Interview Transcript from Illawarra Stories Wollongong City Libraries Oral History Project – Lyn Haynes
Interviewer: Edie Swift
Interview Date: 27 March 2022
Edie Swift: Today is the 27th of March 2022, and I am Edie Swift interviewing Lyn Haynes for the Illawarra Stories oral history program run by the Wollongong City Library. Lynn, let’s, let’s begin talking about your involvement with the CWA.
Lyn Haynes: I joined the CWA about 19 years ago when I was still living in a country town, um, but I didn’t actually go to meetings because I was working as a teacher, and they held their meetings during the daytime. But I supported them whenever they were having a street stall, fundraising, whatever. When I moved to Wollongong back in 2011 to help my mother who was in her nineties by then still living at home, I re-, re, ah, joined a group, a branch, and I joined the Keiraville branch of CWA, that was my nearest. And, um, I’ve been very happy with, with being a member of that branch because we’re a very vibrant, vibrant branch and do lots of, lots of things together. And it’s been, um, quite, ah, interesting for me to, to hold various positions within, within the branch and within the Illawarra group. And then you did some more. During, um, my time with Keiraville branch, I’ve been treasurer, secretary, handicraft officer and president. And, um, then within the Illawarra group which comprises ten other, ten branches, within the group, I’ve been the secretary and also the State Executive Committee member, which represents the group at state committee meetings. And, um, currently, um, I’ve, I’m also secretary again because I, they needed the position filled for this year. But, um, it’s been very interesting to hold these positions and learn so much about what the CWA does, because it’s, it’s very wide reaching. People don’t realise it’s not just, you know, handicraft and making some scones and cakes [laughs]. We do lots of other things. We have, um, we have a cultural officer who, ah, gives us information, um, on interesting people both here in Australia and around the world, or, um, interesting bits of historical information, poetry, art, all sorts of things. We have an international officer. Every year we study a different country around the world and learn about it and, um, all the handicrafts and so forth that go with it. Um, we have a cookery officer who helps us, um, prepare entries for the group and state competitions. Handicraft officer who, ah, runs courses and also, um, runs a competition where we enter handicraft items for the state conference. What else? Um, oh, an agr-, agricultural environment officer who, um, brings to our attention all the things that are agricultural or environmental and always has something interesting to tell us every meeting.
Edie Swift: Yeah. And you, you did quite a bit more than that too. You, you went on to some other positions.
Lyn Haynes: Well, with, within the, um, the group, yes. The, um, the state executive permission [laughs] – position – sorry, I’ll get it. Um, I have done for three years now and, um, my term finishes up in May. But, um, the meetings we have, um, at state level concern all of the things that the CWA is doing across the state in terms of, um, advocacy for particular causes, that the CWA is, um, chasing up. For example, domestic violence against women and children, they’re on a round table conference for that. Advocacy in terms of, um, helping women in prisons, providing education grants for rural children and, um, what else, ah, the coal seam gas debate that’s going on in, you know, rural areas and how that affects the landholders because we are a, a statewide organisation. It covers not only the, the rural but also the city people, so that it does cover. But we need to know what’s going on. And there’s, um, also an, um, an update usually given on the what they call the inland rail, um, situation where they’re putting a fast inland rail system through, right through NSW from Brisbane to Victoria. But the fact that it’s cutting across people’s properties and denying them access to even parts of their own property, all of those sorts of things, the CWA becomes involved in them. They regularly attend parliamentary sessions or meet with parliamentarians, state parliamentarians. to, um, advocate for people, um, in the country particularly and in the city, um, on these, on these various projects that we take on.
Edie Swift: Do you have to go out like to the property owner’s land and look at it?
Lyn Haynes: Oh, I don’t personally. Um, we have, we have state committee officers that do those kinds of things and a CEO who basically speaks on behalf of the whole of the CWA of New South Wales.
Edie Swift: And then those other projects you mentioned, who takes care of all of that?
Lyn Haynes: Which one?
Edie Swift: Well you mentioned just a number of different projects.
Lyn Haynes: Okay.
Edie Swift: that you were doing and the whole state was involved.
Lyn Haynes: Yes. We have a Social Issues Committee officer, um, who looks at those things like the, particularly things about women’s, um, the domestic violence against women and children. She sits on, ah, round tables for those things and, um, the issues for women who are in prison and when they come out of prison, helping them. Locally, our branch actually supports a, um, the women’s, ah, refuge for women who are escaping domestic violence and they leave their homes with their children, and they have nothing. They go to this refuge and, and stay there until they can get their lives sorted for a bit. So we support them by giving them, ah, vouchers for supermarkets and what have you, um, so that they can go and buy what they need just to tide them over.
Edie Swift: So in your committees, you have committees that take care of that?
Lyn Haynes: Yes.
Edie Swift: That, that, ah, raise the money for it, is that right?
