International Women's Day is on Sunday March 8, but the Bellingen VIEW Club has already started celebrating.
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On Thursday at Cedar Bar & Kitchen they hosted about 50 women for morning tea and a talk by 2019 Coffs Coast Woman of the Year, Shelley Lowe from Urunga.
Shelley, a fitness coach who was nominated by her "bootcamp girls", received the award for being "an enthusiastic, inspiring and empowering mentor for women and girls of Bellingen Shire and beyond".
She has to give back her crown Friday morning when the 2020 winner is announced, but wanted to emphasise that any woman who empowers other women or girls in her community can be nominated.
Shelley explained that she's passionate about the benefits of exercise and loves changing people's minds about it.
She's been running boot camps for 16 years and also offers gentler exercise classes for older people.
She's also involved in Stepping On, a program that focuses on balance, leg strength and falls prevention.
Women from multiple VIEW clubs (Bellingen, Nambucca/Macksville, Bonville/Boambee, Woolgoolga, Korora) as well as Bellingen CWA and Lions Club of Bellingen attended the event.
VIEW stands for Voice, Interests and Education of Women. It began 60 years ago and is a major sponsor of The Smith Family's "Learning for Life" program.