Convention Report
Gothenburg Sweden
July 2002

1. Open House Experience - This was a great way to start our convention experience in Sweden. Joan Hutcheson and I flew overnight to Copenhagen, took a train across the strait to Helsingborg Sweden, where our hostess Marianne Almquist picked us up, deposited us in her beautiful apartment overlooking the harbour, and then she went off to work leaving us for a much needed sleep. That evening she prepared a typical Swedish meal for us- a seafood pie, salad, and wine and we chatted and became acquainted. Marianne had just finished two years as the president of the Zonta Club of Helsingborg, she is also a Rotarian, and she is the deputy Chief of Police of the nearby city of Malmo. Her husband, a pediatrician, had gone away for the week. The next day Joan and I discovered the sites of Helsingborg, Marianne went to work, and that evening we had dinner at a restaurant with six members of the Zonta Club of Helsingborg, including two brand new Zontians- a great experience for them and us! Wednesday we took the ferry to Denmark, then the train to Copenhagen, and spent the day- ending with a visit to the famous and very old Tivoli Gardens, where we enjoyed an outdoor theatre and a lovely dinner. We arrived "home" after midnight and had feared that the police might be on the lookout for us considering who our "mum" was. Marianne took us on Thursday to a lunch at the home of a Zontian who owns a ski resort, about an hour out of the city. That afternoon some members of the Zonta Club of Bjare greeted us with a champagne reception in a tent. We all attended a musical recital by award winning young people who played classical music on the viola, cello, and piano. After the recital the Zontians took us to a local famous garden for a tour and light dinner. The next day was Friday and time to leave for the convention. Marianne drove us to the train station where we boarded for the three hour ride to Gothenburg.

2. Saturday night- Dinner in a Zontian's Home This was an option at the convention and in my opinion was the best evening we had! Attendees went in small groups- from 5 people to perhaps 40 people. Our group of 24 people traveled to a home about an hour out of Gothenburg. We came from all over the world- Africa, USA, Japan, Europe, Canada, South America- and being in a small group we could get to know each other. The Zontian's home was lovely. Her two young teenaged daughters and her husband helped to serve the dinner. We had a typical Swedish meal- with many courses, and drinks between each, and silly drinking songs (in English and Swedish). The evening lasted about 3 hours. Overall, almost one thousand convention guests were hosted in this fashion. The food was catered so all homes had the same meals, and our hostesses did not have to cook. The Zontians of Sweden did a marvelous job organizing this event.

3. Business Decisions

(i) Elections - The new President is Margit Webjorn, an architect from Sweden. Mary Ellen Bittner, a judge from Washington D.C., USA is the President Elect. Betty Jane Bourdon, an accountant from Massachusetts is Vice President, and Darlene Kurtz, an accountant from Texas is the Secretary-Treasurer. International Directors include our own Dr. Vivian Cody, Kathleen Yip- Hong Kong, Bery Sten- Sweden, Regine Acquier- France, Jacqueline Gudmundsen- USA, Mari Ramsten Vangdal- Norway, Janice Bowman- New Zealand.

(ii)Bylaws did take some time. Many of the contentious suggestions regarding expulsion of members and clubs were found to be illegal in the State of Illinois where our Zonta headquarters are located, so were referred to the incoming committee to be dealt with at the next convention. We also had the recurring debate regarding non active members being allowed to hold elected office in clubs, district, and internationally. Although more than 50% of the delegates were in favour of this, the required 66% vote required was not met, so the motions failed.

(iii) International Service Projects - We heard of the success of the three previous projects- Eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus in Nepal, Preventing female genital circumcision in Burkino Faso, and "Reinventing India"- dedicated to reducing violence against women. The India project will continue (US$299,450), as well as two new initiatives- Anti-trafficking in Bosnia-Herzegovina (US$320,000) and a yet unknown project to help the women of Afghanistan (US$25,000).

(iv) Awards - This biennium we funded 70 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, 51 Jane Klausman scholarships, 53 YWPA awards, and 9 ZISVAW grants.

(v) Other - We heard reports from many other committees including membership, public relations and communication, Z and Golden Z Club subcommittee, United Nations, Finance, and information about our Headquarters and its administration.

4. Guest Speakers - As usual we heard from a variety of wonderful, inspiring guest speakers who included the following:

Mrs. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia

Ms. Penny Wensley, a career diplomat and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Dr. Miriam Hederman O'Brien, chancellor of the University of Limerick

Justice Margaret McMurdo, the first Australian woman appointed President of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland, and a member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane.

Dame Margaret Anstee, who served the United Nations for over 4 decades and lead the UN peacekeeping mission in Angola in 1992-1993.

5. Evening gala entertainment

We attended a Nobel Ceremony and Dinner, presented like the real event. Attendees dressed in long gowns, we watched as "Marie Curie, Mother Teresa" and others were presented with their awards watched by the "King and Queen of Sweden". All participants were portrayed by Zontians from District 21.The evening dinner was superb and we were entertained with outstanding musical entertainment.

The Nordic Delight Dinner was also a "delight". The group "Tango Fatale" entertained us with their unique sound coming from an accordion, cello, and piano.
Closing Ceremony included another wonderful banquet, then the passing of leadership from one set of governors to the next, and from one international board to the next. The evening ended with a rousing "Fourth of July" celebration and invitation to the next convention being held in July 2004 in New York City.

6. Something New - Volvo donated a beautiful red car to the Zonta convention. Lottery tickets were sold at the convention only and Regina Mastroleo, from the Buffalo Club was the grand winner! Over 70 prizes were included in the lottery, and the funds raised went to the Zonta International Foundation.

Attending a Zonta Convention is an awesome experience. Over 2400 women from all over the world participate and you have the opportunity to meet many wonderful women. Our organization performs fantastic service and this is the best place to hear those stories. Great powerful women rise to the top and lead Zonta all on a volunteer basis. Any Zontian who attends an International Convention surely comes away newly inspired and likely a "Zontian for life".

Respectfully submitted by