By Hayley Pritchard

For more than two decades, the Hawkesbury Evening Branch of the Country Women’s Association (CWA) has been a place for connection. 

A place for working women to meet of an evening, a space for friendship, exploring interests, and an opportunity to take action where we felt we could be of most use. 

The Hawkesbury Evening Branch sits on the outskirts of Sydney and draws its members from both local and surrounding suburbs, with our headquarters in Richmond being described, at a stretch, as semi-rural. Whilst the public transport may cause frustration and the incidence of bushfires and floods does greatly impact our residents, we are never far from support and, most importantly, services. This is something we value and do not take for granted and realise is not a reality for so many – and this is what prompted us to look further than our own piece of NSW and look to the rural areas. 

We can boast not one but two nurses amongst our Branch members who were a wealth of knowledge when looking at ways we could support a rural town and drew our attention to the work of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and its Wish List, which gives donors the chance to choose exactly what medical equipment to fund and where it will go. 

As we looked through the Wish List, we could see that every item had been requested by hospitals and approved by medical experts, which gave us real confidence that our contribution would make a direct and meaningful difference. 

We scrolled through the many hospitals in need and hoped the decision we made would have genuine impact. We happened upon a request from Cootamundra Hospital, a small health service offering both emergency care and allied health services – not unlike our Hawkesbury District Health Service in Windsor – and thought here is a place that serves a whole community. Our trusty nurse advisors assured us that the purchase of a connex vital signs monitor machine would be a useful investment indeed.

Once we had made the choice to support Cootamundra Hospital via the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, the process was smooth and easy. Having an organisation like Humpty to be the bridge that connects our 'semi-rural' Branch to the needs of rural people gave us the confidence to know that our funds were going exactly where they were most needed, helping to deliver lifesaving equipment directly into the hands of frontline staff.

The incredible Hawkesbury Evening CWA team

We are blessed in Richmond with the heritage CWA Hut on the edge of Richmond Park where our Branch gathers on sunny Saturday mornings with a wide array of scones, slices, cakes, jams, chutneys and lovingly crafted quilts, crocheted rugs, knitted baby jackets, and the old favourite tea cosy. 

We each have our talents that we bring to our fundraising efforts, and we have a loyal customer base who greets us with enthusiasm each time the Hut is open for business. This work has enabled us to raise the funds to purchase the medical equipment for Cootamundra Hospital and we could not be prouder. We are women supporting women, and that harkens to the origins of the CWA, and we are proud to continue this legacy.