Getting ready for 2014

From the ACWW/International & Committee Support Committee of the Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc all the very best wishes for a Merry Xmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

Planning for 2014

In your diary put being part of our Women Walk the World event on or near 29th April, 2014

First event to advise of is:
on Tuesday 29th April, 2014 from 11am
At the Royal Botanical Gardens at Cranbourne.

The People mover will be in operation for those that cannot walk - with a guide.
All are welcome.
Both the restaurant and coffee shop will be open.

'recognizing that girls and women spend hours, everyday, walking to gain the most basic of needs'.

 

Keynote Speaker

Sheela Francis 
Tamil Nadu Women's Collective 
This organisation has recently been awarded the Global Food Sovereignty Award.

The focus is upon rights of vulnerable women in society.
Sheela admires the courage of the women of the slums, each day they continue the struggle, everyday getting up and going on with life.
Within India there is a vast difference between the city and the rural women. In Chennai (city) many also speak English, whereas in rural areas the women speak only Tamil.

Within her limited time Sheela spoke of a few areas of work her organisation is doing:
One is getting women into Government. They supported some 2000 to contest elections with 402 being successful. In this process it was realised they needed to work with women for them to freely give their vote, not under the instructions from another, ie husband.
Then there is access to land - few women own land, most do not have access to land, have no control over land - to produce food. Looking to gain some control the Tamil Nadu Women's Collective have supported the development of establishing women's collectives re land.
A major program is one of Women and Climate Change. The Women's Collective has analysed how to manage, to adapt to the challenges being faced. One hundred years ago a large part of the diet was millet, now following the 'green revolution' of the 1960's it is rice. Rice however is not as nourishing. They have supported a process of returning to grow millet which requires much less water, a commodity in short supply.
Millet has greater drought tolerance and more suited to the area than rice and wheat.
They are providing education on how to use millet, re-introducing recipes from the past. Older women are involved in this, giving them value in society.
The organisation is against GMO crops. Monsanto has bought most of the local seed businesses, people do not know this as the businesses continue to operate under the original name.
Sheela articulated the Conference theme of 'Educate, Encourage, Enrich' through teaching people traditional knowledge, adapting these traditional ways with modern techniques resulting in improved outcomes for the rural women, enriching their lives.
 

At the ACWW 27th Triennial World Conference in Chennai, India, the members present voted overwhelmingly to accept The Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc. invitation to hold the 2019 ACWW 29th Triennial World Conference in Melbourne, Victoria.

Day Five
Each day we are taken to the Conference Venue in St Joseph school buses - I do wonder how the children are getting to school each day.

Business continued with Resolutions & Recommendations and Committee Reports

Workshops today:
Agriculture Committee
'Water/Vegetable Gardens/Agriculture'
Grow Locally - Benefit globally- Subsistence-Commercial

Finance Committee
'Money Makes the World Go Around'

Projects Committee
'Projects - Procedures, Priorities and Processes'

Promotions and Publicity Committee
'ACWW moving forward - ideas for promotion'
how does P&P encourage, educate and enrich ACWW'.

Triennial Conference Committee
'Around the world with TCC, what is it all about'.

United Nations Committee
'UN - Current Issues - a Dialogue'.

The evening closed with an 'Entertain the World' evening at the Conference Centre.

Day Four: Excursion Day
Members headed off in various directions to various Villages where the Host Society, The Daughters of Mary Immaculate, run a variety of projects.
Conference attendees feedback was that these activities where interesting and enjoyable. We will post photos after we return - try to get some from several excursions.

Some women may have also fitted a little shopping in after their excursions.

Day Three
Again greeted by a beautiful flower design at Conference entrance

Dorothy Coombe and Wendy Earwicker admiring the beautiful flower work of art.

Election Results

ACWW World President - Ruth Shanks, Australia
Ruth received a very large vote showing very large support.
South Pacific Area President -Margaret Sullivan, Western Australia
This was a very close result
 

Resolutions discussed

Constitutional - an urgency resolution has been put forward. These details have been circulated and we come back to it after 48 hours has lapsed.

General

Maternal Health - Carried Unanimously
'Be it resolved the ACWW Member Societies urge their governments to provide a well trained and resourced quality maternity health service and to improve maternal health education for all women and girls to ensure the best outcomes for mother and baby, giving particular regard to the special needs and isolation of rural women'.

Stop Use of Bisphenol A - Carried
'Be it resolved that ACWW and its member organisations strongly urge their government to banish the use of the hazardous chemical Bisphenol A (BPA). This chemical is the main building block of polycarbonate plastics and is used in many consumer products and household goods, such as food and drink containers, plastic baby bottles, medical devices, sports equipment and toys. The chemical components are dissolved and leach into their contents, poisoning our bodies and damaging our health',

Registration of Births - Carried with amendment.
'Be it resolved the ACWW member societies urge their governments to record without prejudice the births of all children born within their jurisdiction to ensure that all children are recognised as citizens'.

               Dorothy Coombe, Wendy Earwicker, Glenys Ball and Lynette Harris - at work

Second day of Conference finished

Voting for various positions took place today,

The South Pacific Area President position required a second round vote, also the position of World President.

South Pacific Area President
Second Round vote : 2 nominations have gone forward to this stage. 
Lyn Harris - The Country Women's Association of Victoria
Margaret Sullivan - The Country Women's Association of Western Australia

 

Lyn Harris on the stage delivering her one minute presentation.

ACWW World President position - Ruth Shanks has gone forward in the 2nd round together with Jo Ellen Almond.

 

A beautiful flower design greeted us on our arrival.

