Women in leadership

I am, you are, we are, Australian. Just look at the wonderful rich mix in this room tonight.

Together we can do anything. And it is this unique rich mix that gives us confidence and understanding to take on leadership roles on behalf of all women. In what other country, could someone like me, who completed school at 16, and was always being sent out of class for talking, be asked to represent Australia at international conferences in Helsinki , Fiji , Auckland , Perth , and Kiev . Helsinki in 2000, was my first International Council of Women meeting. ‘Oh wow!' I thought, ‘I'm going to learn so much from these women. The Council was founded in the States in 1888, has headquarters in Paris , all proceedings are simultaneously held in English and French.

Oh wow!' Wrong. Wrong.

You do not realise how good we are until you're in the international scene. We were the movers and the shakers. Any initiatives that came from the floor – were from either Australia or New Zealand

. There are two reasons for this confidence and ability.

It's because we are so multi-cultural and because we are so good at managing distance. When it was announced at Helsinki that the next international conference would be in Perth, Western Australia. Some of the Northern Hemisphere women came to me and said ‘But we've heard, it can take 30 hours to fly to your country…' “So-o-o.' I said, ‘We do it all the time AND uphill.' Of the 12 Australians who went to Helsinki, four of us were appointed to roles in the International organization. When I tabled Australia's publications, they made me the world editor of their Newsletter, producing it here in Australia in three languages, French, Spanish and English. You do not realise how good we are at what we do until you stride the world stage. In September 2006, our Australian delegation to Kiev numbered seventeen women. Three of them were Ukrainian-born Australians..and they wore their beautifully embroidered national costumes – we were the only delegation to do so – and it was a fabulous look for Australia . Let's look at the huge changes that have been brought about in our country by the amazing injection of cross-cultural migration.. Once upon a time, as a child growing up here – our food was really boring and predictable. Lamb chop and three veg…bangers and mash …shepherds' pie… There were only two types of cheese – soapy Kraft in a blue cardboard packet, or a sharp rats cheese. Coffee came in a bottle called Coffee Essence. Yerk. .. It was considered very daring to rub the inside of your wooden salad bowl with a cut clove of garlic – how exotic! Something only ‘foreigners' did… But look at us now – such delicious culinary cultural diversity - and all this has happened in our lifetime. There is nothing we cannot achieve, as women working together in this country. You can trust the women to save the world and lead the way in Tolerance, Understanding. Fortitude and HUMOUR! I do not think our cultural diversity presents us with any challenges I think it is our most unique strength. And of course, women are natural leaders – because we can do six things at once. How often have you heard the man in your life say ‘ Hang on a minute' I can only do one thing at a time!' Do you remember in old comics, if someone had an idea a light bulb in balloon above their head would go ‘PING!' At the Womenspeak Conference in Canberra in 2001, I had two such pings. The first was hearing Ita Buttrose speak on Leadership. “True leadership, ‘ she said ‘is changing an organization from what it is to what it ought to be. But..' she added ‘if your particular style cannot do that, don't compromise your style, find another organization.' This happened with her magazine ‘Ita'. She wanted a beautiful picture of two Vietnamese girls on the cover of one issue. The publishers said No, they wanted blonde Australians. She couldn't shift them, so she quit and the magazine folded. The second ping was when another speaker said. ‘Never think you are too small to make a difference, if you haven't been in bed with a mosquito.' I'm so proud to be a culturally diverse Australian at this Inter Faith celebration.. .and I'd like to offer you a Gaelic blessing:

 

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

 

May moon and stars pour their healing light on you

May the deep peace of your God, be the light of the world to you.

I am, You Are, We are Australian!

Leonie Christopherson AM