If you’re keen to join other women from our region for the second annual International Women’s Day breakfast at Cassis Restaurant, you’ll need to be quick.
The breakfast, being held on 8 March 2017, still has tickets available on eventbrite but organisers say ticket sales have been moving quickly, and the event is likely to fill well before the 20 February closing date.
The inaugural breakfast in 2016 was used to launch the Dr Ellen Mary Kent Hughes Memorial Scholarship. Dr Ellen Mary Kent Hughes became Queensland’s first female councillor when she was elected to the Kingaroy council in 1923. The scholarshipwill support a local woman to embark on tertiary education by way of a $5,000 grant. The committee will announce the recipient of the first scholarship at the March IWD breakfast, and will invite applications for the 2017 round of this important regional grant for women.
This year’s speaker is local State Member for Nanango, Deputy Leader of the LNP and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, State Development and Trade and Investment, Deb Frecklington, who is also one of the key sponsors of the scholarship and IWD breakfast. South Burnett Women acknowledges the important contributions of sponsors, which also include SBcare, Swickers and Sun Pork Fresh Foods. The committee continues to seek corporate sponsorship from the community and welcomes further expressions of interest from the business community.
Deb Frecklington is highly supportive of the aims of South Burnett Women, saying “”South Burnett Women are a terrific organisation truly dedicated to supporting women in our region, and encouraging our young women to become the best they can be.”
“As a working woman from country Queensland, I know how important it is to have people who support and encourage you along the way, so I’m really looking forward to the Breakfast and finding out the winner of the first Scholarship,” she said.
The organisation was also successful in their application for a Queensland Women’s Week grant. The grant, auspiced by Red Earth Foundation, will benefit female students in year 10 through their participation in the Enlighten Education South Burnett Road Show 2017. This program works with the young women to develop self-reliance and resilience and to build self-confidence. Support for Enlighten in the South Burnett has also come from our very own four female local government councillors – Crs Roz Frohloff, Danita Potter, Kathy Duff and Ros Heit – the Lions Club Kingaroy and Stanwell Corporation. The committee acknowledges the support of their partners in this new and exciting program for the region. Enlighten will roll out across the South Burnett in March 2017.
Applications for The Dr Ellen Mary Kent Hughes Memorial Scholarshipwill open mid 2017.
