Guest speaker Doreen Akkerman AM, who was inducted into the Victorian Women's Roll of Honour in 2010, will trace the stages of a woman's life in her presentation ‘We’ve come a long way baby’ at a dinner on March 4.

Ms Akkerman, said it was an important celebration and an opportunity for women in leadership positions to get the right message out to young girls.

“So many girls today have low self-esteem and have no incentive to succeed,"  she said.

“It’s about us saying we made it and passing that feeling on to the young women coming up behind us.

“We need to teach our girls a prince on a white horse doesn’t come along - you need to be self-sufficient and believe in yourself.”

Zonta Bendigo president Rosalie Lake said the day was about celebrating the contribution women made to society.

“Doreen is a good role model. We hope young people will come and be inspired.”

Tickets cost $65 for the event at the All Seasons. Sales close on February 28.