It is hard to believe that Mary Owen is sixty-five. The vigour of her commitment to WEL and the Working Women's Centre shows that age is only a state of mind. Mary keeps on reinventing herself in new ways which benefit other women and it is in her latest form as founder of the Working Women's Centre that Mary has really outdone herself, because when we look at the achievements of the modern feminist movement, there is one that sticks out and that is the access to jobs that has opened up for women. When I was growing up decent houswives kept their poverty hidden because it would have reflected on their husbands. Decent husbands bravely bore the huge responsibility, that of sole breadwinner, and suffered from shame if their efforts in that direction were inadequate.
Tonight is a great occasion.