Rosemary “Joy” Stacy was awarded her Medal of the Order of Australia in 1984 for services to the Girl Guides Association. Joy was the State Secretary of the Girl Guides Association (NSW) from 1963 to 1988 when she retired. The Zonta Club of Sydney has a long association with Girl Guides Australia, with other members including Charter Member Aline Fenwick OBE, Joan Stevenson, Barbara Horsfield OAM, Lady Angela Carrick and Jill Kemp all holding executive positions in the organisation (with both Lady Carrick and Barbara Horsfield being Chief Commissioner).
Joy Stacy joined the WAAF in 1942 and spent four years as a telegraphist. In 1949 she travelled overseas as many of her peers did, touring England and Scotland by bicycle for two months with her sister.
She also spent one and a half years as a member of the Guide International Service and was based at Hanover, Oldenburg and Hamburg in German. The GIS teams were responsible for “displaced” persons, which covered many nationalities – Poles, Hungarians, Ukrainians and others. To read more about these remarkable women, who were handpicked for their abilities and attitudes – it was said that Mrs Alison Fox stated “Enrol only those who are prepared to specialise in the impossible” – you can read “Guides can do Anything”.
On her return to Australia, Joy joined the staff of the Australian Council of Churches service for Refugees, working with them for 8 years helping thousands of refugees and and disadvantaged migrants to come to Australia.
Throughout this period she also took leave of absence in 1957 to act as Leader of an Australian contingent to attend a Girl Guide World Camp in England. They took 2 months at sea and 4 months in England and Switzerland.
Within Zonta, Joy has held positions including Secretary and Director. She was also on the Committee for Zonta International Convention in Sydney in 1984. She was a member of the Zonta Club of Sydney for 34 years.
Zonta Club of Sydney 