Amelia Earhart (AE) Fellowship
Jasmine Koch - Co-ordinator
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Amelia Earhart Day – 11 January
Why does Zonta celebrate Amelia Earhart in January?
Zonta International designated 11 January as Amelia Earhart Day in honour of Amelia Earhart's achievement as the FIRST aviator to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California on 11 January 1935 – a flight attempted by many others without success.
Beyond Amelia’s accomplishments as a pilot, she wanted to make a statement about the role and worth of women. She was a fabulous Zontian and actively encouraged women to take on roles in non-traditional fields.
Amelia Earhart believed that for women to lead in the new frontier of aviation, women would have to be educated to the same levels of the men in that field.
Despite Amelia Earhart day being expanded to the month of January this year, many clubs chose to not have in person celebrations due to the timing of the ‘Omicron wave’, sticking to social media posts instead or deciding to postpone to February meeting or combine it with International Women’s Day in March.
Fortunately, the Amelia Earhart Soiree organised by the ZC of Ballarat and ZC of Melbourne's West on Sunday 30 January did go ahead at a lovely café overlooking Sanctuary Lakes. The weather was perfect. I attended this fabulous event and was delighted to talk a bit about Amelia Earhart, the Fellowship and introduce the guest speaker AE Fellow, Kaliope Vassilopoulos, who has a successful career as an aerospace engineer in a male dominated industry at Ford.
Kaliope was awarded the AE Fellowship in 1994 and like Amelia Earhart, Kaliope is also a pioneer as she was –
- the youngest and only female lecturing in aerodynamics at UNSW College at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA)
- recognised as one of Cosmo’s 30 under 30 influential people
- established a women in engineering support group
- developed a new helicopter rotor blade design
- and won many other awards along the way.
 Like Amelia Earhart, Kaliope is also a member of Zonta – ZC of Melbourne’s West.
Kaliope is passionate about everything she does and left us all inspired to do more.
It was also fortunate that many members of the District Board were able to attend - Governor Sandra Burns, Lt Governor Kay Stewart, A1 Director Trish McLean and A4 Director Chris Denmead. It was also nice to see so many Zontians with family and friends from across A1 and A4. And to top off the day, there was also an innovative raffle and Amelia Earhart trivia quiz. No more collecting cash and losing raffle tickets – scan the QR code for RaffleTix | Raffles Made Easy, pay with a credit card and voila! the winners were drawn randomly by the app and received great prize hampers. Each prize seemed to include a bottle of wine. The raffle raised $1000 for the Amelia Earhart Fellowship Fund.
 No more bits of paper to write on and trying to find a pen – download the Quiz app Kahoot! and not only do you get points for getting the answers right but also for the speed you enter the answer. Another great hamper was awarded to the winner – chocolates instead of wine this time.
Zonta International also held a panel discussion on Tuesday 25 January (5 am 26 January, Melbourne time) with three Amelia Earhart Fellows to discuss the booming space economy, its impact on science and research, and the innovations in aerospace that have the potential to benefit us all. It was very interesting and worth watching. A recording is available at Zonta.org/videos.
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Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award
Yvonne Lockwood - Co-ordinator
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Thank you to the D23 clubs who have already submitted their application for the YWPA 2022 award. Our success with our 2021 winner in Eloise Amirtharajah going on to win the Zonta International Award was a fantastic achievement and I am hopeful we can do it again!
The YWPA application form and supporting documents are on the Zonta International website for 2022, please ensure you check that all the forms are correctly filled in with signatures where required. I have sent out the cover sheet separately and this must be returned with the application.
This is an excellent opportunity for visibility and to plant the seed for membership growth.
- Consider press releases to publicise the award in your community.
- Send emails to school principals and school counsellors to elaborate on details of the YWPA Award. Maintain personal contacts with school principals and school counsellors. Follow up to provide more information and guidance on how to complete the application form.
- Reach out to other youth and community organizations to find applicants.
- Use the collateral developed by Zonta International e.g. posters.
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Public Relations and Communications
Jo Wittorff - Chairman
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A Zoom session on the 10th February with members of the International PR&C Committee provided District PR&C Chairmen with updates on upcoming Zonta events and topics on how to publicise them. Our discussions were all about “Promoting Zonta.”
The most important message was that Zonta International is a brand. It is how people recognise and what people think about when they think of Zonta International.
This impacts our public image, our engagement, and our fundraising efforts.
