Scones and sympathy: country ways connecting the city

Rebecca Lim taught her friends how to make preserved lemons and kimchi during her father's cancer treatment, and when he passed away, she received support from the same women in the form of care packages, messages, calls, and hugs. The Sydney City Country Women's Association (CWA) branch is a small-town spirit found in the heart of the city, serving as a support network for each other.

The CWA is known for its century of influence across rural Australia, but its city-based members organize fundraisers like school bake sales, farmers market stalls, and sausage sizzles at Bunnings. Regulars visit the CWA not only to buy produce but also for chit-chat and company. As the CWA features in the ABC show Recipe Of The Year, which premieres on Sunday, it highlights the importance of preserving traditional family recipes.

Lim's Korean and Vietnamese dishes, as well as other comforting meals, evoke feelings of home and warmth. Ellice Schrader, the NSW CWA's former chair of land cookery, appears on the show alongside other judges, including television cook Adam Liaw and actor Pia Miranda. Schrader, who is also an official CWA baking competition judge, emphasizes that love matters most in home cooking.

She continues her family's birthday tradition of baking apple pies with the children's initials in the pastry. With about 20,000 members in 1200 branches across Australia, the CWA is attracting a new generation, many of whom joined to learn about preserves and pickles due to the rising cost of living or to take up handicrafts. However, the organization's relevance remains strong, as it continues to provide support, advocacy, and a sense of community for women and children.