Joan still pushing a cause

WHAT seems like an eternity ago I met Joan Kirner on a job when she was the Victorian Premier and she said ‘you didn’t expect to see me here did you?’
My memories of the premier went back to early days when I would pick up the phone and the voice would say: “It’s Joan Kirner here from the Victorian State Schools Mothers Clubs.”
She was always pushing the barrow for education and women and she was relentless.
Later I saw her as a politician and soon became aware of her loyalty to her cause.
Particularly I would see this loyalty as a minister to the then premier John Cain during times that to say the least were not easy for him or his government.
It would have been easy for her to step aside and wait in the wings.
So with other things, such as her advocacy for women, schools and community, I was among the least surprised to see her as premier.
I didn’t agree with much that happened, but admired this woman who took on the impossible.
Another of the pleasures of my job was to meet her again last week and hear her speak at an ALP Gembrook electorate lunch held in the Pine Grove Hotel.
I was a little surprised to see a few Liberal Party women at the lunch, but as one put it: “I’m not here to support the party, I’m here to support women.”
There is the respect for the former premier.