Zonta District 23 NewsFlash #10 May 2022

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Issue Ten May 2022

What an interesting two years it has been since I took office as the District 23 Governor in July 2020.

Our Board meetings have mainly been via zoom and this has been a great benefit as we have been able to hold them more frequently and deal with issues as they arise. We did, however, manage to get some Board members to a face to face meeting in March 2021 combined with the Area 2 Workshop and again almost had a whole Board meeting in March 2022 in Bendigo, prior to the Area 1&4 workshop. Unfortunately, a couple of Board members were unable to attend due to Covid.

I wish to thank my Board and Committee Chairs for their strong support during the last 2 years and for their outstanding efforts to manage their roles despite all that the world could throw at them with Covid lockdowns and travel bans.

Exciting news and congratulations to the Zonta Club of Devonport for their sponsorship of a new Z Club; Area 5 - St. Brendan Shaw College Z Club. Julia Taylor, our District 23 Z and Golden Z Club Coordinator has worked closely with the Area Director Vicki Carman-Brown and club members to ensure the establishment of this new club in our District. They are planning their Charter event for the 15 June 2022.

Our District has performed well during the biennium and have worked hard to meet the District and International goals and clubs have made generous donations to the Zonta International Foundation for Women and the Endowment Fund by providing an amazing $112,000 US over the biennium.

Clubs continued to support their own club awards as well as selecting women for the International Awards of Young Women in Public Affairs, JMK Business Award, Women in Technology Award and promoting the Amelia Earhart Fellowship award. District 23 awardee in YWPA from the ZC Ballarat, Eloise Amirtharajah, was also an international winner. Eloise spoke to Zontians at the D23 Conference in 2021 as well as participating in a Zonta International panel with two other award winners. We can be so proud that as Zontians we can support these young women on their leadership journeys.

I wish to thank members and clubs who have reached out to our Ukrainian Zonta sisters and assisted to help them in their time of need, as war ravages their country. Many of you have made donations and raised funds to assist. Some Zontians are working with recently arrived Ukrainians into our communities across Australia. Thank you for reaching out. Please check out the Zonta District 27 website for updates on the support being given.

I am very proud of the leadership on Climate Action and Gender Equality our District initiated through the creation of Zonta Says Now. Carole Theobald has led this work which has spread throughout the Zonta world. Thank you to those who have supported her and been involved in the Think Tanks and newsletters. Our work, in this area, pre-dated the ZI Statement on Climate and Gender Equality. This issue is core to our mission in Zonta.

Advocacy actions have spread across the District during the biennium with all Areas now having established Advocacy committees and working parties.
I am looking forward to representing the District at the Hamburg Convention and to handing over the Governor’s Pin to Kay Stewart at the Gala Dinner on the 28 June. I wish her and the incoming Board and committee chairs a wonderful and productive biennium.

Once again I thank my Board, committee chairs and club leaders for their support and I greatly appreciate the opportunity provided to me to meet so many Zontians across our District.

Kind regards
Sandra Burns
D23 Governor 2020-22

District 23 Board 2022-2024

Our District 23 meeting and installation of the 2022-24 Board will take place via Zoom and in person in various locations across our District. Please join in the installation ceremony and celebrate with our new leaders.

Zonta District 23 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: D23 Incoming Board
Time: Jun 5, 2022 15:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88335675980?pwd=Ui9PVWlRTTA1ZkVxNlI4TDN2d3lFQT09

Meeting ID: 883 3567 5980
Passcode: 306589

Your new District leaders are:  (as elected at the 2021 Conference)

District Governor Kay Stewart                ZC Melbourne on Yarra
Lieutenant Governor Debbie Schmidt          ZC Geelong
Treasurer Chris Frick ZC Gawler
Secretary (appointed) Jane Morrison ZC Adelaide Hills
Area 1 Director Yvonne Lockwood ZC Melbourne on Yarra
Area 2 Director Lesley Siegloff ZC Adelaide Flinders
Vice Area 2 Director Belinda Wise ZC Lower Eyre
Area 3 Director Pauline Vukelic ZC Dunsborough
Area 4 Director Chris Denmead ZC Geelong
Area 5 Director Wendy Quinn ZC Hobart Derwent

The D23 ZI Liaison will be notified shortly.

