A Tale of Two Stories

Attended the annual meeting for Women of Macquarie Park Ryde Business After Hours on Monday 9 May 2022.  What an interesting evening!!

Had the pleasure of listening to two women from two generations and donating a door prize from Jamaican Products. Both the talk and donation had stories to tell.  

What a story these women from different generations shared!

The first speaker was Soraya Raju, with over 10 years of working experience in Malaysia and 30 years in Australia in senior executive positions in the financial sector.  Soraya is the CEO and Founder of Migrate Success, a business to help skilled migrant professionals achieve success in Australia.  Soraya developed the LAB program – LOOK, ACT, BELONG to help skilled migrants integrate faster into Australian society.  A Board member of the Macquarie Park Ryde Business Chamber, Soraya has a passion to help business owners, especially women in small businesses.

The second speaker was Sarah Cappello, Partner at Hunt & Hunt Lawyers.  Sarah was admitted as a Solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW and the High Court of Australia in 2009.  Her qualifications include degrees in Law and Commerce.  Her practice is in civil and commercial disputes with a primary focus on complex litigation matters.  Sarah places a strong emphasis on the technical aspects of any case, always seeking to gain the best possible outcome for her clients.

These two women shared their insights, experiences and thoughts on overcoming challenges and achieving success in the evolving business community.  Although no two stories are the same, the underlying theme was the same.  The similarity brought many of us women back to the reality of a persistent social imbalance, especially in the workplace. 

Then it was time for Councillor Shweta Deshpande to draw the winning ticket for the Jamaican Products door prize.  The winner was Wendy Whalley from Get Sorted. 

Some of the items in the prize pack also had stories, which were not shared on the evening.  These items included jerk seasoning, jerk BBQ sauce and Ting.  So let me share with you a little of their stories. 

Have you heard of jerk seasoning?  Note this is not the Aussie jerky, lean trimmed meat that has been cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage.  Instead, jerk is a hot, spicy uniquely Jamaican seasoning which has been developed over centuries. It was a local option to salt curing which helped to prevent spoilage in the tropical heat.  Jamaican jerk is considered a national treasure.

Did you know that the word barbeque (BBQ) originated in the Caribbean?  Sorry to disappoint, if you are used to your ‘snag on the barbie’ in the backyard.  What better way to infuse the Jamaican culture than to experience the jerk BBQ sauce? 

The Jamaican word “Ting” translates into English as “Thing”.  In 1976 the beverage Ting was developed in Jamaica.  It is a Grapefruit Crush soft drink made with concentrated grapefruit juice and pulp.  The grapefruit flesh is segmented and acidic, varying in colours that include white, pink, and red pulps.  Generally, the redder varieties are the sweetest.  This tart and tangy fruit with its underlying sweetness has a juiciness that rivals that of the orange.  Ting is available in two colours, the regular Ting made from white pulp and Pink Ting made from pink pulp. 

For me, the annual Women of Macquarie Park Ryde Business After Hours meeting enabled me to listen to the stories of the women speakers and relive stories in the Jamaican Products pack. 

Surely, a tale of two stories.