MAL JOHNSON - IN MEMORIAM
The International Association of Women in
Radio and Television has lost a pillar of
strength with the passing of Mal Johnson and
it will be hard, if not impossible, ever to
replace her.
Mal became a member in 1979. With her strong
personality, her commitment and experience,
she put her mark on the organisation from
the outset. She urged us strongly to link up
with other international organisations and
she soon became IAWRT’s official
representative with the UN. Throughout the
years, the authority and respect she enjoyed
opened doors for IAWRT. In the early days,
she established contact with the American
Association for Women in Radio and TV. In
1994 she brought Helvi Sipilä, one of the
founders of UNIFEM, to speak to the
conference in the Philippines, and more
recently, in 2003, Mal’s name gave immediate
access to Noeleen Heyzer’s office in the UN
and brought the then head of UNIFEM as guest
of honour to the conference in Ghana. “I am
a do-gooder,” said Mal, “and as such I want
people to be organised into effective
disciplines.” She truly believed in the
value of organisations and the need to build
international networks of sisterhood.
And she certainly did deliver. She helped
revise the statutes of IAWRT and she set up
a Policies and Procedures document. She
formulated the rules and framework for the
establishment of national and regional
chapters, which strengthened the structure
of the organisation and made it more
decentralised and democratic. To the last,
she never spared herself. Who else, at her
age, would have stepped in at short notice
and taken over total responsibility
including the practical arrangements of a
big international conference, when the
original venue fell through - as she did in
Williamsburg in 2005?
On a personal note, Mal was such a great
friend! And so much fun. Generous, warm and
appreciative when approached, but never
self-effacing or overly humble. She knew her
worth and expected to be respected for it.
I remember when were having a board meeting
in London and were booked into a central
hotel that Mal arrived a day later and was
told there was no room for her. She looked
at the hotel clerk, informed him that a room
had been booked and that she would have no
nonsense about it. Her inborn authority,
energy and will spoke volumes through her
body language. The clerk didn’t stand a
chance and a room was conjured up for her in
no time.
Why do I particularly remember this rather
banal incident? In many ways it was so
characteristic of Mal and her inherent
strength and sense of plain right and wrong.
In her life and work she used all that
strength, knowledge and talent to fight for
the things she so passionately believed in.
To use her own words again:
“I am in the ‘change the world’ business. I
want everyone to enjoy the life of their
choice, and freedom to be that which they
choose. So therefore it is natural that I
should join causes that promise freedom and
equality. If you ask me what I have done, my
answer is ‘not enough’. Each generation
makes the path a little easier for those who
follow.”
Mal has paved a way for us to follow. She
has left us a legacy which we should be
proud to honour.
In fond memory,
Gundel Krauss Dahl |
Mal Johnson
Read more about Mal
here |
