Left to right Joyce Burden, Rt. Hon Terry Davis, Lenny Harford and Catherine Van Paassen.

At a recent Dinner meeting, members and guests were captivated by Terry Davis Secretary General of the Council of Europe who spoke about the Council’s history to the present time and challenges for the future.

The Council of Europe was set up in 1949 and today serves around 800 million people in 47 states.  The basic principles however, remain unaltered and these are democracy, human rights and quality of life.  The Rt. Hon. Terry Davis said,” These values are a strong unifying force in Europe and we seek to promote these ideals in joint solutions to common problems”. 

The Council of Europe has an intergovernmental programme of activities, which is approved annually by the Committee of Ministers according to the Organisation’s political priorities.  The tangible results of co-operation take many forms depending on the topics being dealt with.

Also at the Meeting were two visiting Soroptimists from their club in New Zealand.

Catherine Van Paassen and Joyce Burden who gave an overview of Soroptimist International activities in their local area.  Catherine and Joyce were enjoying a whistle stop tour of Soroptimist International Clubs in the region.  They were delighted with the level of hospitality they had experienced during their visit.