Last year, the Trent Walters Memorial Burnouts occurred on 25 November, which also marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the first day of the 16 Days of Activism.

Zontian Nshara Kingston from the Zonta Club of Maryborough Inc, Australia, is friends with Joe, a Pro Burnout driver of a car called “Ferret,” which, as it turns out, is an orange ute, matching the color of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. She organized a ride in the car with a Zonta Says NO banner on the front of the burnout pad, an orange Zolly displayed at the bar with information on the cause and an interview with the event emcee over the loudspeakers.

The club also had a display at the car show alongside Ferret before the burnout competition. During the car show, Nshara volunteered on the Speedway Sausage Sizzle wearing her Zonta Says NO shirt. Several people asked what is Zonta? So, Nshara got to practice her elevator speech many times. Joe also felt very privileged to receive his own Zonta Says NO shirt to wear for the day. The real bonus of the day was that Joe and Ferret received second place in the Pro-Class.

The club always talks about Zonta becoming visible in their community, thinking outside the box and being diverse with new ideas. The exposure to a new crowd was the main goal of the day. They tend to focus on events primarily for women, so this was an opportunity to be at an event that is typically seen as an event for men, even though there is a female burnout class. The success of this goal was shown through getting new followers on Facebook, including men who race Speedway.

Nshara overheard people discussing what was displayed on the Zolly, including men and young girls, primarily about the statistics and how high they were. The Maryborough Speedway was very supportive of the cause, and they appreciated Nshara’s volunteer efforts. It has been mentioned that the club may be the charity of the Trent Walters Memorial if it occurs again in 2024. This means that all the funds raised during the event will be donated to the club, which is an excellent community connection.