Lois Thurecht
QCWA Zone 1 Vice-President Lois Thurecht, from Elgin Vale, would like to restart to Murgon-Cloyna and Blackbutt-Yarraman branches

March 6, 2014

Two public meetings will be held in Murgon and Blackbutt later this month to look at reopening QCWA branches in both towns.

Zone 1 Vice-President Lois Thurecht and Secretary Mollie Kratzmann said they’ve tracked down 29 former members of the Cloyna, Murgon, Yarraman and Blackbutt branches and are hopeful at least two of the branches can be restarted in the near future.

The Cloyna branch closed in 2008 when membership numbers declined.

Both the Yarraman and Blackbutt branches closed in 2010, and Murgon in 2012, for similar reasons.

Since that time the QCWA has sold the former Yarraman QCWA Rooms and leased the Blackbutt rooms, while the Murgon QCWA Rooms have been converted into the Division’s headquarters.

“We’ve had a positive reaction to the idea of re-opening a Murgon-Cloyna branch and a Blackbutt-Yarraman branch,” Lois said.

“Exactly where and when the branches would meet is something that members would decide themselves.

“But we only need about seven or eight members to form a branch, and the people we’ve spoken to seem fairly positive about the idea. So we’re calling these public meetings to gauge everyone’s interest.”

The Murgon meeting will be held at the Murgon QCWA Rooms in Maclister Street at 9:00am on March 26; and the Blackbutt meeting at the Blackbutt QCWA Rooms in Coulson Street at 12:30pm on the same day.

Former branch members and interested women who may have had no involvement with previous branches but would like to get involved with a new QCWA branch are all welcome.

For further information, phone Lois Thurecht on (07) 4162-3824 or Mollie Kratzmann on (07) 4164-4191.