50 years, - half a century, - that’s a long time. And in this long time, ZC Bonn, which celebrated its 50^th anniversary in a perfectly organized and harmonic ceremony in September 2008 has always committed with enthusiasm to the motto: ”advancing the status of women worldwide“.  

President Sabine Freifrau von der Recke and Governor D29 Brigitte Siller welcomed the numerous guests at the beginning of the ceremony on Saturday morning in the Old Cityhall of Bonn. Being the fifth Club of Germany, Bonn was chartered by ZC Wiesbaden in 1958. ZC Wiesbaden later founded nine more German clubs which was emphasised in her greetings by Dr. Jutta Paula from ZC Wiesbaden. 

One of the morning’s highlights was the ceremonial lecture “The way of a woman to power” by Lord Mayor Bärbel Diekmann.. Bärbel Diekmann is honory member of the two Zonta clubs in Bonn. With her warm, natural and convincing nature, she explained to the listeners that the term “power” should not be regarded as negative, but that power is necessary to move, to develop things, that women with their special role in family and occupation must have the courage to want to be powerful. She thanked ZC Bonn for always having shown dedication for the city of Bonn. She, Lord Mayor of Bonn, was also thankful to soon be a normal member of ZC Bonn. 

A further highlight was awarding the 1. Science Prize of 2.000 € to the young physicist Susanne Kammer.

Ms. Kammer is a PhD student at the University of Bonn, working in the research program “CrystalBarrelTAPS”. This project aims to shed light on the earth’s smallest parts, the quarks. Ms. Kammer’s advising professor also attended the award ceremony with great interest. 

Music performances during the celebrating, - how else could it be -, were given by the Zonta Music Prize winner of 2002 (contemporary music) HannaH Walter. Playing the violin, she fascinated her audience with soft, warm, sometimes forceful, and original (”like a bird“  by Adriana Hölsky) tunes. 

So there was enough to talk about at the subsequent reception in the Old Cityhall, as well as in the “Leoninum” in the evening.

In the fine rooms of the former theologic convent, the evening celebration took place in the “Old Church”. Festive meals, a festive mood, an excellent festive review of “50 years ZC Bonn” by Ingrid Fuchs with piano and songs made the evening an “evening of pleasure”. 

And could it be otherwise: without a doubt another highlight on Sunday morning: Place: the recently renovated  “ARP Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck”

Performer:
Antonia Lorenz, clarinet, Isabel von Bernstorff, piano, winner of Zonta Music Prize 2008:

A harmonic, perfectly synchronised DUO, beginning with more elegiac tunes by Alban Berg, followed by J. Brahms und R. Schumann, the romantic composers, vocal, melodic, like a song. Both the young clarinet player Antonia Lorenz, who began her studies with Sabine Meyer in Lübeck, as well as Isabel von Bernstorff played with technical perfection, with great expression, with a lot of empathy and virtuosity.  Finally the expressionists: Debussy, Francaix, and in the encore Milhaud: jazzy, like a blues, new, different, somewhat provocative.

Both musicians showed perfect communication: a quick glance, a small gesture, that was all what was needed to agree on cue and tempi. These young women harmonised perfectly, played together, were very likeable and immediately won the total appreciation of the entire audience.

12.000 € were raised by the concert, given to two refuges for battered women. The representatives of these houses were very thankful. 

Congratulations! Congratulations in particular to Gerda Naujoks and Isolde von Müller for their excellent choice!

Congratulations to ZC Bonn, to all its members, to president Sabine Freifrau von der Recke! 50 years ZC Bonn!                                                      

Dr. Susanne Peters, ZC Dortmund