Burren Junction had 100 reasons to celebrate on May 26, with community members marking the centenary of the town's Country Women's Association branch.
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"What you ladies don't know about the CWA and the Burren district would not be worth knowing and it is wonderful to have you all here today to celebrate 100 years of the CWA Burren Branch," master of ceremonies Sandy Stump said.
This is how he welcomed the branch's life members Margaret Sendall, Janice Holcombe, Marcia Moore and Pamela Moore OAM. Mr Stump also gave a special mention to life member Deirdre Marshall, who was unable to attend.
"I wonder if the 27 women who met on July 24, 1924, to form the first Burren Junction branch would ever have envisaged that the branch would celebrate its centenary, many of those members still having descendants in the district today," Pamela Moore said.
As a descendant of one of the Burren branch's most impressive members, Mr Stump won the hearts of the CWA crowd by stepping up to the role of MC and paying tribute to his 'Gran'.
"My only qualification for speaking here today and acting as your MC is that I am the grandson of the late Mrs Edith Gordon," said Mr Stump, who lives with his wife Lucinda and family at 'Eurambeen', Burren Junction.
"Gran, as we called her, was president of the Burren branch for many years before becoming state president in 1950. She was awarded an MBE for services to the community in 1972."
Mrs Gordon travelled on the North West mail train from Sydney to Walgett with her husband Ken in 1924 'to embark on life as a country woman' at 'Windella' Burren Junction. Two years later, she signed up to the CWA and never looked back clocking up 16 years as branch president and many more years as an active and engaged member. Incredibly, the late Mrs Gordon lived until the age of 101.
For Burren, the centenary CWA luncheon marking more than just a milestone but the enduring legacy of the likes of Mrs Gordon and the formidable association of ladies from the land, who continue to leave a lasting impact.
"Communities that are remote like ours, gain much of their strength and resilience from the groups that actively work to promote them, who keep an eye out for those in the community who may be struggling, and who get together when times are tough, such as droughts or floods or accidents and deaths, to support each other,' he said.
"The CWA must be first amongst such groups for tirelessly supporting local people and events whilst also, now more than ever, working on the bigger picture, lobbying governments on a range of issues from health and welfare to education, the environment, law and order and even vaping."
The guest speaker at the celebration was another awarding winning Burren advocate - Pamela Moore. A vibrant and dedicated volunteer, Mrs Moore was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2016 for her services to the CWA and community. Originally from Sydney too, Mrs Moore was lauded in the local press at the time of her OAM recognition for embracing country life after marrying her husband Jim Moore, moving to 'Towri' Burren Junction, and generously and enthusiastically giving back to the district.
Her unwavering involvement with the CWA has been nothing short of extraordinary, taking on almost all the branch, group, and senior state positions in the organisation, at different times, over the years. In 2001, she became the CWA's inaugural state agricultural/ environmental officer and Mrs Moore's portfolios covered key issues such as rural health and drought relief.
With a passion for the environment and rural agriculture, Mrs Moore helped develop an award, the Moore Award, to acknowledge those within the CWA who are actively furthering these issues.
"I think I joined the CWA in 1980, or that was the first meeting I attended, having had four children in five years I didn't have much time to contribute and my focus during those years was the P and C," Mrs Moore said.
"However, I finally attended a meeting later where Mrs Pauline Wallace convinced me that I should enter the Country Woman of the Year. Pauline had won the group judging in 1978 and went on to win the state title of Country Woman of the Year. Although the thought of being judged was rather intimidating. To my horror, I won the group judging to then take part in the state judging.
"How could I not contribute having been given such an opportunity to learn and take part in such a wonderful organisation, and that was the beginning of an amazing journey of 31 years until we moved away in 2011."
Over lunch, guests shared stories of what inspired them to sign up to the CWA. There were humorous and competitive tales about cooking contests, light-hearted anecdotes from past fundraising events, one attendee quipped she'd joined to win favour with her mother-in-law while the overwhelming sentiment was the group's ability to foster strong friendships and importantly, drive positive change.
Arguably one of the most powerful advocacy groups, the voice from the bush has come out in full force taking a stand against domestic violence and raising concerns about regional crime rates at the state CWA conference earlier this year.
The crowd cheered as the celebration cake was cut with Mr Stump sharing some wise words: "I have just remembered some advice that my grandmother used to give to her grandchildren, and which might be pertinent today.
"When offering a plate of biscuits, slice or cake Gran would sagely recommend, 'Train the eye to choose the largest, do not finger all'."
- Pictured: (main image) CWA Burren Junction branch life members Janice Holcombe, Pam Moore OAM, Marcia Moore and Margaret Sendall; The Land cover; event MC Sandy Stump and CWA member Elizabeth Powell; State CWA president 1950-1953 Edith Gordon.
