Oasis Magazine - Cairns & Tropical North Queensland Issue 28 - Feb | Mar 2019 | Page 12

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
TIME
TO
CELEBRATE
TIME
TO
CELEBRATE
Women across Cairns are being encouraged to support International
Women’s Day this year by attending the annual Cairns Regional Council
breakfast and awards ceremony to be held on 8th March.
“More Powerful Together” is the theme for
this year’s event which recognises women
and girls in the Cairns community who
have made an outstanding contribution to
the lives of their peers.
The breakfast will feature the
presentation of the Woman of the Year
award and the Young Woman of the Year
award as well as the International Women’s
Day Scholarship, introduced last year.
“It’s a great opportunity to highlight
the accomplishments of women but I
also think this particular theme is made
for Cairns. The support that women
have for each other in our region, from
a networking, business and mentoring
basis, is extraordinary, and I think that it
very much does make us more powerful
together,” Councillor Linda Cooper said.
“In regards to the awards, however, it’s
not only important that we acknowledge
the achievements of local women but that
we continue to identify and encourage
positive role models.
”International Women’s Day allows us
to recognise the importance of women
in our lives, and to society overall, and
to motivate them for greater future
achievements.”
Hosted by Cr Cooper and Councillor
Cathy Zeiger, (pictured above) the event
will be held at the Pullman Reef Hotel
Casino from 7am and include a hot-plated
breakfast, prizes, motivational speakers
and great entertainment by The Ironing
Maidens.
This award-winning electronic duo are
putting domestic labour, technology and
the history of women in electronic music
centre stage with their live performance art
piece.
Ingeniously adapting real irons and
ironing boards into electronic instruments,
The Ironing Maidens have toured Europe,
playing Germany’s famous Fusion Festival
and the Performing Arts Festival Berlin,
and were featured at Byron Bay’s Falls
Festival.
“It should add some real colour and
fun to this event – definitely something
different and who knows… maybe inspire
me to want to iron!”
Mayoress Claire Manning will give a
special toast at the event and former
Councillor Deirdre Ford will relay an
inspirational story about how the awards
began in Cairns more than 20 years ago.
Cairns Regional Council thanks DFS
Galleria Cairns for its sponsorship of the
International Women’s Day Scholarship
which will be awarded to a woman who
is actively pursuing a goal and/or making
a contribution to women in the Cairns
community.
Council also thanks Bendigo Bank for its
continued sponsorship of the awards.
Nominations for the awards and
scholarship are now open and close on
Wednesday 27 February. Forms can be
downloaded from Council’s website.