Speaking of future activities, expressions of interest are open for La Fiesta 2024 which will represent the 15th birthday celebration of what we believe to be New Zealand’s best [and longest-running] women’s festival.
La Fiesta continues to provide opportunities for our community to meet incredible women going about their ordinary lives in truly remarkable ways, demonstrating their can-do attitudes, courage, skills and talents, and profound wisdom.
Men are welcome to partner with the festival too. The diversity of the people of Whanganui is the real inspiration for La Fiesta, a party to which the whole community is invited.
If you would like to run an event in La Fiesta, know someone who does, or simply have some neat ideas about what you’d like to see in the programme, get in touch. I am happy to meet up and chat, arrange a time to talk online, or exchange emails. It is always exciting to see what comes forward from the community, it’s what makes the festival programme so unique from year to year. Explore what past festivals have involved by visiting the Women’s Network Whanganui or La Fiesta NZ Facebook pages, or the official festival website: http://lafiestanz.com
Look out for some very special Suffrage Day celebrations coming up in the next week. September 19 marks the 130th anniversary of this world-leading day, an important time to reflect upon and consider the ways in which we can honour the legacy of our suffragists. With a general election coming up, it is a timely reminder that having your say and casting a vote really does make a difference. The passing of universal suffrage in Parliament marked the culmination of a 25-year campaign in which women from Cape Reinga to Bluff traversed the country on foot, horseback, and controversially by bicycle, to lobby male politicians and ordinary citizens for this change. Many of the suffragists became ostracised from their families, and even from their husbands in some cases, for their activism. Without their unbeatable efforts, women across Aotearoa would likely have had to wait until well into the 20th century for their opportunity to vote.
I’ve been working with the teams from the National Council of Women, Sport Whanganui and the Whanganui Regional Museum, with support from the Whanganui District Library and The Barracks to put together some commemorative events to mark this special day in our “herstory”.
The celebrations feature four events that showcase sensational leading ladies across our community and beyond. We are kickstarting the series with a family-friendly Round the Bridges bike ride beginning at the Ladies’ Rest Building on Saturday, September 16 from 10am.
The bicycle was an emancipatory symbol during the suffrage campaign, enabling suffragists greater freedom and lobbying mobility, and a sense of equality with men. The derring-do of women daring to ride proved to be contentious as it also required a revolution in fashion in which Victorian layered skirts would be replaced with knickerbockers and bloomers during what was already a tempestuous time politically and socially.
The bike features again in the fourth and final commemorative event on Suffrage Day itself with special guests, former Olympic and Commonwealth Games cyclist and current business owner Cath Cheatley, kicking off our inaugural session in a new ‘Women Who Lead’ monthly series. Dr Bronwyn Labrum, Director of the Whanganui Regional Museum is hosting a lunchtime tour on Suffrage Day showcasing “Women of the Museum” at 12.15pm.
Following that, the National Council of Women is hosting an afternoon tea with Isobel Ewing, a senior reporter with Newshub, who will be sharing some daring and adventurous tales. There will be a display of books and information panels relating to Women’s Suffrage, as well as the chance to view the Suffrage Petition online to see which of your ancestors signed it.
For more information about these Suffrage Day events, email me: womnet.whanganui@gmail.com
