Nine Rockhampton members attend District Conference
District 22 Conference – 09 -11 October 2015 – Coral Sea Resort – Airlie Beach.
Nine members of the Rockhampton club, Trish (Past District Governor), Jan (Area 2 Director), Rosalie (President), Judie (Vice-President) Elizabeth, Norma, Helen, Berenice and Belinda all travelled to Airlie Beach to attend the District 22 Conference. Judie, Helen and Belinda were ‘first timers’ and by all accounts, enjoyed the experience. All members enjoyed catching up with Zontian friends and also made new friends during the breaks.
The Conference began on Friday evening with a Civic Reception hosted by the Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council Jennifer Whitney. Guests gathered on the grassed outdoor area with wonderful views of the surrounding seascape. A very interesting guest speaker from Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc. which is a not-for-profit environmental organisation established in Airlie Beach to engage the community in protecting the marine life and aquatic environment of the Whitsunday region, spoke about the work of that organization and also about the care for sick and injured marine turtles through the Turtle Rescue Centre.
District Governor Judith Trevan-Hawke officially welcomed all to the Conference at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday morning. Trish escorted the Zonta International Flag in the Flag Parade and Jan carried the Area 2 Banner.
Sally Bean was our Zonta International Representative for the Conference and is a Zonta international and Zonta International Foundation Board Member. Sally represented the International President and presented her message on her behalf. Berenice acted as Sally’s escort for the weekend.
Business Sessions went well with Rosalie acting as our Delegate.
Guest speakers were well received and included Honorary Zontian Marilyn Waring, Professor of Public Policy at the Institute of Public Policy at Auckland University of Technology. Other guest speakers were Dot Patrick, ZIF Ambassador, PIP Val Sarah Chairman of the Centennial Anniversary Committee, and a representative from the Birthing Kit Foundation.
Presentations by our District and international Award Winners are always the highlight of the Conference. These included Emma Tait, 2014 District 22 YWPA Award winner, Sophie Ryan, one of ten 2015 International YWPA Award winners and Elise Fahy, a 2015 Amelia Earhart Fellowship winner. Maria Tyler, the 2015 JM Klausman winner was unable to attend. These young women never cease to amaze us with their knowledge and what they have achieved already in their lives.
Saturday evening saw all Zontians enjoy a delicious formal dinner in the restaurant with spectacular views across the pool to the ocean and islands beyond. District Governor Judith presented service award certificates to those members who had served 20 years or more in Zonta. For our club, awards were presented to Norma (club 32 years), Elizabeth (club 28 years), Trish (club 22 years and district 6 years), and Berenice (club 20 years and district 4 years).
Congratulations to Rosalie who was elected Area 2 Director for the 2016-2018 biennium. Thank you for accepting the role and club members look forward to supporting you.
The silent auction was a great success and raised over $6000 for Zonta International Foundation. Kaye’s artwork was a great success raising $500. Congratulations Kaye, that is a great effort.
Many thanks to Elizabeth and Norma who set up shop and sold Eco Bags.
As always, members attended the workshops of their choice and came away with ideas and information to share with other club members in particular regarding Z Clubs.
Members agreed that they had enjoyed the weekend and the beautiful surroundings of Airlie Beach.
Many thanks to all who contributed to the organization of the successful weekend.
