More about Di
Sharing stories about important people & lessons in life
| The person | The situation | The lesson |
| My mother, Bet | My mother is 90 years of age, but is an extremely wise woman. Because my father was a travelling salesman, I spent most of my formative years as her companion. I have a strong connection to my mother and greatly admire her quiet courage and independent spirit. | Listen to the words of the wise women who have gone before. They have great knowledge and many solutions to the problems of today. |
| My father, Mick | My Dad is now deceased, but had the Irish gift of the gab. He was an environmentalist and showed me the world of nature and wildlife. He was also an entrepreneur, who was always open to new ideas and experiences. | Accept that who you are is based on early learning. Your attitudes are based on gifts and lessons that they have provided. |
| My son, Paul | When Paul was born he contracted meningitis, which developed into severe physical and intellectual disability. It was only through the support of my parents that I developed the resilience to survive. | Life will sometimes provide hard lessons, which help you to appreciate the good times. |
| My friend, Judy | Judy died after a short but debilitating illness. Over the years, she was a close friend and mentor. We shared many deep and meaningful discussions on life, death and personal spirituality. She always dreamed of a Wise Womens Netowirk where women of different colour, creed and religion could offer each other mutal support and mentor the women of the future. | Accept that we are all on the same life path and face your own challenges with dignity and courage. |
My dreams for 2020women
I dream of a safer world for women and girl children.
I think that a great many gains have been made during my life time in regard to equal pay and recognition of women, However, there are many women and girl children in Australia and internationally who exist in an unsafe world.
Violence in the home and in the community towards women, together with the sexual exploitation of girls and women are ongoing. It is our current responsibility and in the future to do all that we can to make the local and global community a safer place for women and girl children to exist.
My advice to women of the future:
My advice is to listen and learn from the lessons of the past, while keeping open to the challenges that each new age brings. Remain flexible and adapt to change. Life will bring many challenges and the real secret is in developing resilience - the ability to bounce back and in recognising the opportunities that life presents.