CQU Mackay held a forum to celebrate International Women's Day on Thursday morning and the event was enjoyed by approximately 30 staff members.

'Women at Work: Know your rights' was this year's theme and 3 guest speakers from the Mackay community gave their own personal accounts of women in both work and family roles.

Mackay City Council former Deputy Mayor Deidre Comerford spoke about her and her husband's experiences adopting 2 Taiwanese children; CQU Head of Campus Dr Trevor Davison gave an insight into the lives of the women of the United Arab Emirates where he worked for 9 years; and Jody-lee Euler, director of creative company Red Hot Blue shared her journey of becoming a successful business woman and more recently, becoming a mum.

Community Relations Officer, Claire Barry said the morning was a feast of interesting stories and sisterhood followed by a morning tea.

"The speakers shared with us some excellent stories of women in different cultures and settings which captured the true spirit of International Women's Day".

"We have a lot to be thankful for in what women before us have been successful in gaining but there is still so much work to do in helping women gain equal rights and conditions across the globe" said Claire.