On Sunday, September 21 the Burren Junction School of Arts Hall was brimming with goodness from local gardens for the popular Country Women’s Association’s annual Flower Show and Market Day.
From native blooms to delicate ranunculus, glorious roses and colourful geraniums – the hall looked absolutely fabulous, and its floral fragrance was just as good.
There were also some eye-catching and clever creations in the recycled section as well as stunning photo competition displays. The talented photography entrants not only captured the beauty of classic Burren scenes, such as harvest time, but also some sensational shots from trips away and fantastic profile photos of local characters, adorable children and much-loved pets.
A highlight for attendees was the bright and beautiful entrance wall, bursting with pops of colour thanks to the artworks of Burren Junction Public School students and pre-school children. “Our members were very pleased with the day,” said president of the Burren branch of the CWA Ainsley Brown.
“We had potentially one of the largest numbers of votes for the ‘people’s choice’ photo in recent years, which is just fabulous.
“There were some really great photos this year.”
Tiffany Meers won champion photo, Maggie Powell was awarded champion in the children’s category and Harry Powell received the people’s choice award.
“The standard of our flower entries was very high and considering most of our district had up to 20 millimetres of rain a couple of days before judging, we still had a very good number of entries across all of the categories.
“The Burren School and Pre School children created some absolutely beautiful artworks which made for a stunning entry to our hall.
“Our market stalls seem to get better and better each year and we would like to thank all of our stall holders who made the trip to Burren for the day.”
Sunday’s flower show and market day attracted a crowd from near and far with some flower entrants from Wee Waa and Narrabri and visitors from Newcastle and beyond visiting Burren for the day.
The successful event is a tribute to the dedicated CWA members of the Burren branch and the community volunteers, including the VRA rescue crew, who all rallied to help put on a fun and family friendly event.
For Ainsley, it was the first flower show in her new role as Burren CWA president, and she expressed her sincere thanks to her fellow members and the community for their support.
“Twelve months ago, our branch was in a situation where the committee at the time had done a wonderful job for years and years and it was time to give them a little bit of a break,” said Ainsley, president of the Burren branch of the CWA,
“So, at our annual general meeting in October last year, a number of us put our hands up and said we would be happy to take on the committee roles if the outgoing committee would mentor us along the way which these ladies have done so graciously for us.
”Our next annual general meeting is in a few weeks time and I would encourage anyone who has been thinking about joining the CWA to come along and see what it’s all about. Not only do we meet regularly, we have also hosted children’s art and craft events and the community health nurse visits our rooms.
“I have young children myself so community is very important to me, and I have a few ideas floating around for possible future events that will hopefully come to fruition.
“All ideas are welcome.
“I would like to thank everyone who supported us on Sunday,” said Ainsley.
“Without the support of the wider community, we wouldn’t have successful days like we did on Sunday.
“Our trophy donors, helpers, entrants, judges, market stall holders and the crowd who came out for a look.
“I hope we see you all again at our 2026 Flower Show and Market Day.”
