The 2011 Annual Joint North/South Conference, hosted by SI Lurgan, was held at the Seagoe Hotel, in Portadown, from 6 to 8 May with the joint themes ‘Making Connections and Supporting Through Friendship’.

The Conference was attended by the Federation President Liz Morgan-Lewis, the National Association President Rosalie Byrne-Muir and the NI Regional President Eleanor Ferris as well as 118 delegates from Great Britain and Ireland.  The Conference opened on Friday with a golf competition, Civic Reception hosted by the Deputy Mayor of Craigavon, followed by supper and entertainment presented by ‘The Costume Corner’.  ‘The Secret Suffragettes’ sketchprovided much laughter and everyone got involved in one way or another.

The Annual General Meetings, North and South, were held on Saturday morning and this was followed by the Joint Conference.  Dr Marion Gibson was the keynote speaker at the Joint Conference, followed by Catherine Maguire, Coleraine High School, and Anna Brennan, Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, the two Youth Award Public Speaking Winners.  Presentations were given by Kate Doherty on “Mums for Mums” and Rosalie Byrne-Muir on “65 Roses – Cystic Fibrosis” – the two regional charity projects.

On Saturday afternoon the Conference delegates had a balloon release and petition signing event to raise awareness of their S.W.A.T. campaign – Soroptimists Working Against Trafficking.   Soroptimist International of Northern Ireland is highlighting issues of trafficking for sexual exploitation through the Purple Teardrop Campaign, and the Blue Blindfold Campaign which recognise that over 4,000 people have been trafficked into the UK in the last year.  This issue needs to be highlighted before the 2012 Olympics in London.

A Gala Dinner was held on Saturday evening at which the Mayor and Mayoress of Craigavon Borough Council were the chief guests.   The conference concluded on Sunday morning following a service of unity and friendship.

The joint themes of the conference were evident throughout the weekend and the delegates were delighted with its success.

 Federation President Liz Morgan-Lewis, NA President Rosalie Byrne-Muir, NI Regional President Eleanor Ferris, Joan Smyth, Jennifer Scott, Patricia Graham, Walter Ferris, David Ratcliffe and Robert Oldroyd at Edenmore Golf Club prior to the start of the golf competition.

 Dr Joan Smyth receiving first prize from Federation President Liz.  Joan won the ladies golf competition.

Regional President Hazel Holmlund welcomes you to the Soroptimist International of Northern Ireland’s Website.  On taking the chain of office at the Federation Conference in Brighton on 29 October, President Hazel said, “I am honoured to head up Soroptimist International in Northern Ireland and am extremely proud of the service and projects undertaken by the 15 Clubs in the Province.”

President Hazel has chosen two promises from the Soroptimist Pledge as her theme for the year – The Sincerity of Friendship and The Dignity of Service. She intends to visit each of the 15 Clubs at least once during her year of office to strengthen the bonds of friendship and compliments sister Soroptimists on the friendship and support that they have given to each other and to her.

The Kate Community Centre for the Elderly in Mekelle, Ethiopia (http://www.mumsformums.com/currentprojects.htm) is her chosen service charity for the year. There are an estimated 2000 elderly women aged over 60 in Mekelle living in extreme poverty. The Kate Centre is now open 6 days a week, providing a daily hot meal, sanitation facilities, an environment for education on basic environmental issues, personal hygiene and caring for those with HIV/AIDS and basic medical services, such as eye treatment for some commonly occurring conditions like trachoma. The centre provides these services in collaboration with local clinics. This is the second year that Northern Ireland Soroptimists are supporting the Kate Community Centre for the Elderly in addition to Clubs’ commitments to their own local and international charity work.