Medium img127

Banyan View Lodge YWCA 25th Anniversary

26 November 1996

Dedication and celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Banyan Lodge YWCA Darwin. This sign was unveiled on the 25th of November 1996 by the Hon Shane L Stone MLA Chief Minister of the Northern Territory to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the YWCA Hostel Banyan View Lodge. For over 50 years up to 1992, a glorious raintree stood in this spot until devastated by a lightning strike in a tropical Darwin thunderstorm. Despite the application of fertilizers and remedies, local gardener’s hints and expert advice the damage to the tree was too great and for safety reasons, it had to be lopped. Ms Magda Zeele Ritchie a local artist undertook the task of turning a damaged dangerous tree into a sculpture that would represent the ideals and principles of the YWCA Darwin. The sculpture that you see before you depict the Big Sister Little Sister Programme, a programme of the YWCA Darwin that has been operating for 10 years. The programme links up young adolescent women in need of a supportive friendship with an older woman who volunteers to be a friend and mentor to the younger woman. In the vein of the Big Sister Little Sister programme, it is symbolic that the sculpture continues to be supported by the original root system. The sculpture was unveiled by the Patron of the YWCA of Darwin Dr Val Asche in 1993. The YWCA of Darwin is part of a dynamic international women’s movement based on feminist principles. The empowerment of women and improving the quality of life for the whole community occurs through the promotion of social justice principles and programmes in partnership with women as workers and volunteers we will be proactive and co-operative giving individual recognition and respect as we move forward. Today the YWCA is a global network of women leading social and economic change in over 120 countries and reaching 25 million people worldwide.

Download   JPEG / 293 KB

Can you help us by providing additional information about this item?