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By Donna Russett _ ‘ N 2 hat ajoy. privilege and responsibility , it was to lead the delegation to Christ- church. New Zealand, for the 2] st Triennial . ‘ Conference of the Associated Country ‘ Women of the World (ACWW). New Zealand is a land rich in natural beauty and uncluttered countryside. It is reâ€" markable that such a small country can offer such a variety of land and seascapes - includâ€" ing forests and farm lands, lakes and rivers. volcanoes and glaciers, and mountains. fiords and beautiful beaches. Visitors are often amazed by what they see in Omarama, Arron/town and Rotoroa, and impressed by the splendour of the scenery in Queenstown and Fiordland. But New Zea- land also has cities that must rate among the most 'liveable’ anywhere. There is Auckland - the City of Sails. Wellington - the capital surrounding a spectacular harbour, and Christchurch and Dunedin - with rich culâ€" tural, historical and natural heritage. i. The campus of Canterbury University in y; Christchurch was alive with 800 plus dele- ;.j _ gates, spouses and visitors from 45 countries 2 r the first seven days of February. Follow- }Mg registration, the Hostess Society. the ,' Women‘s Division Federated Partners of New Zeal-and. entertained us at a late after- noon outdoor reception. This gave us our first opportunity to meet with old friends and make new ones, such as Matilda Mwanza, a school te acher from Zambia, who we assisted r to attend the Conference through the Spon- sorship Fund. Haere mai. haere mai. haere mail You are thrice welcome. These were the words of Dame Catherine Tizard. Governor General i_ of New Zealand as she addressed everyone at the opening ceremonies. Our World President, Valerie Fisher. OBE, hadjust recently received Australia's highest award < the Order of Australia. She very capably chaired each session and reminded 4 us in her opening address: “Today‘s changes are occum'ng more and more frequently in r' our lives and our world... The challenge is to embrace those changes which are beneficial and work against those which may cause problems immediately or in the future." Fisher concluded: “The Triennial themes chosen by ACWW attest to the many goals we have been working for as an organiza» tion. culminating in the overall theme ofcare and concern, self-help and self-reliance for ' 'omen and their families in a changing lorld. Today, we have vital responsibilities, 3 standing as we are on the bridge linking the past with the future. The challenge of the future is ours to make what we will of it.” News from the Council meeting reported 55 new societies. We are encour- aged to have Branches become a4a society with a 25 pounds sterling membership each year. What an excellent way to keep upâ€"to-date with and interested in our international network. On behalf of the Federated Women's lnsti< tutes ofOntario. Iissued an invitation to host the 23rd Triennial Conference of ACWW in 2001, and we won the vote taken at the Council meeting. The city ofHamilton is our proposed venue, We look forward to your enthusiasm and participation as we plan for this international event. Did you know that we. as Women's Insti- tute members. are privileged to have non-govemmental organization status at the United Nations through our membership in the ACWW? In September, 1995, we will be represented by the World President of ACWW in Beijing, China. the location of the Fourth UN Confer- ence on Women. The theme of the Confer- ence will be the girl child and unpaid work. Charlotte Johnson, the National President. will also be attending. Canadians turned out in full force at the Canada Area meeting. chaired by Peggy Knapp. ACWW Area President for Canada. Matilda Mwanza at- tended the meeting for a short time. so she would have a chance to meet and talk with Canadians. It is difficult to ex- press the feeling of participating in an In- ternational conference as delegates share and discuss. It was apparent we have many of the same concerns and aspirations. but of varying degrees. From the presentation of the flags of the 65 countries, to the retiring ofthe same, we have many fond memories of the events and hap- penings that took place during that week of sharing and curing. of resolutions and recom- mendations. of voting and plenaries. of dorm life and lunch lineups. ofentenainment and cultural education, and of inviting us all to meet together at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. in April. [998. “The warmth of the women all over the world [is a common thread]. and so you must continue to give to the world and the best will come back to you." Extract liom quole by May Hudson, Australia, The Count/woman, AD'll‘JunD 1995, Danna Russet! l: the Preridvnt ofthe F (derailed Women '5 Institute: of Ontario. ONTARIO MEMBERS MEET ACWW WORLD PRESIDENTS Geraldine Campbell (far right) led a Pro-ACWW Conference Tour to Australia and New Zealand. As part at the tour, a reception was arranged so that Women‘s Institute members could meet Vii/en's Fisher (second Irom right) - the outgoing President or ACWW tram Australia, and Lyndsay Hacker-Fain (tar left) - Deputy President ofACWW from England. This gave members, such as tourparticipant Virginia Wright (second from left) from the Beechwood wt in Ontario, the opportunity to discuss the upcoming Conlerence. Submitted by Geraldine Campbell. Palmyra WI. Ken! East District. Home E: Country. Summer '95 3