Brand management is the work we do to influence and shape the way Zonta International is perceived.
In this report, I will not be covering everything that was brought to our attention but will share important messages and events that are in the immediate future. Further topics and resources will be forwarded to Club PR&C Chairmen, Presidents and Area Directors as relevant.
Logos
1. The Zonta 100 years logo is not to be used anymore. Although the colour teal has been added to the colour palette and remains, the 100 years logo is considered an “event logo.” Since our 100-year celebrations have come and gone, so should our use of the logo, even with
1919-2019 added underneath.
2. Consistency is the key to promoting our brand. Please consult our Zonta ‘Brand Identity Guidelines’ to make sure your typography, brand colours and logos are correct and used appropriately.
3. Zonta logos were revised in 2015. By now, all logos on club resources (e.g., banners, letterheads etc) should be displaying the latest version.
4. See the attached for information on permission to use the Zonta International logo.
Forthcoming Events
These are outlined in the attached excerpt from the International PR&C presentation and various reports in this NewsFlash provide further information.
There are many resources on the ‘Tools’ pages on the Zonta International website. Visit regularly so you can keep up to date. At the bottom of the ‘Tools’ page, you can sign up to receive updates. |
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UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE
Alwyn Friedersdorff - Coordinator
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Register for the NGO CSW66 Forum!
Registration is free and open to the public!
After you register, you will receive an email with a link to log into the Virtual Portal and set up your account.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the UN’s only dedicated space focussed on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It takes place in March every year over a two week period and is responsible for producing a set of Agreed Conclusions on a priority theme each year. This consensus document contains promises from States about the actions they will take to improved gender equality in relation to the priority theme.
This year the priority theme for CSW66 is Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes, which gives us a critical and timely chance to consider both climate change and the effects of the pandemic on women and girls in Australia and around the world. Given Australia’s actively obstructive position at COP26 last year, we’re hoping for a strong engagement from Australian NGOs at CSW this year.
CSW66 will take place from 14 to 25 March 2022. Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW66 will take place in a hybrid format. All side events and parallel events will be fully virtual, which means you can participate from Australia. Calendars for the side events and parallel events will be released soon.
How to participate:
Sign up:
Alongside the negotiations for the agreed conclusions, CSW hosts programs of side events (events run by States or UN entities) and parallel events (events mostly run by NGOs), You can sign up to the parallel events program of workshops and at the NGOCSW website here and keep an eye on UN Women’s side events site for information about how to participate in side events.
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Areas 1 and 4
Area 1 Director: Trish McLean / Area 4 Director: Christine Denmead
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AREA ONE AND FOUR ADVOCACY
DURING 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM 2021
Report by Jenny Kerr, Area 4 Rep, Zonta Club of Kyneton.
The 16 days of activism provide a stage for us to focus on the issues of violence against women. It provides us with the capacity to highlight the increasing number of women and children being impacted both physically and emotionally and to draw attention for these women to support services available to them.
The newly formed Area 1 and 4 Advocacy group was able to share their projects and gain some insights into what each of us was doing over the 10-day campaign. Very diverse projects were undertaken by clubs, such as lighting up prominent buildings and structures in Bendigo, Ballarat, Orange, Geelong, and the Beacon in Wangaratta. Clubs organised walks, although a couple of these had to be cancelled due to COVID restrictions.
 
ZC Melbourne on Yarra and ZC Bendigo also focussed on prevention, as well as support for victims. A ZEDx webinar on changing violent behaviour towards women was introduced and was well attended by members from different clubs.
Other projects included displays at the local libraries in the Shires and Orange Morning Teas.
Whilst there were many different functions that clubs engaged in, there were many with similar emphasis, including social media campaigns throughout the 16 days and print media articles, including information about the impact of gender-based violence. Articles appeared in the Sunday Age, the Midland Express in Macedon Ranges and the Wangaratta Chronicle to name just a few.
Another benefit which many clubs have identified is being able to engage with other local service organisations, to work together to gain a better understanding of each others roles – but also providing a greater presence in their communities, regarding the ongoing issues. One example of this was the work done by ZC Mornington – who joined with Respecting Seniors and had an added focus on elder abuse.
Once again a significant amount of work for clubs, but amazing exposure for our clubs and our advocacy roles.
