Member Profile - Cherry Matthews

Cherry Matthews, SI Membership Number 6782

After serving as President at SI Tauranga, Cherry and her husband relocated to Levin. In 2016 she transferred her membership to SI Kapiti Coast. She came with a wealth of knowledge and experience of membership in SI Clubs around our Federation and quickly became a valued member serving as region delegate. 

In August 1984 as a young School Dental Nurse, Cherry was encouraged to join SI Wellington East by the then Principal of the Wellington Dental Training School.  

Cherry quickly became a valued member rising through the various club roles and was appointed Central Region President and a SISWP Federation Officer. 

When the numbers in SI Wellington East declined, she transferred her membership to SI Wellington. In 1997 she took leave and went to PNG to support her husband in his role in the NZ Foreign Affairs and Trade, NZ High Commission Office. They were commissioned in Port Moresby and the only Soroptimist Club at that time was based in Lae.  While in Port Moresby a highlight for Cherry was hosting the SI President Hilary Page from SIGBI on her visit to PNG. 

A memorable joint project with SI NZ Central was obtaining dental equipment from the dental training school in Wellington and presenting it to the PNG School of Medicines and Allied Health Sciences. 

While in Indonesia, Cherry joined SI Jakarta.  During this time the area suffered a catastrophic tsunami. SI Jakarta launched a project to rebuild Lamreh Village, Aceh This   project was extremely successful with Clubs around the Federation and Internationally raising over a million dollars to assist with the rebuilding of the village that was devastated by the Tsunami.     

Cherry’s next membership was with SI Suva where she served as Treasurer and was instrumental in their water tanks for school project. 

Her last Club outside NZ was in Korea, where she experienced belonging to a club from SI Americas Federation.   These were very wealthy and social ladies with little English language. Cherry enjoyed her time with these ladies never giving up her belief in the ideals of Soroptimism.   

Cherry’s Soroptimism journey shows that we belong to global organisation that offers many opportunities to build meaningful relationships with those who share the same values.  Cherry told me that she has thoroughly enjoyed attending many Federation Conferences, working on projects and the fun social times.