NCWA Team
NCWA President Hean Bee Wee became President of National Council of Women of Australia in 2006. President Elect is Margaret Smith. Please read on to meet Hean Bee and Margaret as well as several of the other members who have actively involved with NCWA over the last few years including National Advisers Dr Pamela Williams, and Dr Dawn Butterworth and Past President Leonie Christopherson.
| President | Hean Bee Wee |
| President Elect | Margaret Smith |
| Adviser | Dr Pamela Williams |
| Adviser | Dr Dawn Butterworth |
| Past President | Leonie Christopherson |
Hean Bee Wee
Hean Bee is a successful accountant and educationalist and has had a significant community involvement since her student days at the University of Adelaide. She has been a member of NCWSA representing the Penguin Club since 1997, became an executive member in 2001 and Vice President in 2004. She is also a current member of NCW.ACT.
In 1991-92 she was one of the foundation members of a new group—the Asian Women’s Consultative Council Inc. set up to enable Asian Australian women to more fully participate in consultation with government. Hean Bee has had a significant role in education, especially with the International Baccalaureate program, acting as Chairman for SA Co-ordinators Committee 1992 – 1996.
Highlights of her Presidency have been a number of projects to broaden the engagement of NCWA with women lacking a voice from the newly emerging communities, and aborigninal and Torres Straits islander communities for example through the Oodnadatta project with the support of an Australian Government Women’s Leadership and Development grant.
Dr Pamela Williams
As General Well-being Coordinator for NCWA, I have endeavoured to make contact with each State Adviser for Health and Nutrition at least twice a year. Along
with keeping in touch with the Advisers I have attended forums arranged
by Food Standards Australian and New Zealand. One example of my
role was in distributing information to Advisers that I obtained from
the Forum on Nutrition and Health Claims for Foods. After attending
the forum I made a submission on behalf of NCWA.I keep a watching
eye on the work of FSANZ and pass on information wherever I can.
Dr Dawn Butterworth
Dawn holds the NCWA Child and Family portfolio.Holding
bachelor, honours and doctoral degrees in the areas of Education, the
Arts and Special Needs, Dawn has worked for children and families for
over 40 years. Further to her position as Head of Early Childhood Studies
at Edith Cowan University, Dawn has fulfilled teaching fellowships in
China, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand. Intensely interested in contemporary
social issues, Dawn has won numerous research awards for investigations
into gender equity, father role, child care, hospitalization and family
violence.
Leonie Christopherson
Author
and editor Leonie Christopherson was quoted recently in Who’s
Who of Australian Women as saying 'You can only complain about things
in this country if you are prepared to stick the stamps and stuff
the envelopes to bring about change. Whingeing on the sidelines is
not an option.'
Leonie was President of NCWA 2003 - 2006.