Food has featured - wonderful array of sweets where we are staying

 

Greetings from India,

The ACWW 27th Triennial Conference commenced today.

Victoria has 12 members and 2 partners attending this Conference. There are some 80 women attending from across the South Pacific Area.

The opening Ceremony has been filmed and can be viewed on www.dmiinternational.in

It was a spectacular event.
Arriving at the Conference Venue we were greeted by a line of drummers.

Once inside the Venue there was a beautiful flower landscape

More photos coming.

 

Not long now and we will be heading off to Chennai - we have had all the injections, started to pack our bags.

We have had advise that items that were posted
earlier in the week have arrived safely and are awaiting our arrival.

For those wondering why we might be sending items to Chennai -
We have issued an invitation to ACWW members to hold the 2019 ACWW World Triennial Conference in Melbourne, Victoria
and therefore have some printed handouts ready to 'handout' just in case our Invitation is accepted.

Over the time of the Conference - from 26th September - we will try to post daily updates on this Blog (provided technology works of course)
We are hoping we will be able to share the Conference with you.

The ACWW Triennial World Conference
is rapidly approaching - commencing September 26th.

Quite a number of members of the Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc. will be travelling to Chennai, India for this Conference.

Victorian Delegates include:
Dorothy Coombe - State President
Machelle Crichton - Deputy State President
Glenys Ball -Chairman, ACWW/International & Community
Wendy Earwicker
Lyn Harris
plus emergency Miriam Stackhouse

a link to the Conference website can be found on the ACWW website: www.acww.org.uk

A Post World Conference Luncheon
               will be held on
Wednesday 23rd October, 2013
from 12-30 at Umina, 3 Lansell Rd, Toorak
   
             India - Land of Contrasts
                    Guest Speakers
Wendy Earwicher & Miriam Stackhouse

Cost: $20-00 per person
Bookings: through office on 03 9827 8971
numbers are limited to 40 so book early

Chairman Changeover

This Committee welcomes Glenys Ball to the position of Chairman.

See packing date changes - to be 3rd Wednesday monthly

Next Meeting - Thursday 20th June at
3 Lansell Rd, Toorak from 10-30am

Women Walk the World 2013
Members of the Creswick Country Womens Association together with representatives from Clunes and Ballarat branches, Creswick men and women, and visiting teachers from Thailand dressed in lime green and marched behind a banner to raise awareness of rural women's issues.

Liz Reid and her patient ponies Q and Stardust were the stars of the parade.  In true CWA style, even the banner was hand quilted.

President of the Creswick CWA Branch, Angeline Treacy, was delighted with the response.  "It was wonderful to have so many women from other branches and even Creswick men support the Walk.  We had a great morning and raised a wonderful sum of money which will go to projects improving the situation of rural women around the world."

This was the second Walk for Creswick CWA and a large amount of money was raised in a very short time to go towards a range of development programs in rural communities around the world.

Women Walk the World is promoted by CWA Victoria, which encourages CWA branches around the State to hold their own awareness and fund-raising events around 29 April each year as affiliates of the Associated Country Women of the World. ACWW is one of the largest international development organisations for rural women, with over 460 member societies in over 70 countries worldwide. On or around ACWW Day, 29th April 2013, members throughout the world are asked to join in Women Walk the World for ACWW. The main idea is to mark ACWW Day and promote ACWW by joining together in friendship and enjoying taking part. 

Every journey starts with one step......
                                    Women Walk the World
Please send your photos......

End of the Walk - time for a cuppa and sit down in the shelter at Rhyll Park, Phillip Island!!

Women Walk the World 2013

best wishes to all those walking - sure it will be a great day.

If you are interested in participating - check out our Women Walk the World 2013 Page - see if there is an event listed near you.
Information may also be on posters and in local medai locally as well as Group Blogs.
All most welcome.

Mrs Valerie Fisher, AO, OBE

It is with great sadness we advise of the death of our highly regarded Member of Honour.
She was always passionate about supporting the Women Societies within the South Pacific Area.
Following her role as ACWW South Pacific Area President she served as ACWW Deputy World President 1983 -1989, during which time she was also Convernor of the newly created Projects Committee.
From 1989 to 1995 she served as ACWW World President.

Celebrating
The Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc. 80 years of involvement/membership.

Members are invited to an informal afternoon tea
on Monday 29th April, 2013
at Umina, 3 Lansell Rd, Toorak
from 1-30pm
bring 'a plate to share'. Tea/Coffee provided.

Women Walk the World

Let the count down start

Event listings are coming in

One Woman Launch

Launch on International Women's Day

At our recent 'All things International' Day we participated in the Launch of the song 'One Woman', a worldwide effort.

To share this follow this link:
song.unwomen.org

Photos of our Day will come.

Women Walk the World 2013

The fabulous 'Women Walk the World' badge is now available from the office of The Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc. Cost: $2-00 Ring Pam on 03 98278971 to order.

Two Groups have advised their plans for Walking - see the 2013 Women Walk the World 2013 page for details.

Women Walk the World - 2013

Event (first one for 2013) advised by members of The Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc. Tallangatta Branch.

They will be walking on Sunday 28th April 2pm, Devonshire Tea available.
Meeting spot and walk details tba.

Almost time to think about Easter Eggs!

We would encourage you to consider supporting the East Timorese Women Association by buying their Easter Chocodiles

Buy online - see and order them at
www.etwa.org.au

'All things International' Day
8th March, 2013 at Umina
Guests:
Lesley Young, member of ACWW Agriculture Committee
Daniel Taylor, New Zealand Consul - General

Event sold out - names being taken in case of cancellations