Author: Zonta Club of Perth Inc

Judy Gorton is the highest ranked Zontian in our club’s 48 year history. She has been the leader of our Club, our Area and District 23. In the last two years she has served as a Director on the Zonta International Board overseeing the administration and service activities of Zonta at the global level.

At the September meeting, Club President, Mary Gurgone (pictured left) presented Judy with an orchid in appreciation of her international service to Zonta.

Judy described the highs of attending board meetings face-to-face at our Chicago headquarters and the privilege of representing the Zonta International President at district conferences in Sweden, New York state and Hawaii. She was inspired by the commitment of the founding Zontians as well as current members around the world.

The most challenging aspect of her role was having to operate at her best in the early hours of the morning as most of the Board meetings were held online in Chicago time!

Members are very proud of Judy who has been a great ambassador not only for our club but also for Zontians throughout Australia.

However, there is no time to rest on her laurels as Judy is currently the District 23 Centurion – a position that enables her to share her leadership experience. She is also a founder member of the District 23 Zonta Says Now to Climate Action think tank, forging a way to help women in the future.

Thank you Judy for all you have done – and continue to do – for Zonta.

Club member, Deb Mason, was honoured at a Rotary Club of Como event on 29 August when she received a Paul Harris Award for her magnificent contribution to helping families in crisis.

Deb established a charity called Starting Over Support (SOS) to provide furniture and household items to women leaving refuges – so that they could start their new lives with a furnished home. Over the years the program expanded from a shed to an industrial unit – from using cars with trailers to having a furniture truck funded by Lotterywest.

Deb worked tirelessly with SOS and has helped put hundreds of families back on their feet in times of crisis. Congratulations Deb – a well deserved honour!

Angie Perkins, the fabulous Service Delivery Manager is leaving Zonta House after 7 years. Angie has made a significant contribution to the organisation, staff, volunteers, students and the women we walk alongside over this period. Angie has truly embodied and championed the Zonta House values of Care, Integrity and Dedication during her time with the refuge.

We are thrilled for Angie who will take on a new role working with youth and wish her the very best for her next endeavours in mid-September. Angie will continue to be dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives and contribute to a safer community. In the meantime the Refuge is continuing to focus on delivering high quality services to women and families it supports.

It also means that there is an exciting and rare opportunity to work with the refuge in a senior management role. Do you know someone who is dynamic and solution-focused to join the Refuge team in the Service Delivery Manager role. For more information please see the enclosed link https://www.seek.com.au/job/50327096

Applications close on the 21^st of August. For a copy of the full Duty Statement please email info@zontahouse.org.au.

Kelda Opperman, the Zonta House Refuge CEO is happy to have a confidential discussion with anyone interested on 0429 008 911.

Please circulate this information through your networks.

At our Annual General Meeting held via Zoom on 14 May,  Club members reflected on what a year of contrast it has been!  We started the year by embracing the world with our celebrations for the Centennial of Zonta International — and ended it in social isolation brought about by the global pandemic.

Kelda Opperman, CEO of the Zonta House Refuge Association was our inspirational guest speaker.  Kelda shared the challenges that she and her team had faced during the pandemic – and how they and their clients were adapting to life with uncertainty, no touching and services provided online.  Members were moved by her strength, care and passion.  In the dark days, she sought counsel from one of the Refuge’s founders, Di Annear, and was encouraged to persevere, persevere, persevere.    At the start of the pandemic, the Refuge was at the end of various funding cycles, and this added to the stress and uncertainty.  However, the team’s perseverance paid off and they are now on track with funding – but can always do with a boost so they can do more!  Donations to the Refuge are always welcome!

For one hundred years, Zontians around the world have said yes to gender equality and no to violence against women.  We have freely donated our time and talents to empower women through service and advocacy.   During this Centennial year, we focused on honouring and empowering women and were:

• inspired by our awardees; the youthful visionaries and those that had overcome immense disadvantage, violence and poverty, to turn their lives around with education;
• humbled by the migrant women who bravely shared their stories of adjusting to a new country, culture and language, rebuilding their lives after experiencing horrendous domestic violence, and trying to weave their ways through complex court processes;
• awed by four of the world’s leading astro-scientists who had been called by the cosmos and who shared their ‘ground- breaking’ research with us in the Planetarium;
• energized by the special Centennial Australia New Zealand combined districts conference in Brisbane where we launched our club’s centennial history, met the Zonta International President Susanne von Bassewitz and saw Sandra Burns installed as District 23 Governor Elect; 
• educated by our speakers on training Aboriginal leaders, encouraging CEOs to do more about gender equity, promoting women and girls to do STEM subjects, caring for women at the refuge, honouring women through the WA Women’s Hall of Fame as well as Zonta updates at the Area 3 workshop;
• entertained at our Quiz Night, and social events;
• thrilled when Judy Gorton’s article on a hundred years of Zonta was prominently featured in the West Australian newspaper and Ute Schierhorn used her connections to get the club visibility in the newspaper’s popular Inside Cover section;
• proud when Zonta International’s Centennial was honoured at a special event at WA’s Parliament House;
• relieved when WA’s pandemic restrictions kicked in and members did not get sick; and
• delighted when all members embraced the technology so that we could continue to meet online via Zoom.

Our Club’s Annual Report will give you a taste of what our members’ combined efforts have achieved in 2019-20.  Special thanks go to Irvan Stanley and his team at IS Assurance for auditing the Club’s accounts pro bono.

At the AGM, four members were honoured for their Zonta service:

• Lennie McCall – 49 years (Charter member)
• Val Gandossini – 10 years
• Vicky Nazer – 5 years
• Linda Higgie – 5 years

Members thanked the outgoing 2019-20 Board for giving their time, talents and energy to lead the Club in this memorable year:

• President:  Carole Theobald
• Vice President: Val Gandossini
• Treasurer: Ute Schierhorn
• Secretary: Vera Riley
• Directors: Kate Ellson, Tanis Jackson, Emma Stenhouse, and Gabrielle Walker.

Candidates for the 2020-21 Board were announced by Sandra Burns (District 23 Governor Elect), elections were conducted by ‘Tricia Summerfield (Club Parliamentarian) and officers installed by Judy Gorton (Zonta International Director) – with amazing speed. Electronic meetings certainly increase our efficiency!

Congratulations go to the 2020-21 Board:

• President:  Mary Gurgone
• Vice President: Ping Teo
• Treasurer: Ute Schierhorn
• Secretary: Emily Thomas
• Directors: Kate Ellson, Val Gandossini, Natasha Kusmuk, and Emma Stenhouse.

The President, Mary Gurgone will receive her badge of office, gavel, and clapping sticks in the coming days.  Members look forward to supporting Mary and the new Board as we continue on our mission to empower women and girls through service and advocacy.

Many thanks go to all Zontians, family, friends, and sponsors for their magnificent support