Mandurah

About Mandurah

Soroptimist International of Mandurah, is a service club of women who meet on a regular basis to support our projects to transform the lives of women and girls. Please see our projects below.

We welcome potential new members to our monthly Club meetings held at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club Inc and Purely Social Meetings held at different venues each month - social meetings are held alternately on the first Thursday of the month for dinner or the first Saturday of the month for brunch.

Please email us to let us know that you're coming so we can be ready to welcome you.

We also acknowledge the following sponsors who support us with our events:  Cape Chauffeurs, Seashells, Timeless Skin & Beauty Singleton, City, North Beach, Stay @ Margaret River, The Sebel Mandurah, Kevin Green Real Estate, Zoo Bridal and South West Trailers.  Visit this link to find out more:  Soroptimist International of Mandurah Club

Calendar

Club Meetings

• MONTHLY MEETING, THURSDAY 16 January 2025 at 5.30 pm at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club, Mandurah.  Fellowship from 5:30pm.   Guest Speaker:  Nil
  
  

• MONTHLY MEETING, THURSDAY 20 March 2025 at 5.30 pm at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club, Mandurah.  Fellowship from 5:30pm.   Guest Speaker:  Megan McCrill, CEO, OVIS Community Services.

• MONTHLY SOCIAL MEETING, Saturday 5 April 2025 from 3.00pm at Henry Sutton Grove, Halls Head, Mandurah 6210.   This month's Social Meeting is a picnic in the park at Henry Sutton Grove, Hall's Head, Mandurah.  See flyer below for further details.  All interested people are welcome to attend.

• MONTHLY MEETING, THURSDAY 17 April 2025 at 5:30pm at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club, Mandurah.  Fellowship from 5:30pm.  Business meeting from 6:00pm.

• MONTHLY SOCIAL MEETING, Thursday 1 May 2025.  Please contact Marise Petchell at marise@swtrailers.com.au if you are interested in attending this function.  Venue tba.

 Potential members welcome. Our Club meeting guide is currently being updated. Please email us for information (particularly if you are interested in attending our Social Meeting as the venue changes from month to month).

Events

• Watch this space for news about the events we hope to hold in 2024 and for upcoming events.  Volunteer Event Planners and Assistants may be needed. Please contact us. 

• Soroptimists in the Park:  join local members for a get-together at Henry Sutton Grove, Halls Head, Mandurah WA 6210 on Saturday 5 April 2025 from 3pm.  Learn how you can help us to achieve some of our goals in 2025.    Contact Jill Russell 0409 294 062 or Marise Petchell 0408 816 664 for more information.

News

MODERN DAY SLAVERY

In 2018 SI Australia agreed to SI Mandurah's proposal to advocate on a national scale for the fair treatment of students, backpackers and other migrant workers in Australia, especially women, to contribute to a safe and positive experience whilst travelling, studying and working in this country.

We will be working in conjunction with SI Australia to establish how Soroptimists in Australia can collectively and individually contribute to the wellbeing of these people whilst they are in our country. Some of the ideas that we're brainstorming are:
• Advocate for better laws and enforcement - e.g. write to politicians and sign petitions.
• Identify and focus on local areas of need.
• Befriend local farms and hostels to set up good lines of communication.
• Organise hands-on community events to assist integration and mental well-being.
• Offer essential care packs for female workers with your club's contact details and other useful numbers.*
• Utilise the Soroptimist Network for rapid response rescues.* If permitted, we will use the term SoroptiMums.

*SI Mandurah and partners will provide a Useful Numbers Template and a Rapid Response Model that can be adapted by clubs.

Federal Parliament passed the Modern Slavery Bill 2018 (Commonwealth Bill) on 28 November 2018. Read more here courtesy of SBS News.

Projects

• Return to Schools Project - providing selected primary schools in the Mandurah and Peel Region with school supplies for underprivileged children.

• OVIS Community Services (Mandurah) by providing essential items to women and families escaping violence. Also providing the catering after the the Annual Silent March.

• The Compassionate Friends (Mandurah) by providing girlpower and funding for events to support  bereaved women.

• Carolia (Mandurah-based organisation) by providing housing, education and essential supplies for disadvantaged families in Bali, and taking bags of clothes there.

• Stellar Children's Trust (WA-based organisation) by providing funding for student laptops and social support in Cambodia.

• Care packs, information, support and advocacy for backpackers, students and migrant workers in Australia - especially women - in conjunction with SI Australia. 

Recent projects include:

• Red Cross Migration Support (Perth) by providing craft supplies for the migrant women’s morning tea program.

• Peel Youth Medical Service (Mandurah) by providing contraceptive implants to young girls in the Peel region.

• Bindjareb Yorgas Health Program (Pinjarra) by providing healthy cooking classes for Bindjareb Nyungar women.

• Stellar Children's Trust (WA-based organisation) by providing funding for a women’s sewing centre.

We welcome ideas for new projects. Please email us if you'd like to speak at one of our meetings.

Who we are and what we do

Soroptimist International (SI) is a worldwide volunteer service organisation for women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world.

Through our General (Category One) Consultative Status as a non-governmental organisation at the United Nations we seek equality, peace, and international goodwill for women.

Through international partnerships and a global network of members, Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls by:

• Advocating for equity and equality;

• Creating safe and healthy environments;

• Increasing access to education;

• Developing leadership and practical skills for a sustainable future.

Our organisation comprises approximately 95,000 members in more than 125 countries and territories worldwide who contribute time and financial support to community-based and international projects.

Soroptimist members belong to local clubs, which determine the focus of service to their communities.

The name "Soroptimist" was coined by combining the Latin words soror "sister" and optima "best", and can be taken to mean "best for women".