I have been a member of the IWC Amsterdam for five years, joining as soon as I arrived to live here with my husband Gez. I am the mother of two wonderful young women, both of whom currently live in London. Our family holds Swiss, Australian and British citizenships, as well as Hong Kong permanent residency.
I was born in Australia but moved with my family to Papua New Guinea when I was six months old, living there until I was about seven years old. My parents were young and adventurous, and we moved many times during my childhood, so much so that I attended twelve schools. This gave me the experience of always being the “new girl”, which was tough at times, but it taught me about compassion and gave me an understanding of how it feels to be a newcomer. I learned at a young age that it means a lot to hold out the hand of friendship to others, that everyone loves to be included, and you really can’t judge people at first sight. 
The adventurousness of my parents must have been genetic, because I have since lived in Australia, the New Hebrides/Vanuatu, Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Switzerland. My husband and I chose to come and live in Amsterdam because it is a very liberal and tolerant city that we have always loved.
Many of you know me already as the coordinator of the monthly Tuesday Dinner Group and Thirsty Thursday drinks, as well as the graphic designer of the IWC digital newsletter CONTACT. Working on the newsletter has meant working closely with the IWC Executive Board over the past five years. This gave me a valuable insight into how the club works and what is required to keep it all going. Our club is amazing, providing so many exciting activities, outings and experiences to our members, as well as giving them opportunities to learn new skills and meet people from all over the world. It is only thanks to all our wonderful and selfless volunteers, both on the Board and off it, that we can offer so much.
I have benefitted enormously from the IWC, and made many dear friends through it, and this is why I am standing for Chair. I hope that together we can continue to welcome new members, enjoy more adventures and help the club to thrive.