JEAN Taylor personifies the true spirit of a country woman — generous to a fault and a person you could rely on in a pinch.
Mrs Taylor, a Springvale South resident for 31 years, is the essential Country Women’s Association member.
A member of the Noble Park branch for the same 31 years, she was last year named president the association’s West Gippsland group.
The honour has been offered again — and graciously accepted — for this year, too. The Gippsland group covers Cranbourne, Casey, Berwick, Dandenong, Upper Beaconsfield, Pakenham and Noble Park.
Mrs Taylor spent her working life at Homfray Carpets in Cheltenham.
“I’m a home body by nature and was born on a farm near Bendigo. In 1968 I joined the Campaspe CWA in Rochester. It gave young mums the chance of getting together for a night out.
“I’ve now had the privilege of being in the CWA for 44 years — I love it.”
Like all country women she’s a dab hand at all types of craftwork. She knits, crochets, does embroidery and ‘hardanders’ (counted-thread embroidery).
She lost her husband Roger, whose death she still mourns. Her children Joanne and David are married. She takes pride in her two grandchildren, aged 17 and 14.
“They live in Carrum, just down the road,” she says.
The CWA is still at the fore of women’s lives around Australia. Last week, a marathon Women Walk the World was held in Pakenham, organised by the Associated Country Women of the World, to which the CWA is affiliated.
“The walk has been held for 80 years,” Mrs Taylor said.
One more milestone for our ladies who turn localities into communities!
An onion hoedown
Thumbing through a copy of the Dandenong Journal dated August 6, 1941 I read on the front page that residents had proposed to ship onion seed to Britain.
Headlined ‘Onion Seed for Britain’, the story said the public in Dandenong were gradually becoming ‘onion minded’ and a large throng turned up for a demonstration given by Cr Mills on planting onion seed at a railway plot on a Saturday afternoon.
The councillor declared there would be now difficulty in dispatching a tonne of onions as residents were eager to help.
“Cr Mills, who is chairman of the Dandenong Brown Onion Gift Seed for Britain committee, conducted a stall in the market on Tuesday and was rewarded with a steady stream of interested customers,” the Journal report stated.
“He wishes to notify all that seed will be obtainable there again next Tuesday.
“Don’t delay, plant some onion seed today.” Now that’s an onion story without tears.
Do you have a milestone, memory or question for Marg? Email easteditorial@mmpgroup.com.au or post submissions to A Moment with Marg, c/o The Dandenong Journal, PO Box 318, Dandenong 3175.
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