QCWA Annual Report 2018-2019

Annual Report 2018–2019 • The Queensland Country Women’s Association

Since the 2018 Conference we have had some staff turnover at State Office, including the resignations of Mike Harpley, Emily Dwyer and Mandy Quince. Currently, we have four paid staff, two volunteers for the PRCF, and sometimes need to call for other volunteers to assist, so we ask for members to be patient when contacting or requesting information from State Office. Also, it would be appreciated if members could follow ‘the QCWA Line of Communication’ that was started post-Conference in 2018 — Branch to Division to State Vice-President to State Office. This process has cut down on the number of phone calls coming to State Office, as someone up the line may be able to solve any problems that arise before something needs to get to Brisbane. Julie Laing has held her role in Accounts for just over three years, and seems to get the accounts done so easily; she is also very conversant with the taxation rules, who owes us, and who we owe. She also processes all the incoming and outgoing accounts, as well as payroll and monthly financials. Assets Officer Tania Kelly has been lodging many GCBF Grant applications for branches to upgrade halls, and we have seen some nice renovations of halls, rest rooms, kitchens, and so on. A lot goes into a grant application at the branch end, and then more is done at State Office before it gets sent off, so it is always exciting to hear about successful grants. Tania is also our property and insurance specialist extraordinaire and knows the ‘ins and outs’ of all of our properties. Admin and Membership Officer Natalie Enlund handles the stock, membership updates and queries, and compiles the Express Newsletter. She also is usually on the other end of the phone to callers to State Office.

STATE SECRETARY REPORT Marion Vannucci

As some of you will remember I was State Secretary back in 2003—2006 under the State Presidency of Lyn Kelman and Heather Wieland, so I am happy to advise it is great to be ‘home’ again. During this time, I had been volunteering in State Office, as well as doing the PRCF applications, assisted with the Country Kitchens Queensland Health funding submission, and I also wrote a report on behalf of the PRCF for the QCWA’s Queensland Great Awards application. On the evening of 1 March 2019, I assumed the State Secretary’s role, with the QCWA Bursary Presentation that evening as my first official event. It was very interesting to speak to the bursary winners, who came from many different towns and to hear their stories, and whose lives are heading in many exciting directions. In early March, State President Christine King commenced her ‘Royal Tour’ to visit many of the branches throughout Queensland and, on the first outing, it was to Western Division. For me it was another big learning (and remembering) curve to get used to the QCWA ways again while she was away. Many things that we do in QCWA have changed over the last 13 years, so I have had to adjust along the way! On the evening of ANZAC Day, the State President and I attended the United Grand Lodge of Queensland at the Masonic Centre Brisbane for their ANZAC Ceremony. This was an honour to attend and I was awestruck and loved the pomp and ceremony of the whole evening. (My parents would have been happy I attended, as they were both Past Worthy Matron and Patron and Brother of the UGLQ and the OES.) Throughout the year since then, State Office has been inundated with PRCF applications: some days 40 or 50 come in on the emails alone, and then the same amount come by postal mail. The ladies assessing the applications are working at speed to get these completed, the bills paid, and the vouchers sent off to the applicants. State Office has also received many ‘Thank-you’ cards and emails — and we even received a large envelope of garlic through the mail, by way of thanks from a farmer!

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