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AREA 2
Area Director - Chris Frick
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Area 2 Clubs have had a fairly quiet December and January following the many 16 Days of Activism events. As well as their own club events members also supported other organisations’ events. Many clubs have held their planning meetings for the 2022 year. Unfortunately, Covid has already led to the cancellation of Amelia Earhart events this year. Fingers crossed for the remainder of 2022.
The ZC Noarlunga Southern Vales has again committed to working with the Onkaparinga Collaborative Approach, a group of state government departments and NGOs in the region. The organisations include courts, police, the Department of Human Services, faith-based groups, and the local domestic violence action group. As well as their ongoing advocacy work the member organisations undertook to hold an event on each day of the 16 Days of Activism.
Pictured at the signing of the agreement are ZC NSV members, President Lesley Sweetman, Vice Area 2 Director Jane Morrison, Katrina Hildyard MP and Julie Gardiner.
Congratulations to the ZC of Gawler on winning three significant awards over the last few months. In October the club won the Oceania section of the Zonta International competition for an Elevator Pitch video highlighting the work done in the local community and internationally. A special thank you to Georgie McCrae for her work on the video.
https://youtu.be/weL_JltR3D0
Late October the club received a Premier’s Service Club Award for Social Inclusion for the Spreading the Reading Bug project (image below). This cost-neutral program promotes reading in families by collecting and redistributing children’s books. Visits to schools, kindergartens and markets have led to hundreds of books being recycled.
 
Image above right: Members of the ZC Gawler at the Australia Day Award ceremony with Mayor Karen Redman
The ZC Para District Area has produced a great brochure for the 16 Days of Activism “ Do you know the significance of the 16 Days of Activism” which the club distributed during the 16 days, including at Spirit of Women events celebrating the lives of women killed by domestic violence. Contact Pam Fletcher for a PDF version, pamelajune6@bigpond.com.
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AREA 3
Area Director - Tyril Houghton
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Golden Anniversary Celebration – ZC Perth turns 50
 Chartered in 1972, and the oldest club in WA, Zontians in Area 3 are planning to join with Perth members to celebrate and honour the amazing work of this club at a special dinner on 20th April.
Amelia Earhart Day 11th January
ZC Peel enjoyed celebrating with Paper Planes in the Park. It was a great success with loads of fun, friendship and laughter to see who was the fastest aviatrix. The life and exploits of Amelia Earhart were showcased in a brilliant presentation that was shared with Bunbury Club members for their February meeting.
International Women's Day Breakfasts
A wide range of speakers have been organised with Dunsborough's guest speaker, Dr Kim Farrington, speaking on the 6 th March on ‘Impacts of pornography on intimate relationships and particularly in adolescence’.
Membership
Fortunately, very few members have been impacted by COVID venue requirements of proof of vaccination. Establishing an e-club in 2022 will be discussed again at the Area 3 Workshop on 2 nd April. Two inductions at Dunsborough have increased their numbers. Clubs are focusing on mentoring new members and encouraging younger members to ensure renewal. A special ‘Inclusive Membership Workshop’ will be part of the Perth Northern Suburbs February meeting. As members' lives change, some have transferred to other clubs closer to home while some, due to health or family circumstances, have resigned.
Planning Days
Both Perth and Dunsborough clubs have engaged facilitators to plan with members the next phase of these clubs. Key priorities and actions were identified while ensuring alignment with International and District priorities.
Young Women in Public Affairs
Clubs are continuing to promote these awards. ZC Perth has selected members negotiating with specific schools to expand the pool of applicants using a package containing YWPA flyer, Zonta International YWPA poster, YWPA application form and recommendation forms as well as a draft email for school Year 11 coordinators including hyperlinks, and timelines.
Awards and Scholarships
Josephine Spaull Performing Arts Scholarships:
Two $5000 scholarships for ballerinas to further their studies at WAAPA are funded by the legacy of this wonderful Charter member of the ZC Bunbury.
Five Yvonne Burgu Education Awards for Indigenous students of $250 each from ZC Perth will be targeting entry-level of a tertiary education program in the TAFE sector.
Service Projects
 School Backpacks: 72 were filled with those all-important ‘beginning of school’ items and distributed to six schools in Bunbury and Collie. Corporate funding will ensure this ongoing service project for ZC Bunbury.
Packages for homeless women were assembled and delivered by ZC Perth to RUAH, for those needing a Safe Night Space.
