Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart
Like so many other celebrated dates, 8 March comes around all too quickly.
International Women’s Day is nearly upon us and women around the globe will come together.
It’s a time for us as women, to reflect, unite and remember and most significantly celebrate. It’s a day to think of all the women that have gone before us – the trailblazers, the suffragettes, those brave individuals who have been so strong and fought so hard for us to be in the position we find ourselves today. Being the first woman to be elected Mayor of our magnificent shire, these women are always top of mind.
It’s also a day to remember those women who don’t have freedom of speech, who are oppressed, marginalised, discriminated against, abused and demeaned because of nothing more than the fact that they were born a woman. It’s a day when we should hug our daughters, our mothers, our sisters and our girlfriends just a little tighter. We are all in this together and it’s our day to celebrate.
I’m fortunate enough to be the daughter of a woman whose sacrifices have enabled me to be where I am today, whose, love, care and support has made me the woman I am. I am fortunate to be the mother of three children, my third a daughter who will, as time goes on, realise the significance of celebration and the importance of coming together.
When I think of International Women’s Day and the message I would like my daughter to know and the lessons she should learn, I will tell her the following:
I will tell my daughter that anything is possible, that her education will provide her the same opportunities as her brothers. I will tell her to study hard. To surround herself with loyal and like-minded girlfriends. To embrace the gifts that she has been given. To work hard at whatever she chooses and to never be afraid of having a go. I will tell her ‘dare to fail’ even when the odds are against her. It won’t be easy, yet nothing in life worth having is.
Yet, perhaps most importantly, I will tell my daughter that when adversity strikes, and trust me it will, what will define her is how she handles it. Her attitude, her ability to cope, her resilience. I will tell her that two steps forward are often followed by one step back but that is life’s challenge for us all. To move forward in the face of adversity.
That, for me, is the greatest lesson I can teach my daughter and that indeed is something to celebrate and to come together for.
As I share a picture of the two most important women in my life, my daughter and my mother I reflect on the words of Nicole Kidman, who in accepting her first Oscar win in 2003 said: “My whole life I’ve wanted to make my mother proud. And now I want to make my daughter proud.”
Indeed, I do.
Happy International Women’s Day. I salute all of you.
