Zonta Club of Northern Beaches members at the 50 Years Celebration. Photo: Michael Mannington OAM
The Zonta Club of Northern Beaches celebrated 50 years of Service and Advocacy at a special dinner held Monday September 15 for members and guests.
Highlights
Robyn Milat shared the past history of the club from its Charter 50 years ago with President Maggie Vaile MBE and local identity Jenny Cole - Clark whose son joined us, as we highlighted the different projects we have supported including buying a guide dog, supporting Zonta International projects in developing countries, to our own District projects of the Birthing Kits and Breast cushions which are now greatly supported by the schools and the community.
Four members were recognised for their long standing commitment - Ana Deleon 48 years, Robyn Milat 39 years, Evelyn Whittaker 35 years and Margaret White 33 years of committed membership.
President Dr Lorna Scott spoke of the future of Zonta as a Human Rights organisation, her Address runs below.
Guest Speaker Anita Jacoby gave a powerful presentation of her life as a Journalist - The Importance of Telling Stories!
CEO of Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter Narelle Hand offered a vote of thanks on behalf of the recipients of our Workskills grants, Study grants and the many factors that we have given to the women and children supported by the agencies.
Michael Regan Member for Wakehurst finished with an offer of support and presentation of a framed copy of his Community Recognition Statement given in the NSW parliament in recognition of the Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches relating to all aspects of our achievements.
Mr Regan's Community Recognition, read in the New South Wales Parliament on August 7th, 2025, states:
I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the Zonta Club of Northern Beaches, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year. Since 1975 the members of the club have been incredible champions for women's rights, gender equality and the vision that no woman should ever live in fear of violence.
Their advocacy has profoundly impacted our community, particularly in their work supplying essential material supplies to our local women's shelters and also through their contributions to the Northern Beaches Domestic Violence Network. The club's commitment extends globally by supporting girls' education and supplying life-saving birth kits to women in underprivileged countries.
Their leadership in co‑hosting the annual 16 Days of Activism walk in Manly further unites our community in standing firmly against violence.
I also honour the exceptional dedication of the club's current president, Dr Lorna Scott, whose contributions inspire us all to strive for gender equality.
Here is to their 50 years of remarkable service and to another 50 years of service to our community.
The Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches was charted as the Zonta Club of Warringah in 1975 with 14 Charter Members when Maggie Vaile, a member of Sydney Zonta Club and career journalist who lived in Rayner Road at Whale Beach, invited local business women to join her in a local Club. Sydney Zonta Club became the new club’s sponsor, organiser and mentor. Maggie Vaile was the first President, and the Guest of Honour at the Charter was Lady Helen Cutler, the wife of the then Governor of NSW.
The Club’s first fundraiser was held at Avalon Cinema Theatre in 1975 to support the victims of Cyclone Tracy. Since then, the Club has long term ongoing projects including its annual Advocacy Dinner, an International Women’s Day Breakfast, an Annual Community Walk during the 16 days of Activism against violence and Australia Day Breakfast. All events are widely supported by the community.
In June 2003 the Club changed its name to its current name, the Zonta Club of Northern Beaches Inc. The Club charted the Mackellar Girls Campus Z-Club in 2014 and in 2024 Mater Maria Catholic College also became involved, helping with the Mater Maria Birthing Kits Packing Day, with 600 kits packed by the students.
The Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches are always looking for the next generation of community-minded, professional women to continue the service and advocacy work of Zonta in our area and beyond. Please contact the club if you have an interest in becoming a Zonta member or just want to help support their work.
Visit: zontadistrict24.org/d24-clubs/area-1/northern-beaches
President Dr Lorna Scott: 50th Anniversary Address
Zonta’s mission is to build a better world for women and girls. It is an international human rights organisation, and we are encouraged to act locally and think globally.
The International organisation, Zonta International began in the USA 104 years ago and our club is celebrating 50 years of service to our local community.
Zonta envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognised as human rights, and every woman is encouraged to achieve her full potential.
In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence.