Advocacy
ZC Bunbury’s letter to Federal and State politicians re the need to increase Jobseeker allowances highlighting how the current level impacts over 55 women disproportionately has received replies acknowledging the need for change. ZC Perth has written to Minister Simone McGurk re youth issues in Kununurra.
Fundraising Events
Partnerships with eateries have resulted in ZC Swan Hills spreading the Zonta message while gaining support from a ‘token’ fund-raising jar. The Cash for Containers program has now resulted in more than $2000 for the ZC Bunbury. Members collect cans from the Bunbury Speedway and deliver them to the local collection point. No venue issues with this one. Melbourne Cup Luncheons injected much-needed funds into both ZC Dunsborough and ZC Perth Northern Suburbs, who donated $4000 to Zonta House.
Breast Care Cushions
ZC Swan Hills partners with Bandyup Women Prisoners who stitch their cushions. Recently 56 were stuffed, stitched and packed by members of this club. ZC Bunbury delivered their cushions to the SW Health Campus.
Mental Health First Aid
ZC Swan Hills received $1000 to provide courses in MHFA. ZC Bunbury courses are planned with both face-to-face and online options being explored.
Establishing Partnerships
ZC Dunsborough convened the inaugural Combined Services Club Network, established terms of reference to provide a combined voice to service needs highlighted within their community.
Highlights and Achievements
 Congratulations to the ZC Peel who were finalists for a WA Community Service Award on Australia Day. |
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AREA 5
Area Director - Vicki Carman-Brown
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2022 AREA 5 Workshop
The Area Workshop has an exciting program centred around the District 23 themes of “Changing World, Changing Needs”. It will be hosted by Area 5’s newest club, the Zonta Club of Cradle Coast, in conjunction with some member input from the Zonta Club of Devonport. It will be held on Saturday 26th March, from 10 am, when morning tea and registration begin, and the day concludes at 4 pm. It will be a face-to-face event, with an offered Zoom option, (using in-house laptops). Covid-safe rules will apply, including mask-wearing, however, there is an undercover area at the venue, to allow movement outdoors between sessions and over lunch.
The workshop venue is at Switch Tasmania, (3 Gollam St, Ulverstone, NW Tasmania), where staff are committed to building digital skill and confidence amongst local, small businesses. Vicky Xypteras, Events & Operations Officer at Switch Tasmania, will give an outline of how Switch Tasmania operates across the NW coast.
Nikki Taranis, Team Leader, will represent the Australian Childhood Foundation and discuss Foundations of Trauma and Self and Other Regulation, over two sessions, before and after lunch.
Courtney Greisbach, Communications Manager, will run an interactive workshop on Communication, Branding and Social Media, where club members can work in small groups to identify area/s for creating social media opportunities for their own clubs.
Other Guest Presenters include D23 Governor, Sandra Burns; Lieutenant Governor and Membership Chairman, Kay Stewart and there will be input from other key D23 areas of Advocacy, Z Clubs, Zonta Says Now and the 2022 Hamburg Convention.
Area 5 Club Round-up
Due to the recent uncertainty of Covid-19 and face-to-face events, the Zonta Club of Hobart Derwent (ZCHD) will be collaborating with the Zonta Club of Hobart (ZCH) for a 2023 Amelia Earhart event, and ZCHD members have decided not to hold an International Women’s Day (IWD) event in March 2022, again due to COVID uncertainty. It appears to be a common concern across a few clubs. The Zonta Club of Devonport (ZCD) has purchased the official IWD ribbons for each of its members as a reward for their service throughout the previous difficult year and to wear on the officially recognised international day. ZCH members have agreed to celebrate International Women’s Day, with club members lunching at a local Afghan restaurant. Also, their first fundraiser of the year will be a Cocktail Party to be held on Easter Wednesday, 13 April 2022. Proceeds will go to girls participating in Kennerley Children’s Moving On program.
One ZCH event was successfully held late last year, with the Lord Mayor of Hobart holding a civic reception on 1 December 2021 for ZCH celebrating its 50th birthday. Whilst numbers were limited because of COVID restrictions, a few women present expressed interest in joining Zonta. Also, the club inducted a new member in December. ZCH very recently held their planning meeting covering a range of matters including service, advocacy, fundraising, membership, partnerships, guest speakers, ZI initiatives, ZI Convention and Area 5 workshop, with further consideration to come at future meetings.
