V Ision & V Itality

Vision & Vitality Vision Vitality Celebrating 25 Years of the Older Women’s Network in NSW DOROTHY CORA Vision Vitality Celebrating 25 Years of the Older Women’s Network in NSW DOROTHY CORA An Older Women's Network publication Published in Australia by the Older Women’s Network NSW, 2014 Copyright © 2014 Dorothy Cora This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. Graphic design by Ruth Butler Cover photograph by Kay Hathway Printed by Breakout Media Communications, Sydney, Australia National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Author: Cora, Dorothy. Title: Vision & Vitality: Celebrating 25 Years of the Older Women’s Network in NSW / Dorothy Cora. Edition: 1st ed. ISBN: 978-0-9808412-0-6 (pbk.) Subjects: Older Women’s Network 1. Women social reformers–Australia. 2. Women political activists–Australia 3. Women’s rights–Australia–History–20th century. 4. Women–Australia Dewey Number: 305.2609944 Available from: Older Women’s Network NSW 87 Lower Fort Street Millers Point NSW 2000 Australia Phone: 02 9247 7046 Email: [email protected] All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Older Women’s Network NSW. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this book may contain images or names of women who have passed away. Networks are cooperative, not competitive. They are true grassroots: self-generating, self-organising, sometimes self destructing. They represent a process, a journey, not a frozen structure. A network is both intimate and expansive. Networks are the strategy by which small groups can transform an entire society. Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy (1982) Dedication Vision & Vitality is dedicated to the memory of Noreen Hewett, whose dynamic vision for older women’s involvement in public life led to the formation and growth of the Older Women’s Network. Noreen (left) and Joy at Noreen’s 90th Birthday celebration in 2010 And to Joy Ross, who shouldered the heavy building blocks that laid the foundations of the Older Women’s Network, and who passionately advanced its aims and objectives for well over two decades. Preface Amongst other things I am an older woman and a feminist. Before being employed by the Older Women’s Network (OWN) Inc. in Oc- tober 1994 I had worked for twenty years as a refuge worker, abortion counsellor, family support worker, sexual assault counsellor and group facilitator. At fifty-six I was thrilled to be employed in another women’s organisation, this time one concerned with older women’s issues. In previous jobs the management committee attended monthly committee meetings with paid workers. In between meetings they were rarely seen. At OWN, members of the management committee (known as the Working Committee) came into the office on a regular basis – often daily – to work on their activist or organisational projects. I initially found their presence disconcerting but before long came to appreciate the benefits of working closely together, despite them being, technically, my ‘bosses’. viii > VISION & VITALITY Their energy and passion was infectious. Together we devised projects and wrote submissions to create new levels of visibility, relevance and influence for older women in NSW. I came to relish the dynamic atmosphere our collaborative relationship created and along the way learned much from them individually and collectively. I retired from OWN in 2005 after eleven challenging and fulfilling years. Over the next few years, in between overseas travel, gym classes, ill health and socialising, I wrote Centre Stage: Celebrating the Rise and Rise of the Older Women’s Network Theatre Group. In 2010, in recogni- tion of the inspirational role she had played in the story of OWN, I also wrote Noreen Hewett: Portrait of a Grassroots Activist. Both books were published by OWN. The idea of writing a history of the Older Women’s Network in NSW had been floating around for a number of years. Personal stories were collected, archival material sorted, meetings and workshops held. Sug- gestions were floated about who could write it. Some suggested em- ploying an historian to take on the task, but lack of money put paid to that idea. Throughout 2011, the project stalled. By early 2012, with encouragement from Noreen Hewett (since deceased) and Joy Ross, I began to explore the idea of volunteering to write it myself. I had two main concerns. Firstly, were my research and writing skills adequate for such a complex social history project and secondly, how could I write a history of a volunteer organisation where the diversity of activities, projects, programs and people have generated not one, but many, histories? I eventually decided that combined with the personal knowledge I had of OWN, my research and writing skills were probably adequate to the task. I also concluded that it would be unrealistic to try to name and incorporate the experiences and perspectives of all the women who have shaped and enriched OWN over the past twenty-five years. All I could attempt is a story that documents the focus, activities and Preface < ix achievements of key players, projects and groups while acknowledging discoveries made and lessons learned along the way. The material in Vision & Vitality has been sourced from archival material and records, including newsletters, minutes, annual reports and other publications. On many occasions I contacted individuals to fill in the gaps or to ask for further clarification. A key person from each NSW group signed off on group overviews on the understanding that I was not writing a history per se of the groups, but simply trying to capture each groups’ distinctive qualities and ‘flavour’. I am hopeful that when more comprehensive histories are written about individual OWN groups in NSW that the women who have made OWN what it is today can have the pleasure of seeing their contributions acknowledged. Pat Carlton’s history of Newcastle OWN, which can be read online at www.ownnsw.org.au, is an inspiring illustration of how this can be achieved. Dorothy Cora Acknowledgements In the writing of OWN’s story, I have again felt the loss of OWN members who have died during the past twenty-five years. Their insights on OWN’s development during the early years and commentaries on later years would have been invaluable. They include Linda Adamson, Louise Anike, Pam Benton, Gwen George, Sylvia Harding, Noreen Hewett, Muriel Hortin, Trude Kallir, Pam Ledden, Helen Murphy, Una Nich- ols, Jacqueline Schofer, Renee Simons, Ermes Solari, Nina Walton and Helen Young. There are many women to thank for their encouragement and as- sistance during the writing of this book. I am especially indebted to Joy Ross for her insightful comments and enduring support for the project. Although I read countless articles and reports throughout the writing of Vision & Vitality, without Joy’s memory of events from the very early days when information about individual women and group activities was not always recorded this book would be much leaner. xii > VISION & VITALITY My thanks go to Pat Zinn and Lucy Porter for their invaluable assis- tance in providing memories and resources for chapter 8, The Aborigi- nal Support Circle. Thanks also to the coordinators of each NSW group for their willingness to condense their contributions for inclusion in the book, and also to all the women with ‘insider’ knowledge who read and commented on specific chapters. Warm appreciation goes to my friend Val Brown for her useful feedback; to Kris Ferguson, my former colleague, for her wise and construc- tive suggestions; to Pat Carlton, the author of Newcastle OWN’s history, who continued to provide valuable feedback even in the midst of selling the family home; and to Robyn Smith, coordinator of Southern Highlands OWN, for her attention to detail and expert editorial notes. Finally, my sincere thanks to Jenny Onyx, academic, author, and member of Sydney OWN, who agreed to provide feedback on the final draft ofVision & Vitality. Her insights, comments and suggestions have been immeasurably beneficial to the final work. For errors and inadequacies in this work, of course, the responsibil- ity is entirely my own. Dorothy Cora Contents Dedication v Preface vii Acknowledgements xi Introduction xxi 1. The Age of Invisibility 1 Flying high … ......................................... 5 The OWN logo ........................................ 7 Increasing visibility .................................... 7 New premises! ......................................... 8 2. Networking, Management and Roles 12 Sharing the work ..................................... 13 Coordination of OWN Inc. ............................ 15 Structural challenges .................................. 16 Management and coordination of OWN NSW .......... 18 Paid workers and their roles ........................... 20 And now … .......................................... 22 3. When older women get together… 24 Democracy in action .................................. 27 A snapshot of one year ................................ 28 A good idea, but … ................................... 28 Housing ............................................. 28 Older Lesbians........................................ 30 4. The Theatre Group 32 Overview

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