News from Beyond The Black Stump* - The Merriwagga Ladies

Muriel,Val, Marg, Judy, Lois,Helen and Lorna.

Muriel works on a quilt,watched by Marg.

You have been reading about the Innovations Grant -Creative Solutions over the last few blogs and occasionally last year too.
The activities funded by this grant have been operating in Hillston and Merriwagga for over 18months.
You have read about the successful computer classes for seniors and the Conversation groups for non-native speakers but another part of this grant has been the provision for the ladies of the Merriwagga Craft Group. Living in a lovely but small isolated town these women are a self- sufficient bunch. They are used to caring for themselves and for others.

Craft time - beading and quilting -whatever takes your fancy.

Marg shows me the bead bangles for the kids.

The Uniting Church at Merriwagga has been able to make some changes to their facilities, thanks to some grants organised some years ago by Julie.
They now have a modern toilet and air- conditioning. This means the building can be used comfortably at all times of the year and the Craft Group and Women's Guild meet regularly to talk, eat Loi's morning teas and sew, bead or knit.
The recent Creative Solutions grant has enabled workshops to be provided to enhance skills and enrich the life of the group. Their final budget will be spent on a road trip to Cobar to enjoy a 2 day -3 workshop bonanza. Everyone is looking forward to this time away as an opportunity to affordably do something different and have fun together.
On the day I visited, the Women's Guild were making bead bangles for the Good Samaritan Shoe Boxes a big annual project each year based in Hillston Uniting Church, participated in by many in the community, and run, as a project close to their heart, by Dot and Doris -who look forward every year to thinking about the smiles on kids faces as they open the boxes.

 Judging by the colour and glitter of these bangles at Merriwagga there will be many smiles on little girl's faces this year.

* Merriwagga is one of the towns laying claim to the Black Stump Legend - In this case a drover's wife was burnt to death cooking her husband's dinner on an open fire. When he returned he said there was nothing left of her but a black stump.