Steen champions rights of refugees

The Zonta Club of Noosa’s annual International Women’s Day breakfast is back again with refugee advocate Frederika Steen as the guest speaker.
Event organisers said they were excited to welcome Frederika, who they said was a truly inspiring woman with an amazing story.
Born in a the war zone of occupied Holland in 1944, Frederika’s father was active in the Dutch Resistance during World War II, and her family was hidden from the Dutch Nazis by strangers.
Frederika’s profound sense of gratitude to these strangers influenced much of her later life after her family migrated to Australia in 1950.
After initially working as a high school teacher, Frederika joined the public service in Canberra where she has been actively involved in community, refugee, multicultural and human rights activities for over 30 years.
Frederika volunteered for six months in one of Thailand’s largest refugee transit camps at Phanat Nikhom after which she became an increasingly vocal advocate for refugee rights and was named Canberran of the Year on her return.
After a distinguished career in settlement services in the Department of Immigration and three years as the Chief Migration Officer in the Australian Embassy in Germany, Frederika retired.
In retirement she has served on the Board of the Multicultural Development Association and volunteers at the Romero Centre, a refugee support and advocacy hub in Brisbane.
In 2014 she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to refugees and asylum seekers in a voluntary capacity.
Frederika will be the guest speaker at the Zonta Club of Noosa’s annual International Women’s Day breakfast that will be held on Wednesday 8 March at the River Deck restaurant, Noosa Marina, from 7am.
Tickets for the event are $35 per person and are available online only at http:/www.trybooking.com with no tickets available at the venue on the day.