Zonta International was formed in 1919 in buffalo, New York, USA. In 1920 the Zonta colours and emblem are adopted and the first issue of the Zontian is published. 1923 saw the first international project funded to care for 115,000 orphan children and women in Smyrna, Turkey. The first club outside the US was formed in Toronto, Canada in 1927.

Today, Australia proudly hosts three Zonta International Districts. These districts represent about 2,300 members in over 100 Zonta Clubs across all States and Territories.

District 24 covers most of NSW and the ACT, District 22 includes Northern NSW and Queensland, and District 23 covers Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory.

We’re also lucky to have the support of thousands of friends, family, and colleagues from all walks of life. This wider network brings pro bono expertise and goods, helps with fundraising and donations, and works alongside our members to support the valuable service provided by our clubs.

Early Days

The first Zonta Club in Australia was established in 1929 in Sydney and included the famous Australian poet, Dorothea Mackellar, among its members. Though the club disbanded in 1935, Zonta made a comeback in 1965 thanks to the energetic Canadian Zontian, Dorothy Thompson. She reintroduced Zonta to Australia and New Zealand, organizing twelve clubs—one in each Australian capital city and five in New Zealand. These clubs formed District 16, which officially came into being on July 20, 1974, at the Zonta International Convention in Boston.

At the 1990 Convention in Dallas, District 16 was divided into three: District 16 (New Zealand), District 23 (Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory), and District 24 (Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory). Further growth led to the 2008 decision at the Zonta International Convention in Rotterdam to split District 24 into District 22 (Queensland and Northern Rivers of New South Wales) and District 24 (the remainder of New South Wales and the ACT).

Growing Australian Involvement

Australia has proudly seen three of its own elected as Zonta International Presidents: Leneen Forde AC (1990-1992), who later became Governor of Queensland; Val Sarah (1998-2000) from Ballarat, Victoria; and Mary Magee OAM (2000-2002) from Queensland. Additionally, many District 24 members have held international positions on various committees.

In 1984, Sydney hosted the biennial Zonta International Convention, followed by Melbourne in 2006 and Brisbane in 2024.

Recent Developments

Today, District 24 boasts more than 420 active members across 24 clubs, from Armidale and Coffs Harbour in the north, Orange in the west, to Berry and Kiama on the south coast, and Canberra Breakfast in the ACT. The newest club, the Zonta Club of Kiama Shoalhaven, was chartered in 2024. In keeping with our digital world, the first D24 E-club, the E-Club of NSW/ACT was chartered in 2024.

In 2024 at the Brisbane Convention members voted to charter Zonta Australia, to provide a national platform for advocacy matters.