1. Immediate Release
Press Release
Encouraging Women of Nhill
Encouraging Women presents another high calibre speaker to motivate, inspire
and encourage the women of Nhill and to enhance their lives. Usually
attracting between 70 and 150 women these evenings provide an opportunity
for women in the Hindmarsh Shire to meet and listen to women who have
made outstanding contributions in their fields.
Jill Lambert is the upcoming guest speaker on Wednesday August 24th at the
Nhill Bowling Club.
Venue: Nhill Bowling Club
Time: 7.15 pm
Date: Wednesday,August 24th 2005
Cost: $5
Bookings preferred but not essential
Interviews/bookings/further information:
Cr Joan Bennett, Convenor 5391 1206
Jill Lambert : career synopsis
Jill was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and as the daughter of the
headmaster of leading African schools, spoke the local language Si’Ndebele
fluently as a child.
She studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music in London before returning
home where she started what was to become a long career in radio and
television. She became well known as a television newsreader and current
affairs anchor as well as a presenter of classical music and other radio
programmes.
Jill and her husband were tobacco farming when UDI (the Unilateral Declaration
of Independence) was declared by the then Prime Minister, Ian Smith, and lived
within a guerilla war situation for the next 15 years, 18 years prior to
Independence in 1980.
In the 1970’s she formed an organisation called Co-Ord-A-Nation, designed to
help the women of the country, black and white, cope with what became an
insurgency or terrorist war with subsequent nightmares of the regular
conscription of their husbands.
In 1982 Jill came to Australia to commentate at the Commonwealth Games in
Brisbane and on behalf of Qantas to conduct travel trade seminars around the

2. country about the ‘new’ destination of Zimbabwe.
Jill and her family immigrated to Australia in November 1983 and settled in
Adelaide where she took over as Director of the University of Adelaide’s Radio
5UV. After five years at the station, she formed her own company advising
tourism operators on the importance of environmental sustainability in what
they were doing and particularly in new tourism development. The company
has since expanded into incentive programmes and events management.
In 1999 Jill wrote a book called “Beloved African” about her father’s life as a
headmaster in Rhodesia. It was published in South Africa and launched at the
Adelaide Festival Writers’ Week in March 2002. The book has sold well around
the western world and has bee produced as a soft cover, Australian, edition by
a Sydney publisher
Increasingly concerned at what was happening in her home country, Jill has
become a pivot for information to the Australian media and government about
the true situation over there in the absence of journalists and external media.
She has now formed an organisation called the Zimbabwe Connection …
designed to help those who have lost their farms and businesses, to bring their
skills and expertise to Australia. The organisation works to match up
Australian farmers and their Zimbabwean counterparts in employment
opportunities and joint venture or share farming propositions where possible.
The outpouring from Zimbabwe now extends to all areas of expertise. It is
seldom that a once sophisticated country simply ‘gives away’ its skilled and
experienced people. Australia and other countries have understood the
opportunities this presents and have welcomed these shattered people with
warmth and open arms.
Awards and recognition:
Personality of the year 1979 and 1980 – Zimbabwe
NCR Professional Achiever Award 1989 – Australia
Asia Pacific Incentive Travel Personality of the year 1999 – International
Lisa Mostyn
www.lisamostyn.com
lisa@lisamostyn.com or cagfire@iinet.net.au
Short run promotional product specialist
Media consultant
Design Studio, Peppercorn Place
61 Warraquil Road
Netherby Vic 3418
Ph 03 5391 9236
Fax 03 5391 9245