The Zonta Club of Devonport (ZCD) recently held its planning day, with breakout groups and a follow-up member survey, to accurately pinpoint which International, District and Local projects each club member wants to focus on for the year. There will be select teams to carefully prioritise and plan how these projects will be implemented over time. With a change to a larger venue for its 36-member dinner meetings, the club is holding its next meeting, as a face-to-face meeting, in keeping with Covid restrictions. The club and venue are prepared to be flexible, should change need to occur at any time. The club is also purchasing a full range of pull-up and horizontal vinyl Zonta club banners, to have for any event or function, to increase community visibility and awareness.
The Zonta Club of Cradle Coast (ZCCC) is continuing to hold its meetings face-to-face, in a large meeting space. They recently had two guest speakers presenting on the topic of Older Homeless Women, which revealed quite startling numbers. Currently, there are 60 women over the age of 55 waiting for social housing, just on the NW Coast of Tasmania. Approximately 20 have limited capacity to care for themselves or sustain a home; single people were more likely to be homeless with women comprising 60% of those seeking support; and there were more “hidden homeless” than identified, as people avoided contacting services, when they hadn’t been successful in seeking support, or not comfortable or able to seek that support.
The club’s recent radio advertisements have resulted in at least 6 queries via our Facebook page. Five local women attended their first get-together of the year, a coffee gathering at a local restaurant, seated on an outdoor deck. Some ZCCC members addressed the group to explain why they joined Zonta, why they remained committed to Zonta, and the costs involved in being a member. Interest in becoming a member was very promising.
The Zonta Club of Launceston (ZCL) is currently unable to meet in their venue for two months, but it won’t prevent its members from meeting to focus on their year’s planning, over the month of February. Also, the club looks forward to having a new member inducted by April. Last year, ZCL much enjoyed two much-loved fellowship events, their Birthing Kit Assembly Day and their Shortbread Fundraising Day. Club President, Karen Williams, says the club raises the funds to purchase the birthing kit components to assemble.
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Z Clubs & Golden Z Club
Coordinator - Julia Taylor
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I would like to thank the Z Clubs and Golden Z Club in District 23 for a very successful year last year. Two new Z Clubs were chartered, the Kingia Z Club in Bunbury, and the Glossop High School Z Club in the Riverland Area, South Australia.
2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year with growing interest in establishing more Z Clubs in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Many thanks to those Zonta club members who have forged good links with local high schools. The key to success is support from a Principal and Teacher in the school, and two or three Zonta members to liaise with the Z Club. The students have a lot of freedom to pursue projects which are important to them.
We only have one functioning Golden Z Club in WA, but universities have been particularly challenged since Covid began. It would be nice to see another Golden Z Club in District 23.
We currently have five active Z Clubs and one active Golden Z Club in District 23.
What’s happening in some of our clubs?
- Glossop High School Z Club has a member who was the winner of the 2021 High School Young Women in Public Affairs Award and is now a candidate in District 23 YWPA Award. This high school has just recently amalgamated with another high school and has been renamed Berri Regional High School with a wider range of student ages.
- Kingston High School Z Club has joint presidents. Twin sisters Ruby and Hannah Eddleston are in year 10 this year. A great idea!
- Geographe Bay Z Club in Busselton welcomed their new Grade 7 students with Welcome Packs. A lovely introduction to High School.
- Kingia Z club at Bunbury SHS wrapped 20 shoeboxes filled with Christmas goodies that were delivered to the SW Women’s Refuge for women who were currently in the refuge or transitioning into accommodation. VIEW image
- Some of the Z Clubs are commencing 2022 by making Share the Dignity packs.
Convention opportunity for Golden Z Club members
The Zonta Convention in Hamburg is offering free registration to Golden Z Club members and they will have a chance to connect with other GZC members from around the world. The opportunity to participate as a Virtual Member, free registration, and to have their own topics is too good to miss. Their main presentation topic is:
Game of Power: How to Successfully Navigate a Male-Dominated Environment.
I hope that the members of St. Catherine’s College Golden Z Club will take up this offer.
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Area Workshop Dates 2022
Areas 1 & 4 - 19 March: ZC Albury Wodonga
Area 5 - 26th March: ZC Cradle Coast
Area 3 - 2 April: ZC Bunbury
Area 2 - 14 May: ZC Adelaide Flinders
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2022 Zonta International Convention
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65th Zonta International Convention
25 to 29 June 2022
Hamburg – Germany
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The Early bird registration deadline is the 28th February 2022
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