down, when things are
really, really bad for people, the thing you
always go back to is your family, your friends,
and… love. That’s been a really great lesson for
me and it really instilled in me how important
those values of love and family are.”
The thing you always go back to is
your family, friends, and… love.
It’s this passion, respect, empowerment, and
a commitment to be the best, which make
up Dr Nikki Stamp. All attributes of a truly
inspiring woman.
“Quality is what is expected of me every single
day. People put their trust – their lives in my
hands, and they expect me to bring the highest
quality game to the table all day, every day. It is
the only thing I should be doing for them.”

Sara Macliver
Soprano, Teacher, Mother
Sara Macliver’s love of music began when
she was a little girl. Singing, playing piano
from the age of five, she was intent on keeping
up with her older brothers who all sang in a
choir. Her first experience of the stage came at
age seven, when she said, “I just thought: this is
it, this is what I want to do.”
Confidence is a daily
conversation and it’s a very
important part of who I am.
Sara’s musical career has been what dreams
are made of. She tours all over Australia
and internationally, performing with worldrenowned
companies, orchestras and choirs.
But it might not have been this way. When
applying for university, Sara changed her
application from Music to Arts at the lastminute,
fearing she didn’t have what it took to
be a performer. Serendipity? Fate? Perhaps it
was just meant to be. Sara received a call from

the Admissions Office telling her she’d earned
her place in Music, if she wanted it.
“That was a real sliding-doors moment for me,”
says Sara. “I really, really love my job and feel so
lucky to be able to say that. One of the reasons
I love it is just the sheer joy of singing and love
of music. I always have; it’s in my soul.”
BLUE ADORED EARRINGS
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”
If you find something you love, then
it doesn’t feel so much like a job. It’s
a joy more than anything else.
But it’s not always been an easy path. As well
as the hard work required to achieve the
excellence she has, Sara has had to overcome
strong performance anxiety and self-doubt. It’s
been a journey, but she says acquiring, learning
and maintaining that confidence is an essential
part of who she is.
“Confidence is something I work really hard at,”
she says. “When I’m up on stage, it’s important
that an audience can see and hear a really
confident performer. Confidence is a daily
conversation and it’s a very important part of
who I am.”
Perhaps because she’s learned so much along
the way, passing on that knowledge is hugely
important to Sara. Not only as an example to
her own children, but also to her students.
“If you find something you love, then it doesn’t
feel so much like a job. It’s a joy more than
anything else,” says Sara. “I hope I can pass that
message onto my children and my students.
That they can aspire to be the best version of
themselves.”

Dr Patricia Kailis
Doctor, Co-Founder and Governing Director
of MG Kailis Group
Success for me, is recognising
the opportunity, applying your
knowledge, and seeing that it
works for the better.
Looking after people, being curious, and
achieving the best outcomes, has always
been what’s driven Dr Kailis to success. Be it in
her profession as a doctor, or as one half of the
founding partnership of the MG Kailis Group.
“Success for me, is recognising the opportunity,
applying your knowledge, doing something
about it, and seeing that it works for the
better,” she says.
A qualified medical doctor, her introduction
into the fishing industry came in the late 1950s,
when she moved to Western Australia for a job
at Royal Perth Hospital. At this time, Dr Kailis
would meet her future husband and business
partner, Michael Kailis, and life would never be
the same again.

“In meeting Michael, I found that instead of
being a doctor for the rest of my life, I would
also be involved in the fishing industry for the
rest of my life. So, I was really two people after
that.”
BLUE ADORED RING
“...a treasure of dual pearls – two moons
creating islands surrounded by a sea...”
Following the industry and its opportunities,
the couple busily travelled Western Australia,
establishing new businesses and, for Dr Kailis,
also responding to her medical calling.
I wanted to grow pearls by
science, not by hearsay.
principles of epidemiology, her measures all
but wiped out the disease in their pearl farm,
enabling the couple to create what is Kailis
Australian Pearls today.
“I cleaned up our operation and put in
regulations around the discipline of growing
pearls,” she says. “I wanted to grow pearls by
science, not by hearsay.”
Here, and in every aspect of Dr Kailis’ life,
challenge has never been anything other than
a job to get done. It’s what she loves and what
lights her fire.
“I was curious about what was going on and
what I could do with my knowledge to do
something about it,” says Dr Kailis. “I just love it.”
“This was 1958, I’m talking about,” she explains.
“There were no country doctors, so I was
having to be a doctor at the same time
wherever we went, as working in the business.
It was pretty hectic.”
The pair started with Rock Lobsters in
Dongara, then pioneered the prawn industry
in Exmouth, next over to Groote Island, and
finally, established a pearl farm in Broome.
Little did she know it, but Dr Kailis’s expertise
as a doctor would come in useful here too.
Although, not quite as you’d expect.
“After some years, we learned that all the pearl
farms in the north-west of Western Australia
had a disease in their pearl oysters which
threatened the entire industry,” says Dr Kailis.
“Michael said, ‘you’d better get on up there and
see what you can do about it.’ So, I did.”
Despite her matter-of-factness about it, Dr
Kailis’s work here was yet another example
of how pioneering she would be. Applying the

#kailisinspiringwomen
The Kailis story
Content to be supplied. A brand built on one inspiring
woman’s dexterity and resolve, in celebrating 40 Years
of Kailis Australian Pearls, we are celebrating brilliance,
strength, excellence and individuality. Characteristics shared
by the rare and beautiful Australian South Sea Pearl and the
exceptional women herein who personify them.
What better way to celebrate our heritage, our history, than
with the stories of these six women? Leaders in their field,
unique in every way, whose determination and courage have
empowered them to achieve the extraordinary. After all, this
is what we are all about.

Inspiring pull quote or closing
statement to go here.
The names KAILIS, KAILIS AUSTRALIAN PEARLS and K are registered trademarks of MG Kailis Pty Ltd of Australia. Designs copyright MG Kailis Pty Ltd.
Australian South Sea pearls are rare and natural gems. Pearl sizes and shapes may vary and might not always be available.
Product images used in this brochure are not representative of the size of the actual jewellery pieces as they are not to scale.
Please enquire within the boutiques or online for exact product details. Copyright 2018 MG Kailis Pty Ltd.
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