Minister celebrates Women�s History Month with grade eight students

Joan Burke, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, hosted a commemoration event today, with the grade eight students of St. Paul�s Junior High School in St. John�s, to recognize the many contributions women of Newfoundland and Labrador have made during wartime.

Minister Burke was joined by 180 grade eight students from St. Paul�s Junior High School, and other invited guests to celebrate October as Women�s History Month and 2005 as the Year of the Veteran.

Three guest speakers were on hand to share their knowledge and experiences. Sgt Miranda Collins shared her experiences serving in recent peacekeeping deployments in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo; Mary Philpott, retired nurse and local historian and author, presented some of her research on nurses and women in the First World War; and Margaret Kearney regaled and enlightened students with her experiences as a Wren writer in the Second World War.

�It is important for young women to know the history,� said Ms. Kearney. �Service in the war gave women a sense of themselves and put us on an equal footing with the men.�

�Women have always played, and continue to play a major role in society. This fact does not change during wartime,� said Minister Burke. �Our history is proof of women�s exceptional ability to stand together and take control of a situation � as providers, soldiers, leaders, nurses, peacekeepers, mothers, wives, decision-makers and the fabric that keeps our society intact.�

During the First and Second World War, Newfoundland played a significant role internationally, and the contributions of women during those times are undeniable. Women took on employment opportunities caused by the shortage of men who had gone to war. During the First World War thousands of women across the Colony raised funds and provided supplies - holding sales, bazaars, sociables, made hundreds of items of clothes and knit thousands of grey socks. Hundreds of women across the British Empire served as nurses, truck drivers, mechanics, ambulance drivers, parachute riggers, wireless operators, clerks and photographers.

Media contact:
Cathy Whelan, Communications, (709) 729-6225
Jacquelyn Howard, Communications, (709) 729-4062, 689-2624

2005 10 28                        2:00 p.m.