Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
The Cassowary Coast Business Women’s Network (CCBWN) came together for a gorgeous lunch prepared by chef Marco and hosted by Ali Eberhard and team at the King Reef Resort, Kurrimine Beach on Sunday 8 March. We had a few reasons to celebrate. Firstly, it was International Women's Day - this year the IWD 2026 Give To Gain Campaign was about encouraging a mindset of generosity and collaboration - emphasising the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organisations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. When women thrive, we all rise. The CCBWN is thriving in numbers, and we see more and more support for each other and our businesses through the connections that we are building which we hope will enable our members to thrive and rise.
It was our Birthday – 22 years ago on 8 March 2004 the CCBWN held its first meeting to determine if this was a group that wanted to proceed. It certainly has done that, and testament to the credibility of the Network, the first President, Jen Downs, was in attendance at Sunday’s lunch.
We also wanted to celebrate our incredible growth (3 years ago we had 19 members and now we have 72). It is exciting to see local businesses as well as people moving into the area who join the CCBWN and see our organisation as a professional group of women who can support them in their business development and build connections with.
With a mix of new and long-term members as well as guests attending, we took the opportunity to get to know more about each other and what we may have in common. In pairs, we had one on one conversations to learn more about each other, both professionally and personally, then each group shared the information they had discovered about each other. It was a fantastic way to build connections and gain a greater understanding of the people who run, or work, in our local businesses.
The next CCBWN event is planned for 21 April 2026 and will be hosted by Patrick and team at the Shanti Café, Mission Beach who will prepare some magnificent Mediterranean inspired cuisine for us. Working in small teams we will ask the question – ‘How Much Do You Know’ about the Cassowary Coast region, local businesses, the CCBWN and a little bit of general knowledge too. It will be a fun night.
Photos in order of importance-
Group Shot: Members gathered for The Cassowary Coast Business Women’s Network event on March 8. Photo supplied
Photo 1: Tracey Wilson, Jen Downs, Teresa Millwood, Ellen Jessop at the event. Photo supplied
Photo 3: Michelle Mathews, Eli Eberhard, Shari Rakic, Jade Parsonage, Gitta Yelds. Photo supplied
Photo 2: Gitta Yelds and Hannah Baird in a pair getting to know each other. Photo supplied
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