Last night I had the absolute pleasure of joining with some very dear friends to share an incredible experience. Right now, in my home town on Perth, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has just been officially opened. What does that mean? it means that there are literally hundreds of intersting, dynamic and powerful men and women who are literal leaders in their respective countires gathered together to discuss the potential future of the Commonwealth nations. This is a big deal on so many levels and literally a big deal for Perth to play host as this has to be one of the most isolated capitol cities in the world
As I mentioned, last night I shared a very remarkable experience. I joined with friends and fellow participants of the Catherine McCauley Women in Leadership and Service Award Program to attend a pre-CHOGM event, the Empowering Women to Lead Dinner hosted by our first female Prime Minister, the honourable Julia Gillard, alongside with Australia's first female Governor General, Quentin Bryce. They were joined by a panel of leading ladies representing countries from across the Commonwealth to hold a discussion on the key topic, Empowering Women to Lead
Now I wouldn't say that I am 'into' politics but I do get very clearly that these women, along with others working in political and senior government and some NGO based positions, do have the potential to influence change in a significant, lasting way. There were a lot of messages that stood out for me but one particurly stood out above the rest. Julia Gillard spoke of a desire in her lifetime to experience a sustained time where it will be unremarkable for a women to hold key leadership positions across all industries, all nations, all religions, anything in fact. Last night as each of the panelists were introduced we regularly heard, "The first woman to...", "The only woman to...." and the like. The great thing for me was that while these true Pioneer Seekers, Heroine Adventurers, Visionary Creators and Queen Rulers were first ladies in many respects of the word they were sitting there collectively as a group of women, inspiring others to be determined, focused and to be persistent in their belief in themselves and pursuit of their dreams
I too, wish for a world where women leading is an unremarkable thing and that we no longer need to count how many women are doing anything because their is equality and we all, as peoples of this world, come together to work harmoniously, men and women, boys and girls, with the purpose of creating a world that is truly remarkable. I was also proud to be amongst a group of over 500 women who were there, together as firsts, sharing the first pre-CHOGM event focusing purely on the Empowerment of Women
The question I want to leave you with is, "How can we, as women of priviledge, simply by the fact that we are educated, take real action to make a difference to the lives of our sisters around the world, in the Commonwealth nations and beyond so that everywoman has the opportunity to be seen as remarkable?"