Dozens of Mandurah residents attended the Zonta Club International Woman’s Day Breakfast.
The Mandurah Offshore Sailing and Fishing Club had a full house on Thursday morning to eat breakfast, watch an inspiring speech by 2013 Telstra WA Business Woman of the Year Sonja Cox and applaud local award winners.
The Young Woman of Peel Award was presented to Tamarra Mott and runner up winners were Navana Funnel and Candice May.
Ms Mott, who is president of the Mandurah Rotorac Club, told the Mail after her win, she believed the community should do what is in their power to make the Peel a better place to live.
“If we have the ability to do things, then I think we also have the responsibility to do things in our community,” she said.
The Education Award winner was Katie Rapley and the Woman of Achievement was Christine Thompson.
Zonta Club president Lorraine Webb, said she was happy to get out of bed early for this event.
“It was an amazing morning,” she said.
“It’s a day for celebrating how far we have come but also acknowledging how far we have got to go in getting gender equality,” she said.
Ms Webb said the Zonta Club had set a goal to reach equality by 2030.
“I think we will get there because young women are more proactive these days,” she said.
“I am from the older generation and we did not have those opportunities to do what we wanted to do. We had to be the house wife, and stay at home.”
Ms Webb said Ms Cox’s speech was inspiring and dynamic.
“She spoke from the heart, which we all felt,” she said.
“We thought we wouldn’t get a better speaker than (pilot) Belinda Beatty, but she proved us wrong.”
Ms Webb said the club was recently knocked back when they tried to started a Z Club, a student run women’s group, at a local school.
“You usually need a willing teacher to take it on board and keep students focused,” she said.
“We will try at Halls Head College...fingers crossed we will be able to get a leg in there.”
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
