A Special Night to Remember: WACL Dinner with Baroness Scotland
Event write up by WACL Member Rachel Forde.
The final WACL dinner of Karen Stacey’s Presidency was always going to be a special one, but the evening became truly unforgettable with the inspiring words of our after-dinner speaker, the remarkable Baroness Scotland.
From the moment she stood to speak, the room was held by her presence. Baroness Scotland’s career is nothing short of extraordinary – rising from humble beginnings to achieve many firsts, including the first Black woman to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel (QC), the first female Attorney General and the first woman to serve as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. But what made the evening truly special was not just her long list of achievements, but her ability to speak to every woman in the room, not as a distant figure, but as one of us – warm, human, relatable, and utterly compelling.
Her speech wasn’t simply a timeline of accomplishments; it was a call to action. She asked us all a simple but powerful question: “Do you want to be someone, or do you want to do something?” It was clear which path she had chosen. Every story she shared, every lesson she imparted, was rooted in a deep, burning commitment to change – not for recognition, but to make a difference.
Throughout the evening, she spoke of courage and fortitude. “Our fortitude, our courage, must be stronger now than ever,” she urged, reminding us that progress is never handed to us; it is fought for, step by step. She told of how her parents instilled in her a mindset of leadership, teaching her to accept no barriers. Their belief in her shaped the woman she became – proof, she said, that having someone who believes in you is one of the most powerful gifts you can give.
Her words echoed the importance of unity: “We should concentrate on what unites us, not what divides us,” she said. And when she spoke of failure, she did so with humility and honesty: “Never be afraid of failure,” she reminded us. “If we want to change the world, we have to be able to stand up.”
Baroness Scotland’s speech was punctuated with phrases that lingered long after. She invoked the words of Mandela—”The impossible is possible”—and left us all questioning what part we would play in driving change. She spoke of her father’s voice in her ears throughout her life, urging her: “So what are you going to do about it?” That, she said, was the question that shaped her life.
What was most powerful was her mantra of accountability. “Don’t think in terms of money, think in terms of lives,” she said. And with quiet conviction, she told us that every obstacle she had faced, she had met with one guiding question: “What will I do?”
I am sure like many, as I left that evening, I carried her words with me—a reminder that leadership is not about position, but about purpose. And that, above all, it is our actions that define the change we leave behind.
Huge thanks to Karen Stacey, Rachel Bristow and team for organising the event and to Claire Enders for securing us such an inspirational speaker, very much rooted in action!
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