Myamley Country Women’s Association (CWA) Branch members volunteered in the CWA of NSW Tea Rooms at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Members who volunteered included Kathy Parnaby, Phyllis Perrin and Domenico Musolono.
Unfortunately, the Tea Rooms had to be closed for the last two days of the Show due to ill health of volunteers, however, they still managed to sell a total of 22,467 scones up until the close of business on Thursday, 14 April.
Daily sales of scones can reach more than 5,000. The Tea Rooms are staffed by CWA volunteers from across NSW, the tearoom is a major source of fundraising for the CWA.
On Good Friday in 2018, staff made 5,124 scones. In 2019, they made 49,977 scones over the two weeks, which was a record for the organisation.
In 2022, the CWA celebrates its 100th birthday.
The CWA of NSW had its beginnings at the Bushwomen’s Conference held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Show in Sydney in April 1922. The conference was initiated by Dr Richard Arthur, MP for North Sydney, and Miss Florence Gordon, who ran the Home Page of the Stock and Station Journal.
Mr Arthur had been calling for the need to improve conditions for rural women and Miss Gordon had published a plan for a ‘Country Women’s Union of Help’ in 1921, partly inspired by the Women’s Institutes in Canada and Britain. At the conference, on 20 April 1922, an organising committee was formed, including Miss Gordon and Mrs Grace Munro, of Bingara, who was to become the CWA of NSW’s foundation president.
In the 100 years the CWA of NSW has been in existence, members have helped bring about some major changes across the state. From the earliest days of the Association, members were tireless in their efforts to establish more hospitals, maternity wards and baby health centres in country centres. Even during the Depression, when members themselves were struggling to feed and clothe their families, the CWA of NSW continued to lobby for better health facilities in the bush, and were successful in many cases. The Association went onto play an important advocacy role in the introduction of compulsory seat belts, white lines on the edge of roads and flashing speed signs in school zones.