The Burren Junction Country Women’s Association hosted a community luncheon at the town’s beautifully restored School of Arts Hall on Friday, May 7.
It was a chance for women of all ages, from across the district, to catch up over a delicious meal and there were also some market stalls.
The event’s guest speaker was Katie Murray who is the loving mum of four young children and the owner of Stone’s Throw in Walgett. It’s a small bush business that has become so much more than just a shop: it’s breathed new life into the town’s main street, attracted grey-nomad tourists to stop and explore the region and acted as an ‘accidental counselling booth’ for locals especially during the drought.
Mrs Murray said you should never underestimate how healthy it is for someone to ‘get off the farm, enjoy a nice coffee and run into a friend’ and her business is a great example of what ‘supporting local’ can achieve for not just a business owner, but for the prosperity of a town and its residents.
Mrs Murray will tell you her story is ‘unremarkable’ and even suggested the CWA ladies “had too many brandys for breakfast” when they invited her to be the guest speaker.
However, the CWA asked Mrs Murray to speak at the event because members have been so impressed by how she juggles business and motherhood, and also by her positive attitude and good sense of humour, which was on display at the lunch.
Mrs Murray brought along a piece of cardboard to the event with the word ‘laugh’ written on it, in case it was necessary to hold it up and cue the audience.
Of course, her entertaining speech was very well received and there were plenty of laughs.
“I will touch on how amazing the local community is shortly but first, a few light-hearted tales about working in a coffee shop,” said Mrs Murray.
“Similar to a hairdresser, we actually hear most of the community gossip first so if you ever want to know who’s engaged, who is pregnant, who’s getting divorced, who’s getting botox – just ask someone who works behind a coffee machine.”
Mrs Murray also explained the conundrum, but the important business tip, of always trying to remember your customers’ names.
“Working in a coffee shop gives you a special power, this power is the ability to remember every single name and their coffee order.
“Rebecca, from the tyre shop, has a large long black with a splash of cold milk. Natalie, from the police station, has a large flat white with skinny milk, extra hot and one sugar. Jim, local farmer, has a caramel latte with soy and a dusting of chocolate, oh, and don’t forget the marshmallow. Jim does try not to order this in front of his fellow farming mates for obvious reasons,” she said as the crowd laughed.
Mrs Murray knows all the locals by name but revealed a number of hilariously awkward occasions when well-known public figures such as politician Barnaby Joyce, country music singer Shannon Noll and Rugby League legend Brad Fittler visited town and were all asked for their names when placing their coffee orders because she had a “notable memory lapse”.
“Please, if you know anyone famous who’s visiting Walgett who are going to come to Stone’s Throw, could you ask them to wear a name badge or a sign on their foreheads saying: ‘You should know my name’.”
Mrs Murray told the crowd that she set up her business seven years ago after falling in love with a local farmer and her now-husband, Jay Murray.
She decided to leave her fast-paced city life and successful career working in events management, and move to Outback NSW.
“I remember sitting at the pub in Sydney with some of my then colleagues, and we were watching the news and the weather came on the screen, it actually listed Walgett with a record temperature of 48-point-something degrees,” recalled Mrs Murray
“My colleagues looked at me and said, ‘Isn’t that where you’re going?’
“And I said, ‘Yes, that’s me’.
“Eventually the stress and the lack of financial incentive got the better of me,” said Mrs Murray about her decision to trade her big smoke job for the bush.
“I took the opportunity to jump on board the change of pace in my life and move eight hours inland to this place called Walgett where I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do.”
Mrs Murray has a degree in Public Relations from Charles Stuart University in Bathurst and has worked on sporting events for the likes of Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia as well as coordinated events at the State-of-Origin and Melbourne Cup Day for the Victorian Racing Club, but despite all her experience and qualification, she was stumped for a career pursuit when she first planned her move out west.
“I certainly couldn’t work in the sports event industry in Walgett,” she said.
