North Arm Cove celebrates International Women’s Day 2022 Highlight Section Myall Coast Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 Kate Washington MP, Jan Winn, Yolanta Tomaszewski and Jan Peeters. Photo: Tara Campbell. NORTH Arm Cove hosted their annual International Women’s Day event on Tuesday 8 March, a fundraiser for International Women Australia. 2022 was the 24th year of the fundraising event, with over $80,000 raised by community members for the cause. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au International Women’s Day is a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, whilst also raising awareness of women who are disadvantaged due to poverty, domestic violence, little or no education, or opportunity to improve their situation. Hosted by Jann Peeters, two remarkable local women shared their stories amongst a packed room enjoying a delicious morning tea. “Today is about the celebration of ordinary women living ordinary lives and achieving extraordinary goals,” Jan said. “Every woman has a story of survival, love, heartbreak, disappointment and achievement and we just need to take time to listen to those stories.” The first speaker of the day was Jan Winn, a local Tea Gardens lady whose great grandparents came out from England in 1877 and settled in the region. Jan shared a story about local history, her process of researching family history, publishing her own books and her dedication to hard work and supporting the community. Jan’s brother and father were oyster farmers in Wobbygong Bay before starting the Oyster Hut on the waterfront in Marine Drive. After a morning tea of donated cakes, slices and everything in between and the sharing of stories amongst tables, the second speaker for the day, Yolanta Tomaszewski, a North Arm Cove resident who escaped Poland in 1981 addressed the room. Yolanta was born in Poland and lived through the hard times of the Polish United Worker’s Party, backed by the Russian Communist party rule over Poland. Yolanta shared a snapshot of her life and her challenging journey to flee Poland and emigrate to Australia, inspiring the room of women. She shared her story of hard work, heartbreaking times and most importantly, her story of survival – amongst all odds. Every woman sat silently, jaw-dropped, whilst Yola passionately spoke of her experience (and even received a standing ovation from the room after her speech). The day concluded with a raffle, raising additional funds for International Women Australia whilst tables raved of the excellent food and wonderful company. By Tara CAMPBELL Key speaker Jan Winn talking about the history of the area. Photo: Tara Campbell. Jan Peeters and Kate Washington MP watching the speakers. Photo: Tara Campbell. The attendees, captivated by Yolanta’s story. Photo: Tara Campbell. Yolanta sharing her story. Photo: Tara Campbell.
