WOW and Mura Kosker Sorority

During a recent visit to Waibene (Thursday Island), Jen McHugh toured the community centre Buai Mudh, meaning Family House, and met with board members of the Mura Kosker Sorority who operate Buai Mudh.

Established in 1988, Mura Kosker Sorority Incorporated is a trusted community organisation governed by representatives from the Inner Islands and Island Clusters. Over more than three decades, it has become a key service provider across the Torres Strait, delivering vital family wellbeing programs. From advocacy to crisis support, the organisation helps women, men, and children, continually adapting its services to keep families and communities strong and safe. Recently Mura Kosker stepped up to host a pop up post office when the previous post office closed. The temporary post office was set up to ensure accessible and reliable mail and parcel services for the Thursday Island community, while Australia Post seeks a new licensee.

Joining the visit were Jude Kelly CBE, International Founder of the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation, and Cathy Hunt, WOW’s Australian Founder. WOW is a global movement committed to achieving gender equality, having engaged more than 5.3 million people through over 150 festivals and events across six continents. The Foundation challenges the belief that gender equality has already been achieved and champions creative problem-solving through culture and storytelling, reminding us that “every stat tells a story, and every story explains a stat.”

The gathering in Waibene created a valuable opportunity to listen, share experiences, and explore common ground in supporting communities and individuals to overcome challenges and thrive.

Images: Mura Kosker Sorority Board members with WOW founders (bottom left). Mura Kosker President and JCU Campus Coordinator Regina Turner with ABC Breakfast's Nate Byrne.

November 2025