Nominating Committee:
Chair:  Sandra Burns (ZC Perth/now ZC Melbourne on Yarra)
Members:  Di Hillman  (ZC Melbourne’s East) and Erica Majba (ZC Adelaide)

Governor Elect Kay Stewart will also announce the District Committee Leaders at the ceremony.

2022 Zonta International Convention

65th Zonta International Convention
25 to 29 June 2022
Hamburg – Germany

Thank you for the support and work involved in ensuring all District 23 Clubs would be represented either with a Delegate or a Proxy vote for the Convention.  It is important that all clubs are involved in the election of our Zonta International Leaders and the changes to Bylaws and Resolutions which will guide us for the next biennium.

As only 12 Zontians from D23 will be attending Convention, there were many proxies to organise outside our District.  Thanks for your support with this task.  Please send the Delegate, carrying your proxy, information on the way in which you wish them to vote.  The Voter Guide Sheet is now on the Zonta International website in the Club Mailing section (where the Bylaws documents are).  All Club Presidents and Delegates will have received on 29 May an email from ZI “Important Delegate and Voter Information.”

Many clubs are joining the ZI Convention online as virtual registrants and please note that sessions will be recorded for you to watch at a suitable time.  I know some clubs will hold various gatherings of members to do this as a group.

We hope that the Bylaw in regard to electronic voting is approved at this convention so that we will not have to seek out so many proxies in the future and like the ZI Convention in 2020 (when the Convention was cancelled), all clubs around the world were able to vote online.

The new tagline for Zonta International is: Build a better world for women and girls.
Zonta is a human rights organization.

Zonta Inernational Service Award

Huge congratulations to the members of the ZC of Bunbury on their success in being Awarded the Zonta International Service Recognition Award.

Part of the letter sent to Governor Sandra:

“On behalf of the International Service Committee, I am pleased to inform you that the Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc is one of six club winners of the 2020-2022 Zonta Service Recognition Awards, which recognize outstanding service projects undertaken by Zonta clubs that benefit women in the local community.

The club won for its outstanding service project, “Community Breast Cushion Day,” which brought together Zontians and community members to provide comforting and protective cushions to cancer patients.

I have already informed the club president, but I wanted to let you know that the Zonta Service Recognition Awardees will be invited on stage to accept a certificate and get a photo taken during the 1:00 – 3:00 PM Business Session on Tuesday, 28 June.

We are proud to have clubs like the Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc empowering women and girls to achieve equal rights and to secure their access to all legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional resources or focus on the prevention of violence against women and girls.”

It will be a great privilege for ZC Bunbury member Kimberley Robbins to accept this award at the Convention on behalf of her club.

2024 Convention

Judy Gorton, Past Zonta International Director and Chair of the 2024 Convention, will announce the 2024 Convention to be held in Brisbane Australia at the end of the Hamburg Convention and has invited all Australians attending Convention to join her on stage for this presentation.

We will all be wearing scarves of indigenous designs. Many of these beautiful scarves have been sourced and made by the Zonta Club of Bunbury.

Women Taking Climate Action Award

Proposed District 23 Women Taking Climate Action Award

At the March 18 Board meeting, the District 23 Board approved a request from the ZC of Melbourne on Yarra to ascertain how much interest there is across the District to trial a District 23 Women Taking Climate Action Award.

The Zonta Club of Melbourne on Yarra ran a Women Taking Climate Action Award for the first time in 2021, in conjunction with the Zonta Says NOW Think Tank. The $1,000 Award recognised a woman who had contributed to climate change mitigation, innovation, adaptation, communication, advocacy and/or service. Applications were open between June and August and came from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania – all of District 23 – prompting consideration of a District 23 Award.

