My fellow Rotarians and friends of Rotary,

Women Empowerment - Rotarians Walk the Talk

I strongly believe that women's empowerment is not about making women stronger. Women are already strong; it's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.

The Rotary Club of Strathfield's Women's International Day Celebration was held last Saturday at the Strathfield Golf Club. This significant event was organised and conducted by women for women, recognising eminent women in our society. One of the highlights of this well-attended celebration of women was our guest speaker, Victoria Weeks, an accomplished corporate leader and Gender Equality Champion. Her presentation was insightful and thought-provoking. We were all encouraged and inspired to do more to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.

The Strathfield Rotary Club is famous for its ground-breaking social services since its inception 50 years ago. This year we recognised a local community leader with a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, as a way to show appreciation for contributions to the charitable and educational programmes. The Strathfield Rotary's first International Women's Day Paul Harris Fellow recognition was presented to Ms. Michelle Davies, Principal, Chalmers Road School for special education by our District Governor Jeremy Wright AM. Under Ms. Davies's leadership, our local school is committed to delivering quality education to enable students to reach their full potential. We feel that this well-deserved recognition will encourage not only Ms. Davies and her staff, parents, and students, but also all the women who work tirelessly and sacrificially to raise the standards of differently-abled kids in our society.

Rotarians are like-minded individuals who are committed to helping women lead and prosper in their careers, businesses, and personal lives. We always practise what we preach. The majority of our Rotary District leadership is made up of women. Women make up 70% of Assistant District Governors. And in our club, 20% of the women are engaged in serving 80% of the time.

I take this opportunity to thank all our members and their families and friends for their participation and contributions to a successful celebration of women. The team was led by our Youth Service Director, Ying Ho, and our Treasurer, Rod McDougall, who is always a dependable organiser.

Finally, let me leave you all with one thought. The International Women's Day Celebration is a reminder for us to celebrate women every day.

"A life not lived for others is not a life" - Mother Teresa 

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