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- THE
"OLD CHOOKS"
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- Much
of one long wall of the original courtroom at
the Old Courthouse is taken up with a display of
the “Old Chooks” and other Country
Women’s Association (CWA) memorabilia both
from Alice Springs and from other
States.
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- The
“Old Chooks” is a set of 18 framed
caricatures by local artists Butch Peverill and
George Scott Brown of Alice Springs CWA members
dating from 1953-4. Each picture represents
either 1 or a group of the women depicted as
hens often in the act of doing something that
was typical of that character. Created as a
fundraiser, the idea was that one could guess
the names of the “Old Chooks” for a
small fee. Apparently the cartoons were very
convincing and are still remembered with much
fondness by older members of the
community.
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- They
used to hang in the CWA Hall on the corner of
Stott Terrace and were at one time thought lost
after the closure of the Alice Springs branch.
In safe keeping with the McDouall Stuart branch
of the National Trust (NT), they were presented
to the NPWHF in 1994 as a permanent
loan.
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- The
Alice Springs branch of the CWA was established
on 26 June 1933 at their inaugural meeting at
the Residency. It was affiliated to the South
Australian Branch. The first President was
Kathleen Carrington, the wife of the then
Government Resident, Vic Carrington. Meetings
were usually held in the Australian Inland
Mission (AIM) Clubroom (on the site of the
present Flynn Church) and in the Residency
during the summer months until their own
building was acquired in 1946. This was the
former Allied Workers Committee (AWC) Recreation
Hut on the corner of Stott Terrace and Todd
Street (now Gap Road), which became the CWA
Hall, being used as a pre-school before the
Nathalie Gorey Kindergarten was opened in 1954.
The Hall was loaned out for other functions when
it was not being used for the CWA’s monthly
branch meetings.
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 - Courtesy:
Barry Skipsey
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- Some
visitors looking at the "Old Chooks"
caricatures with other CWA memorabillia in the
original courtroom of the Old
Courthouse.
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 - (by
Butch Peverill)
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- “CWA
Cackle Chorus”
- Shows
Mrs D McCormack; Mrs Coxon; Mrs HP Davis; Mrs NC
Pearce; Mrs C Stephens; Mrs N Hargrave; Mrs J
Donnellan
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 - (by
Butch Peverill)
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- “Alice
Springs expects every hen to do her
Duty”
- Shows
Mrs Harold Nelson (Snr) - Maud – whose
husband was the first member for the NT in
Federal politics in 1922.
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- The
Duchess Visits
CWA members on the occasion of the visit to Alice Springs of the
Duchess of Gloucester, the wife of the Governor-General, 1947.
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- Do
you know the names of some of these ladies? Please contact
us.
Some are recognised as Mrs Sawyer; Mrs Jack Donnellan (Olive);
Mrs Clough; Mrs Jack Lovegrove (Lil); Mrs Mick Heenan (Anne).
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- CWA
HALL
- After
the closing down of the Alice Springs CWA in
1978 the Hall was used as a Hostel by the YHA
before being sold and restored in 1998 and
turned into a restaurant, now known as Blue
Grass. A new Alice Springs branch of the CWA was
formed in February 2001 and had its first
meeting on Wednesday 7 March.
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- CWA BANNER
- In
1950 a competition was held throughout the South
Australian branches of the CWA for a banner
design for special occasions. The Alice Springs
branch won first prize out of 175 designs for
its entry designed by Mrs SM Sneddon (Kathleen).
If you know the whereabouts of this banner,
please contact
us.
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you experience any difficulties with this site
please contact the webmaster.
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