Our Zonta club has acted as a credible and visible voice on gender equity and delivers projects that address education equality, and advocates for an end to gender based violence. We provide practical support to those women who have had to flee violence. In doing that we have forged alliances, collaborations and partnerships with many like-minded organisations in our community.
Northern Beaches Women's Shelter
Women and Children First
Member organisations of Northern Beaches Domestic Violence Network
Rotary
Our big gender equity event each year is our International Women's Day breakfast, well attended at Newport's Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, where we also present and acknowledge the Pittwater Woman of the Year.
This year was awarded to Beth Lawson, board member of NB Women’s Shelter, for her fantastic achievement in organising transitional accommodation at Narrabeen House, and for her many years of service to women experiencing domestic violence in our community.
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby and Beth Lawsen at the Zonta Women's Day Breakfast, held Wednesday March 5, 2025. Photo by Michael Mannington OAM, Community Photography and Pittwater Online News
We have an unwavering belief in Education and supporting young people.
We have networked with many peninsular schools, whose counsellors alert us to young women who need support from our “study grants” to finish their schooling.
The students receive study grants to buy texts, go on excursions or school camps, get formal tickets and even a formal outfit. One young woman recently, after being given a laptop, said “Now I can be like the other kids”.
We are also delighted to present later tonight our Young Women in Leadership Award and our certificates for the Young Indigenous Women's Award AAYIW.
We set up and supported Z clubs (young people’s Zonta) at Mackellar Girls High (that club is 10 years old) and Mater Maria school. The students learn about community volunteering, and embrace our projects and create their own.
We provide work skills grants for women at the DV refuges so with training they can become financially independent. Sometimes this support can be as minimal as paying for a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate, or towards a university degree. Women transitioning from DV refuges are given a kitchen starter kit, pots, pans, crockery and cutlery to start a new independent life.
We donate food items to Women & Children First (Refuge) to fill their larder and will with the help of Z clubs provide a box of food for new families on arrival at the refuge. I would like to acknowledge the very specific and generous annual donation from The Newport Ladies Burgundy and Beefsteak club that allows us to provide the kitchen starter kits. I believe their president Liz de Soyres is here tonight with some of the members.
Of our Local service projects, one that is very well known is our Breast cushions, which are produced at “Stitch and Stuff” community events, and also by the students in Z clubs. They are delivered free to local hospitals where we liaise with breast care nurses who care for women undergoing breast surgery.
This past year we have sewn and stuffed more than 500 cushions and also managed to make a donation of 100 cushions to Wagga Wagga Hospital. Yes, one of our members drove 100 cushions down there. She was so pleased to get them out of her house.
Local schools and the Z clubs have had Clean Birthing Kit packing days. Our club and the students fund-raise to buy the contents, each little pack containing a 1 m square of black plastic, sterile blade, plastic gloves , soap and gauze. The $5 it costs to produce these kits, which are sent to areas of the world where women give birth in unsanitary conditions, also contributes to the training of local birth attendants.
The students get to understand about health inequality and their own privilege, when they envisage giving birth at a clean sterile hospital compared to on a square of plastic in a field or laid on the dirt floor of a hut.
Our ADVOCACY efforts are dedicated to promoting gender equality and ending violence against women.
We have advocated politically about inequality of health access for women in rural areas, for increased funding for DV refuges.
We have supported the Australian Government to take action under international law against Afghanistan over violation of human rights of women and girls by the Taliban.
We have advocated for the roll out of the NSW government funded project Staying Home, Leaving Violence in our local area.
We have advocated with “Anti slavery Australia” about forced marriage and human trafficking in our country.
“Zonta Says No to Violence against Women”.
Each year we participate in the world wide 16 days of Activism against violence. That is from 25th November to December 10th in 2025.
We actively take part in the events of the Northern Beaches Domestic Violence Network - meetings, conferences, film nights, panel discussions, and sharing the message at football matches.
I have had the privilege to sit on the executive of NB DV network, and together with them, and Rotary we hold an annual community walk along the Manly Promenade “Beaches Say No to Violence”.