READ MORE

The Board of District D23 is requesting Presidents share this information with their clubs, answer the following questions, and report back to outgoing Governor Sandra by 15 June, or following your June meeting if it is after this date.

Does your club support a District 23 Women Taking Climate Action Award?

Our Club supports the Award:
Yes / No

Is your club prepared to donate $30-$50 a year towards the Award?

$30 per year would be sufficient to keep the Award ongoing.

$50 per year would mean that the Award amount
- could be increased according to the money collected, or money accumulated so that clubs may not need to be asked every year to contribute, or
- could cover any Clubs that are unable to contribute.

Our Club is willing to donate:

$30 per year Yes / No

$50 per year Yes / No

(Note: Funds will not be required until the end of August)

Will your club consider promoting the Award in your Area, towns, and communities to show a tangible commitment to Climate Action?

Our Club will consider promoting the Award:
Yes / No

The Zonta App

Download the Zonta App

Using this App is a great way to find out about the latest events at Zonta International and hear from great speakers and presenters.

Zonta Foundation for Women and Zonta International Endowment Fund

Club and individual Donations

District News

Changes for Area 1
Following many years of discussion, the Board approved, with the total agreement of club members, the move of the Zonta Clubs of Melton and Geelong to Area 1. This is to keep clubs in a geographic area and to share the load of the Area 1 and 4 Directors.

In 2022-24 the Zonta Club of Melton will move to Area 1 and be part of new AD Yvonne Lockwood’s team. As Area 4 Director, Chris Denmead, (as elected at the D23 Conference 2021) is from the ZC Geelong, to ensure a clean transition, the ZC of Geelong will move to Area 1 in the following biennium - 2024.

As the clubs in Areas, 1 and 4 work closely together on Area Workshops and other events, this change is also a way of evenly distributing the work of both Area Directors.

District 23 Officers' Training
D23 arranged for the training of Presidents on 29 May, Treasurers and Secretaries on 22 May.
This training was via zoom and has been recorded, so if your Club leaders were unable to attend they can ask the District Secretary to forward the recording of these sessions.

District Insurance
The new 2022-2023 Insurance documents, including the Certificate of Currency, will be on the D23 website from 1 July when they are renewed.

Please note that clubs, members and volunteers are covered for Zonta events.
If you have questions regarding the District Insurance please direct these to the District Treasurer.

Club Leaders
Congratulations to all those Zontians who have been installed as new leaders in their Zonta Club. It is wonderful to see the enthusiasm of new leaders in our organization.

Please ensure that your club has submitted the Club leaders' information to Zonta International and separately to District Secretary Kimberley Robbins zontadistrict23@yahoo.com.au

Club Presidents and Treasurers have access to Manage My Club on the Zonta International website. I encourage Presidents and Vice Presidents to regularly check into the Zonta International website to keep up to date with our international projects and scholarships and awards.

District 23 Area Workshops 2022
Amazingly all District Workshops in 2021 and 2022 have been able to be held in person, many times just slipping in between lockdowns!

I wish to congratulate the Area Directors on again organising very interesting and engaging workshops and I was fortunate to be able to attend them all.

Area 1 & 4 hosted by the ZC Albury-Wodonga

Area 2 hosted by the ZC Adelaide Flinders

Area 3 hosted by ZC Bunbury

Area 5 hosted by the ZC Cradle Coast

Keynote speaker Carole Theobald gave the "Zonta Says Now" presentation at all four Area Workshops

Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organisation of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy.

This is the official newsletter of Zonta International District 23.
Governor: Sandra Burns
Our email address is: zontadistrict23@yahoo.com.au

Copyright © 2020 Zonta International District 23, All rights reserved.

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Zonta International District 23 · 78 Chislehurst Avenue · Stratham, Western Australia 6237 · Australia