SWEETHEARTS OF SONG SANG HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND SO MUCH MORE AT GLAMORGAN VALE

 

The heritage township of Glamorgan Vale, situated beside Black Snake Creek, 57 kilometres west of Brisbane may be pint-sized as townships go, however, there is nothing tiny about the activities of their Branch of the Country Women’s Association which celebrated its ‘ninety-plus-one’ birthday at a gala luncheon function on Thursday 29^th July.

‘Ninety- plus-one’ you may ask?  Well, you see it was that dreaded ‘C’ word which thwarted the efforts of the women of this CWA in forging ahead with their ninetieth birthday celebrations in 2020.  However, now with restrictions somewhat eased, the only ‘C’ words bandied around the exquisitely decorated country hall were community, companionship, conviviality, and cooking… the CWA’s reputation for which has become the cornerstone of legends.

And so it was that on a perfectly perfect Queensland Winter’s day, in a grand old hall which spoke of many glorious occasions in the lives of this Lockyer Valley community,  two hundred,  give or take,  gathered around long tables impeccably bedecked in blue-checks,  while the Esk Community Choir’s ‘Sweethearts of Song’, Kathleen, Susie, Carolyn, Maree, and with Lloyd on audio,  prepared to transport the expectant audience with a tribute to the sounds of the 40s,50s and 60s which included sentimental songs from the war years to the upbeat sounds of  Andrews Sisters, Supremes and a whole lot more. These interspersed with meaningful words by CWA’s President, harking back to the humble but colourful history of their organization.  There were accolades and presentations to not only long-serving members but also to a representative of the Queensland Ambulance for their immeasurable role in their service to children, a box of beautifully hand-crafted ‘teddies’, further evidence that cooking is not the only craft these delightful women possess.

Following an inspired performance by The Sweethearts, dignitaries including Somerset’s Judy Lehmann, Sean and Nicki Choat, representatives of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council and luminaries of the CWA joined with the masses to partake of a deliciously catered for lunch, no doubt utilising the tried and tested recipes from the pages of the celebrated CWA Cookbook.  The most magnificently decorated and delicious birthday cake, made by CWA’s Gail, took centre stage at the head table while some wonderful raffle prizes were presented to many lucky winners. 

Fully sated and stocked up on the arts and crafts from the gift stall, people made their way home and in passing, gave praise to The Sweethearts for their augmentation of an already entertaining afternoon.   To Colleen and her band of CWA Angels, we, the Sweethearts give our sincere thanks. For our part, special praise must go to our Carolyn who, only days prior, was horizontal in hospital having her broken ankle operated on; and to Maree, her ability to endure an annus horribilis with her husband Bill’s health challenges and now return to her place in our line-up has been truly inspirational.

By: Sue Walker