We encourage community members, the police, politicians and school students to join us. The walk culminates in a short ceremony at Shelly Beach of commemoration by reading the names of those women murdered by a family member in the preceding year.
This year's march is December 5th - will you join us?!!!
Zonta International Projects
Zonta International has consultative status at the United Nations which enables participation of members in the annual commission on the Status of Women in NY. It has a close working relationship and projects with UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and UNICEF. (United Nations International Emergency Children's Fund) Some of our funds support three projects that are voted on at our international conference
1. Ending Child Marriage, protecting the rights of millions of vulnerable girls in 12 countries in Africa and Asia. Girls marrying under 16, miss out on education which leads to entrenched poverty.
Did you know that child marriage remains legal in many parts of the world including USA, where only 16 states have a legal minimum age.
2. ZI has projects to limit the social effects of climate change on women and girls in countries very vulnerable to climate catastrophes in Madagascar, Mozambique and South Sudan.
3. LAAHA. UNICEF developed a digital web-based platform to educate women and girls in conflict affected regions, to increase knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, and Gender based Violence.
LAAHA participants have links to access supportive services in a way that is safe, culturally appropriate and accessible, especially to adolescent girls. It has been rolled out in 7 languages.
Unfortunately, all these programs are at risk because of the US AID stop-work orders and funding cuts to many international aid programs from the UN.
So these are the things we do now, but what will we be doing in the future?
Zonta has adopted a new set of core values, of Integrity, Friendship, Respect, Global community.
Equality and Inclusion is to be the foundation of our culture and a compass that guides our actions, decisions and relationships.
We want to foster deeper community connections with our existing collaborators and with like -minded organisations.
We want to elevate Zonta’s message in our community.
It is important for us to include young people and their views. We want to support young people, foster their empowerment through education and social projects.
WE need to listen to the concerns of our young people.
WE need to listen and act.
Our project “Zonta Says Now” embraces Climate Justice as an issue locally and internationally.
We know that WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES are greatly affected by climate change - longer walks to get water in drought, social structure breakdown, climate refugees.
Drought, or a 10% decrease in rainfall in sub–Saharan Africa leads to 1% increase in child marriage.
But even in advanced economies like AUSTRALIA women are more adversely affected by climate disasters.
Women are more likely to have a gender pay gap, and part time or casual employment. They are responsible for child care and elder care. So from flood and fire it is harder for them to recover to square one financially and keep the family together.
The Australian Government Royal Commission into National Disaster Arrangements 2020 confirmed that natural disasters such as fire and floods are linked to an increase in reported Domestic Violence and Family Violence
1-degree Celsius increase in temperature leads to a 6% increase in DV.
Zonta understands that Climate Justice is about understanding the gender specific consequences of climate change.
Women need to be able to:
Prevent
Respond to
Prepare for and recover from the impact of climate change on the same basis as men.
Around the board room tables we need many more women in sustainability and climate change negotiations and response planning.
We can advocate for women having a seat at the table and we can advocate for our politicians to act on climate.
As you can see by the presence here tonight of our local politicians and our guest speaker, who is on many boards, and many fellow Zonta members, in the future we can continue working as a community for positive change.
Our goal still is to “build a better future for women and girls.”
Zonta Club of NB's History, Projects and Works display and curators of same on hand to provide details
Members and Guests:
Robyn Milat 39 years, Ana Deleon 48 years, Evelyn Whittaker 35 years and Margaret White 33 years of committed membership
Achievement Awards and Leadership recognitions of Service to Women, Girls, and Community - Mackellar MP Dr. Sophie Scamps and Wakehurst MP Michael Regan kindly attended and were a part of the Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches presentations, Mr. Regan presenting a framed copy of his Community Recognition Statement to ZCofNB's President, Dr. Lorna Scott:
Z-Club girls!:
Wonderful Speakers giving Illuminating addresses and sharing knowledge:
Celebratory 50 Years cake:
