Where it started…
For us, it all started with this article.
Back in 2018, Dr. Esther Choo, MD MPH tweeted about otters and feminism. Her pal Dara Kass MD soon jumped in with this article, and the hashtag #RaftOfBitches was born.
Three kindred spirits passionate about supporting women and smashing the patriarchy decided to name their group chat ‘Raft of Bitches’ and the rest is history!
Kate Kirwin
The Overachiever
Kate Kirwin founded She Codes Australia in 2015 with the aim of teaching women coding skills, helping them enter technical careers and building a like minded community.
Her achievements have been recognised just a few times… like when she received the The West Australian’s inaugural Rising Star award in 2019, the Business News 40 Under 40 award in 2021, the 2022 Women in Digital Champion of Change award, and when she was crowned WA’s 2024 Young Australian of the Year.
Loves: The sun, glitter, baking, cats, her brother
Hates: Being told women aren’t in tech because ‘they just don’t want to be there’, and being wet.
Ricki Barnes
The Sage
Ricki Barnes is an unapologetic feminist with a penchant for fun shirts.
Ricki made her first website before the turn of the millenium and got hooked. In the time since, she’s been in a constant state of learning, becoming a full stack developer and a teacher of coding.
The Raft of Bitches podcast has proved once and for all that Ricki’s arts degree – specialising in radio and screen – wasn’t a complete waste of time.
Loves: Dinosaurs, LEGO, cats, banger rocks, smashing the patriarchy
Hates: The ageism of dinosaur clothing, uncomfortable underpants
Jo Minney
The chaos goblin
Jo Minney is a small business founder and technical communicator based (for now) in Perth, Western Australia. Through her business House Digital and their Mission Digital program, Jo is passionate about helping cause-based organisations leverage technology for good.
Jo is an avid maker, from 3D printing to sewing to woodworking, and loves combining technology and creativity to make cool stuff and encouraging others to do the same.
Loves: Pockets, cats, travel, data-driven decision making, faerie smut
Hates: Fake pockets, crying (although she does it a lot), leaving a glass of wine unfinished
