CHALLENGES (Extracts taken from Presentations at NG02 Zone Conference 2006)

"The Australian Oxford dictionary describes some of the meanings of Challenges as:

INVESTIGATE; DARE; and BRAVE

Since the 1960's, when VIEW first began in Sydney, the increased access for women to participate in Education, Politics and Social and Economic areas, has enabled and empowered women to:

INVESTIGATE opportunities, needs and solutions

To DARE to voice their interests and be pro-active

And to BRAVE the challenges that these things have presented, both in the past and today.

As the dictionary has a variety of ways to look at the word Challenges, so too are there a variety of challenges for VIEW today.

One of the main challenges is to continue strengthening and building our Club memberships by attracting new members and holding the interest of existing ones.

VIEW can in some way meet this challenge with its opportunity to participate in The Smith Family's great humanitarian programme, "Learning for Life".

The idea of helping create learning opportunities for young people who are less fortunate is very exciting. In our own way, VIEW members are helping break the poverty cycle.

This programme was in fact one of the main reasons I joined VIEW and I would like to encourage you to promote Learning for Life to your friends and invite them to become members of VIEW as a means of their supporting it.

May your challenges be interesting, exciting and bravely met, and your life filled with fun and frien

What a brilliant theme for all Women of VIEW. Today I am speaking about Change on behalf of my club Ulladulla Evening. I would like to acknowledge and thank Pam Humphries for the information she sought on the early history of the club.

CHANGE: Meaning, the fact of becoming different, to replace with exchange for another. Whatever changes have been made they have been replaced with an even greater idea. Women throughout history have helped bring about many changes. Eve changed Adam's mind, he thought he was being strong, however when she tempted him with that delicious apple he soon changed his mind.

During my 19 years as a member of VIEW I have experienced many changes. I feel the greatest changes the members bring about for the good of all fellow Australians, is when our strong voice is heard through the resolutions that are passed during convention. That is real change, especially when one of our resolutions is passed through the upper house in parliament. We, women of VIEW have had a helping hand in changing the law or setting a new standard for an existing law.

What would the small group of men who called themselves the Smith Family, think about the number of women now working for the charity they founded? They were wise men who asked for the help of a group of women to form a committee for their welfare cause and change the path of history.

The Ulladulla Evening VIEW Club evolved 14 years ago, due to the professional women in town wanting to be a part of VIEW. They wanted a change from Day VIEW to Evening VIEW. Today, as from the beginning there are between 50 and 60 members. We have a strong representation of the Teaching Profession; the other members are from various occupations and business.

The early days saw lots of fund raising activities, fancy dress, crafts, picnics, movies and fashion parades. New Years Day barbecues at Joan McMullen's and show and Tell at Ellen Mison's.

The venue also was changed on four occasions. First the meeting was held at Hackett's restaurant at Milton, then at the Plaza upstairs, then Ulladulla Bowling Club upstairs and presently at the Hilltop Golf Club.

Due to the busy lives of the working women, the fund raising activities were often supported by the same few. In 2002 the members decided to levy the dinner charge by $5. That way all members had the chance to contribute. The trading table and a raffle at the birthday and Christmas were the other way used for fund raising.

The members responded well to the change, during 2002-3 the members were encouraged to bring a Friend. With up to an extra 15 guests the funds were raised.

During that period the club had craft afternoons making rugs for the Smith Family. This was supported by only a few as the professional people found it hard to attend.

Another change was needed.

The greatest impact of change has come from the directives of National Council. As the Welfare policies of the Smith Family have changed with the needs of the Welfare recipients, so too the VIEW directives have changed to suit the needs of the Smith Family. The inception of, The Learning for Life came about through the welfare recipients themselves. They were asking for change as they recognised the need for education for their children and so on through the next generation. Many welfare recipients wanted to break the poverty cycle. The LFL programme is growing very fast and I guess the aim would be to have it available in all schools for all students that are in need. This has been a big change for all VIEW Clubs and at times hard for the older members to accept.

The Smith Family will always have a welfare programme available for those who need goods in kind or financial help. The main focus for this distribution is now being conducted from the Villawood Centre. Many VIEW members have been reluctant to change to this idea especially with the local centres of the Smith Family closing their door. We still need more education ourselves on LFL so eventually all VIEW Clubs will support this great scheme.

The greatest changes are usually seen and heard when attending convention. I remember in the early years of VIEW when all Conventions were held in Sydney at the Wentworth Hotel. As VIEW clubs grew and clubs opened interstate Sydney Convention was linked with Brisbane, the big screen was put up and we waved to all our friends enjoying Convention in Brisbane. A big change was needed here. Now we all get the chance to travel, if you haven't been before, change your way of thinking and join about 12 hundred women in Geelong Victoria in September. This is when you change your mind about the capabilities of the wonderful women of VIEW.

With change, we have a choice, and with a choice we are challenged, what will be your change, choice and challenge for 2006.

Remember Ladies it is a women's prerogative to change her mind. With our voice our education our interest in women's rights I am sure we can handle any change that comes our way."

Everybody should have the right to chose. Freedom of choice is one of the most important liberties enjoyed by Australian citizens. There are many events that occur in our everyday lives whereby people have to make decisions regarding the manner in which they are going to proceed with their lives. For example,

CHOICE OF HEALTH CARE - Public or Private

CHOICE OF EDUCATION - Public or Private

CHOICE OF FAMILY PLANNING, including birth control, etc.

A perfect example of the way that choice effects our everyday lives is by simply going to the newsagent to purchase a magazine. We have to decide whether to

WALK

DRIVE

RIDE

When you get there you decide to pay for your magazine with either

CASH

DEBIT CARD

CREDIT CARD

When you get home you chose to either

READ IT NOW

READ IT LATER

Some of us are obsessed with making the "right" choice. Even when the choice is made to purchase a particular make of motor vehicle for example, The worry whether the right choice has been made. Also, after having made their choice they become very vocal in defending it. They sometimes denigrate the comparable choices that other people have made. In addition, they vigorously defend the brand and model they have chosen.

As I sit relaxing in the lounge on a Saturday afternoon, watching TV (not a programme of my choice as my husband has commandeered the remote control) I look over at the love of my life, with his mouth wide open, eyes shut and I listen to the noises emanating from this peaceful soul.

I am reminded of the choice that I made some 44 years ago.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice. It's not something to be waited for, it's something to be achieved. Having said that, the choice I have to make now is whether to go to the bar and once there, decide what drink to have!

Its my future - it's my choice!