Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

In starting, I thank my very good friend and colleague the member for Mallee for the opportunity that this motion affords, and that is to rise and pay testament to the wonderful women of the Queensland Country Women's Association. With three regions, 20 divisions and over 240 branches, the QCWA is the largest and most widespread women's organisation in Queensland. Since 1922, the QCWA has ensured women from all over Queensland have come together for fellowship, to share skills and to support their local community with fundraising. The QCWA now has more than 3,800 members statewide at over 240 locations—a tremendous outcome for service organisations at a time when other service organisations are struggling. The vision of the QCWA as an organisation is a testament to their community focus. It reads:

For the women of Queensland to come together to support communities whilst celebrating their interests and forging friendships in a respectful and caring environment.

In my electorate of Ryan, the QCWA women are certainly living up to that vision. There are QCWA branches at Toowong, Kenmore, Brookfield and Moggill. And, lest anyone think that my primarily urban electorate doesn't warrant CWA representation, I'll have them know that the Moggill branch of the QCWA is, in fact, the largest in the state, which is something that those members should be incredibly proud of. That's primarily due to the exceptional efforts of Christine King, now state president, who has long been a driving force for the CWA in the electorate of Ryan. I congratulate her on those efforts. The CWA are always there to support their community and particularly their regional and rural sisters. Much of the QCWA's work over the past 20 years has focused on assisting drought affected or flood affected women and their families. In particular, I recall that during 2011, during the terrible flood that impacted Queensland and Brisbane and which traumatically impacted my community in Ryan, the QCWA raised and distributed over $400,000 to support more than 500 families—a tremendous effort.

In the electorate, we are particularly proud of the annual Moggill QCWA Christmas craft store, which is the highlight of the local calendar, raising much-needed funds for issues including drought and flood relief. The community enjoys purchasing quilts, Christmas decorations, fabrics and toys, many of them homemade, in support of these wonderful and dedicated women. Lest anyone think that there isn't a place for service organisations in this now fast-paced and sometimes selfish world, I recall that it was only 12 months ago this month that we were acknowledging that the QCWA had achieved a 10 per cent membership jump in just six months and were reopening branches across the state, some in entirely new locations.

On a personal note, I want to record in the Hansard, and for the chamber, that my grandmother, with whom I was exceptionally close, was a member of our local Brookfield branch of the QCWA in my electorate. She loved the fellowship, particularly her participation in the choir, and, as she progressed through an illness that would ultimately see her pass, I remember the great joy she took from the friendships she gained at the Brookfield QCWA, particularly the women who continued to come around to her place and support her long after the illness meant that she couldn't, herself, attend the meetings. Our family will always be grateful for the support that those wonderful women of the CWA in the Brookfield branch provided to my grandma and that I know they are providing to women right across the state.

It is a pleasure to pay tribute to all of those women in the Ryan electorate and around the state of Queensland who are part of the QCWA. Together, they are improving the lives of their local community members and of people living in regional, rural, and remote Queensland. I encourage women in the electorate of Ryan to consider the QCWA local branches as their first option if they are seeking to make a contribution, if they are seeking friendship, if they are seeking to make a meaningful contribution locally.

See this speech in context