Go you amazing Woman you!

Friday night we all dressed up and headed out to honour and acknowledge the 2018 Maitland Woman of the Year. For several years now the Network has hosted the presentation dinner which allows a platform to recognise this wonderful award as part of the NSW Woman of the Year Awards.

Aligning with International Womens Day and selected and presented by the State Member, Ms Jenny Aitchison MP, the award recognises a local woman for her contribution to community.

The year the Network partnered with the BPW Cessnock Maitland to host the event along with the BPW’s annual International Women’s Day Candlelighting Ceremony. It was a wonderful opportunity to not only recognise those women in our own backyard, but also remember those women around the world who contribute to the advancement of women as well as those who are in need of advocacy and support.

2018 Award recipient Amorelle Dempster gave us some wonderful words of inspiration, reflecting on how she came to be where she is today and her own insights to women. Having lived through the modern feminist movement of the seventies and comparing them to today she advises “the time is now”, and as women we need to acknowledge and accept that “we are the leaders of today”.

As Guest speaker for the evening, Jenny Aitchison MP, Member for Maitland spoke on the topic of Press for Progress, this year’s IWD theme and gave insight into why networks like ours are so important and the importance of women coming together and being accountable to each other to ensure progress.

We were even so lucky as to have Federal Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson MP close out the evening with a few words for us.

Thanks to all who attended, we look forward to catching up again next year!

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