Bunbury’s Zonta Club celebrates the outstanding women of the community at International Women’s Day breakfast

There were more than 200 guests at the Sanctuary Golf Resort in Pelican Point last week, all celebrating International Women’s Day. Gathered for a breakfast event hosted by the Zonta Club of Bunbury, guests enjoyed each other’s company while praising the standout women in the Bunbury community. Destiny Rescue corporate partnerships manager Julia Yeow was the guest speaker at the event, speaking about her work with Destiny Rescue. Along with the talks, the morning saw three women crowned as “hidden gems” for the work they do in the community. Australind and District Senior Citizens Centre variety show director Eileen Depiazzi was awarded for her contributions to the community, creating 38 shows with more than 150 performances, regularly drawing in crowds of up to 100 people “Carrying a deep love of the arts, her theatre journey began while working as a chef at St John of God Hospital in Bunbury,” Zonta Bunbury president Amanda Whittle said. “Eileen produces lively musical performances that bring joy to the community.” Teresa Welsh was the second award recipient for her work with Hands Up 4 Kids. “For the past nine years, she has volunteered with the Hands Up 4 Kids — Teresa is passionate about literacy, believing that without strong reading skills by year three, students often face ongoing challenges with their education,” Ms Whittle said. “Theresa believes we get one chance at life, so we should embrace it fully, doing what we love with people we care about.” The final recipient for the award was Deborah Campbell for her work with Flowers of Kindness. “While picking vegetables at the Thommo’s community garden for food bank, she wondered why no one was gathering flowers to brighten the lives of people who were struggling,” Ms Whittle said. “Flowers of kindness was created in April 2024 — the group now has 16 members who meet fortnightly.” Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School’s Sara Keys was presented with the 2026 Josephine Spaull OAM performing arts scholarship. “Josephine was a charter member in 1987, she was a founding member of the WA Academy of Drawing Arts and Ausdance in WA,” Ms Whittle said. “Josephine was awarded lifetime achievement from Ausdance in 2011 and was inducted to Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012.” Ms Keys aspires to go to WAPA to continue her education, specifically in musical theatre or drama. School captain at Busselton Senior High School, Adoley Mensah, was awarded the 2026 young women in leadership award. “Adoley exemplifies the values that underpin the young leadership award through her leadership through service, advocacy for equality and a genuine commitment to empowering others,” Ms Whittle said.