Lyn Haynes: Well, our branches raise the money we hold lots of stalls and we raise money wherever we can. We do the barbecues at Bunnings, and we have street stalls and, ah, big raffles particularly close to Christmas time to raise money and, um, well, we make lots of, um, jams and relishes and, and so forth to sell at those stalls. And, um, [laughs] I also sell them privately through family and friends and, and that money goes towards our fundraising. Edie Swift So the other projects you mentioned, um, there were some other ones too. And, um, now I’m trying to remember what they were, with the property and the railroad and, um, the domestic violence.
Lyn Haynes: Yes.
Edie Swift: And then there were other projects that you just mentioned.
Lyn Haynes: Uh-mm. Let me think [laughs]. There’s gen-, generally the, the people who are involved in the this, the, um, the state organisation, um, are the ones that follow those things up. At, at branch level we, we raise the money, and we talk about the issues. At the group Council level, same thing, we, we talk about the issues and, and give reports on what’s happening so that everyone knows what’s going on. Um, a journal comes out every three months to, um, to give everybody all the information that’s needed. And, um, and then we have state, um, state committee officers who follow up all of the things to do with the agriculture, and environment and the social issues and so on and so forth.
Edie Swift: Oh, and what are the agricultural issues?
Lyn Haynes: Well the, the coal seam gas and, ah…
Edie Swift: Oh.
Lyn Haynes: That, that type of thing, um, going on to people’s property and they, and, um, there’s an issue of these companies being able to get what they call zombie licenses. They can take out a licence to explore for coal seam gas on your property, but they may never do anything and then that section of land is not available to the land holder to use. Um, so they are also, all lots of issues like that that are followed up through the CWA.
Edie Swift: That’s very involved. It’s a lot of work.
Lyn Haynes: Yes.
Edie Swift: You are right now, what is your position?
Lyn Haynes: Um, I’m just finishing up as the, as State Executive Committee member for Illawarra group, but I’m the secretary for Illawarra group.
Edie Swift: And, and those duties are what? What do you do?
Lyn Haynes: For the State Executive Committee member?
Edie Swift: Mm-mm.
Lyn Haynes: I have to go to meetings and report back to the Illawarra group at our group Council meetings and author reports on what’s happened at those meetings, all the issues that come up and have to be reported on.
Edie Swift: And that’s a lot of work [laughs].
Lyn Haynes: And the, the secretary’s job, of course, is all, of the, all of the sending out of you know, all the correspondence and organising of meetings and sending out agendas and minutes and so forth. All the recording and so forth.
Edie Swift: And when are you finishing up?
Lyn Haynes: Um, I finish up the State Executive Committee membership in May at our conference in Sydney. Ah, another lady’s taking over from then. And the secretary’s position, I’ll finish in October.
Edie Swift: Do you plan to go on with the CWA?
Lyn Haynes: It’s possible that I might be moving interstate at the end of this year. So
Edie Swift: Oh.
Lyn Haynes: It’s just up in the air at the moment [laughs].
Edie Swift: Oh. [laughs].
Lyn Haynes: But I would, I would join the Queensland CWA anyway.
Edie Swift: Oh.
Lyn Haynes: if I moved. Because it’s a great way to, um, to meet people and become involved in the community.
Edie Swift: Mm.
Lyn Haynes: You get to know a lot of people. You get to know what’s going on in your community and, and the wider issues of the state. So yeah, I’ll become involved in that.
Edie Swift: Do you want to mention anything else? You did a wonderful job here putting this all together.
Lyn Haynes: Oh well, um, we like to, um, keep our branches going and where we can. A lot of the, the branches have, um, elderly ladies in them now and, and are finding it more difficult to, to keep going and, um, their members are dwindling. Um, fortunately, the branch I belong to is, is growing and, ah, we’re getting more and more members by word of mouth, ah, by association, family association or friends. And, um, a lot of ladies who are just new, newly retired from work are looking for something to, to, ah, get interested in. They, they find that the CWA has a lot to offer. You know there’s, there’s a lot of lot of different parts to it.
Edie Swift: It just seems that people you know when they finish work and the children are grown up, then they have a lot of time where they want to be available for travel and things like that.
Lyn Haynes: And it’s, um, you can go to meetings, you don’t have to be involved. You can just go and listen, and you learn a lot. Um, a friend of mine went for the first-time last week to our branch meeting and she was absolutely astounded at the number of different aspects there were to the meeting and all the different lots of information that was given out and things that we’re becoming involved in locally.
Edie Swift: Do you see anything in the future that you would like to have CWA take up?
Lyn Haynes: Um, there’s always something new coming up. Um, new issues come to the fore and, um, and generally if the CWA is to, um, primarily to look after the needs of women and children in the state and families. So anything that affects families or rural people, like closure of rural banks and what have you, um, those sorts of issues are what CWA takes up and we do our best to bring them to the notice of those who should know [laughs] what’s going on and, and try to, try to change things if we can for the better.
Edie Swift: Well, thank you very much. Would you do like to donate this to the Illawarra Stories oral history project.
Lyn Haynes: I’d be happy to, thank you.
Edie Swift: Okay, great.