Manly’s Woman of the Year Georgie Furze is changing teen girl lives through boxing
Empathy, kindness and a willingness to listen are traits which come naturally to Georgie Furze, who at 31 has been recognised for her efforts in not only helping the local community, but in empowering young women to help themselves. She was named Manly Woman of the Year by Manly MP James Griffin in March, and has found the award has her raising her own game.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Georgie says of the award. “I wake up now and I’m like, ‘what would the woman of the year do?’ I find myself really levelling up.”
Georgie grew up in Manly and has suffered anxiety throughout her life. When she was made redundant from her job as a gym manager during COVID-19 in 2020, she struggled. “I was quite distressed by the fact I was unemployed,” the personal trainer explains, recalling the only times she felt happy were when walking from Queenscliff to Shelly Beach in Manly.
“I struggled in COVID-19 quite a lot, just from the severe lack of connection,” she says. That, and seeing news stories of others struggling with mental health during that time led Georgie to an idea: she decided to walk the length of Manly Beach non-stop for 24 hours and raise money for LocalKind, a community- based organisation which supports vulnerable people.
Georgie worked with Year 10 Cromer High students
Manly MP James Griffin presents Georgie with her award
Local businesses backed her and Georgie did it, walking 138,800 steps over 82.3 kilometres, raising $10,000.
After COVID-19, Georgie was approached by LocalKind to help facilitate a boxing program for young girls. Together with Jan Schatz from LocalKind, she developed Beyond the Gloves, a free boxing and mentoring program empowering girls aged 11 to 18. It focuses on building resilience, confidence and self-esteem.
“The idea of the program was to teach them emotional regulation, a topic each week, and then go into boxing,” Georgie says. The results of her program include increased school attendance, motivation, meaningful connections and improved relationships.
The program was a turning point for Georgie, who discovered ‘this is what I want to do for my life: just help kids.’
“I developed ‘Get Real with Georgie’ and now I’ve been running a fully booked mentoring business for three years,” she says. Georgie holds seminars and works with teen girls both one-on- one and in groups, empowering them to instil healthy habits, develop emotional intelligence and face challenges.
“I see myself a lot in my clients,” she says. “I try to be a good role model and just give them hope.
“It’s nice to be able to show them that they can do anything they put their mind to.”
For more information, see localkind.org.au or visit getrealwithgeorgie.com.au