Page 12 - BPW-UK - E-news - Edition 119 - February 2024 with Conference Flyer_Neat

Also linking to our annual meeting this year, the 1978 AGM was held in Bristol
th-
and celebrated the Federation’s Ruby – 40 Anniversary with Phyllis Deakin, the
BPW pioneer, the first Times woman war correspondent, pictured cutting the cake
with Stella. Also this year there was a celebration of the full suffrage of women-50
years after receiving the vote.

Stella with Phyllis Deacon, founder Member and
the Times first woman war correspondent,
at the 40th anniversary conference in Bristol .

Stella recognised the importance of UK being represented internationally,
being a delegate the Buenos Aires Congress in 1974 , leading the delegation to
the Helsinki Congress in 1977, where UK Past President, Mildred Head was elected
International President, and visiting the European Parliament in Luxembourg.

At the 1979 conference in Edinburgh Stella welcomed the Challenge of
Change resolution based on a two- year study led by a five women team of which
I was privileged to be a member alongside Wendy Hogg. This was hailed by Stella
as the change of emphasis that BPW needed to streamline ourselves and realise
our goals. She said whatever progress we have made “ the best is yet to come”.

A busy life working during the week as headmistress of Roskear primary
school, a post she held from 1963 - straight after leaving school on a Friday after-
noon, she would be on long train journeys to travel to meetings, luncheon and
dinner engagements over the weekend. In her period of office the divisions and
numerous clubs were all anxious to have her visit them and Stella never liked to
disappoint anyone. The rail companies should have given her a gold star for all
those miles she travelled over the two years. Stella dealt with it all even arriving
home one time at 4.30am after facing snow and frozen points to no electricity and
the school flooded.

Three weeks after handing over the Presidency, she was part of eight woman
delegation of the Women’s National Commission to Romania as guests of the gov-
ernment visiting hospitals, factories, creches, day-care centres, orphanages and a
university and having meetings with Ministers for Health, Labour and Education.