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Address to Conference Association President Liz Thomas


President Liz began her address to Conference with a nautical theme, in keeping with the stage dressings. She drew some parallels with Nelson, seeing in him some of the things she had always tried to do – work hard, give of your time and travel – she has certainly done that! Like Nelson, there are two words missing from her vocabulary – the words RETREAT and DEFEAT. We could be justified in calling her OUR HERO!


It is now 100 years since the Representation of the People Act gave women some rather limited voting rights. Yet Emmeline Pankhurst had been agitating for these rights years before. It is strange that both she and Margarette Golding had Manchester connections. It took time for Inner Wheel to establish itself as we read in a Minute from 1928 that, “any work done by ladies should be overseen by Rotary!”


President Liz believes firmly that Inner Wheel is not dying on its feet – NO, NO, NO! The one thing we do NOT lack is enthusiasm. Women who care do make a difference as do women of action. The enthusiasm is passed on!


We do, however, need some compromise as we may require to change our outlook. We must find a way to appeal to younger women, but we must also take advantage of the expertise of our established members. We may need to seek new ways of doing things. For 80 or more years we have been sharing a bed – metaphorically of course – with Rotary. Loosening that link has been beneficial to Inner Wheel and allowed us to do things differently.


Looking at meetings – we need to make them fresher and less formal. Scientists have come up with the idea that in our digital age, people have a shorter attention span than a goldfish! The average attention span at a meeting is said to be 5 minutes!


President Liz felt we need to have an initiative like Rotary 2, which seeks to form clubs which are less traditional and fit better with today’s life style. We need to try something similar or we will never know if this is the way forward.


We should be moved and inspired to make a difference – we do not always know just how important our contribution can be. It is often hard to explain the bond of friendship among members. We must ensure that we secure our place at the heart of the community. Not everyone can change the world but working together, we can.


Liz felt immensely proud of all the ways Inner Wheel was helping with dementia sufferers, among them memory walks and musical moments. The amount given to Alzheimer’s Research UK was amazing. She was also deeply moved at what had been raised for her Zip Wire challenge – which she hoped would be undertaken in better weather. She thanked everyone for fellowship and fun. Inner Wheel and its ideals were far too important to lose sight of. Finally, she advised us to be LESS FORMAL, MORE ADAPTABLE.


Dorothy Cree


www.innerwheel.co.uk


Page. 15


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