A COUNTRY Women's Association (CWA) revival in the Southern Tablelands village of Binalong has seen three young mums rally to restore the local hall and keep their tiny pre-school alive.
Nine three- and four-year-olds at Binalong enjoy renovated classrooms and updated play areas thanks to the dedication of their mothers Skye Regan, Joh McColl and Camilla Duffy, who feared losing a much-loved mobile pre-school service held in the ailing CWA hall two days a week.
The mobile service, run from Boorowa, faced imminent closure a few years ago when the hall required major renovations.
Laughing off tongue-in-cheek suggestions they were too young or didn't bake enough scones to be CWA members, the women joined up then got to work, learning to apply for grants and appeal for public help.
They saw broader benefits for the community, with a visiting early childhood nurse, massage therapist and yoga teachers also using the hall.
Their first success came about three years ago with state government funding to help shade the play equipment.
More aid came last year from the Royal Agricultural Society's charity brunch fundraiser, after they won over the brunch crowd and secured $25,000 to re-roof the hall.
Additional help from Yass Valley Council also meant the hall received a much-needed paint job, major plumbing works and new guttering.
Mrs McColl, the branch treasurer, said the pre-school service was vital to the children and had given the branch some new life.
"The pre-school and the hall are both really important to us and we feared the wider ramifications for the village if they went out of our community," she said.