Mrs Murray was born in Cootamundra, her father is a farmer but both her grandmother and mother ran dress shops.
“My Mum, who had worked in retail all her life said: ‘Why don’t you just open a gift shop? You only have to cover your own wages, some power, some rent, just open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm’.
“Gosh, here I was, a career I never thought I would do – work in retail and become my mother!”.
With the help of her handy husband Jay Murray, Mrs Murray opened a shop in March 2014 and has since expanded into a larger space with a commercial kitchen that she said she’d been “dreaming of for many years”.
“In a way, opening a small business when I first moved to Walgett was a blessing as I got to know the local community very quickly,” said Mrs Murray.
“I think I was one year into an eight-year drought at this stage.
“Would I have opened up had I known that? God no!
“But thank god I didn’t know, I think many of us would have changed our lives if we saw that drought coming. Or maybe we wouldn’t have?
“It’s an interesting question if you think about it: if you had known what was ahead of you at the start of that drought, would you have changed anything?
“I’m sure there are small things we would have all have done differently.
“However, most of us are in this room because we love where we live, we love our lifestyles, we love the people that surround us and the communities they create.
“I think most of us would have still done what we did and stayed to see it through.
“There is something so special about living in the country: it creates resilience,” said Mrs Murray.
“Any community built on challenging times is just that, it is resilient.
“It also creates passion, passion to fight just to come out the other side. It creates bonds, bonding with those who have endured the same challenges as you have.
“And it creates respect, respect for those who have endured the hard times without fuss, they just get on with it.
“Actually, this is one of the biggest things I remember during all those years, and years, and years of drought -the fact that everyone just got on with it.
“Farmers and small businesses owners who came into the shop were still all upbeat, they just kept saying ‘it will rain one day’.
“Of course, we talked about the rain, or lack thereof it, a lot – but there was nothing else to talk about.
“It was an all-consuming topic of conversation: the drought, the dust, the rain, repeat.
“However, I think it is important for all those farmers and small business owners to talk about it.
“They have to have some outlet, they had to be able to vent their frustrations to others around them to be reminded that they weren’t alone.
“I was honoured to be able to provide somewhere where this could happen for all those years.
“Looking back on it now, it seems surreal, I still remember looking out the window on the way to town one day after it started raining in early 2020.
“The tears welled up in my eyes, just seeing the greenery that was spreading like a carpet on the sides of the roads and through the paddocks; it had just been such a long time looking at dust.
“So now when they come in for a coffee and a chat, it’s nice not to dwell on the dry.”
Mrs Murray said that the biggest challenge she’s faced since moving to Walgett is learning how to “juggle business and babies, and not growl at your husband in the process”.
“I’m actually still learning, and if anyone’s got any tips please feel free to share them?” Mrs Murray asked the crowd.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have four healthy babies (Phoebe, Major, Adelaide and Minnie Murray) who are now between nine months old and my eldest is about to turn six.”
While Mrs Murray has embraced social media and the benefits of branching out online, she said she will be forever grateful for the support of locals and they will always remain a priority.
“I think what I’ve always known since the start, but it develops in so many different ways as your life and outlook changes, is that community is key.
“In the beginning, community was what made my business and it still does: the people that came in the door each and every day were the locals before online was even a thing.
“Even during the long hard years of drought, they were 100 per cent the reason for my business staying open during these years.
“They are still the pivotal point for my business and what I’m always thankful for first and foremost.
“Then, as you start having a family, they become your safety net, your outlet, your library of knowledge about the new world of newborns and toddlers.
“They are groups of people who work together to ensure our community events continue: they raise funds when it’s needed and they raise awareness where it’s needed.
“Community is why our regional towns exist, but it’s also why we will continue to stay.
“This hall is the perfect example of how a community has banded together to restore a piece of its heritage. And the ongoing work of the Burren Junction CWA and CWAs across the board need to be thanked for the work they do to help our communities.
“So I would like to thank you all for having me today,” concluded Mrs Murray who was given a big round of applause.
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