The pages of ‘Home and Country’ magazine are jam packed with details of talks, demonstrations and classes mostly delivered by members who have generously given their time, shared their knowledge and skills and provided an extraordinary programme of learning for women in communities across the country.   

Recently, volunteer oral historians Maz Thorn and Evelyn Scobie interviewed fellow member Mary Wilson about her involvement in the SWI and the contribution she has made to our educational activities. 

A member of the Powmill Institute for 57 years, Mary is a skilled craftswoman who ran her own curtain making business.  She is also a qualified SWI Judge.  Over the years Mary has given numerous talks and demonstrations on food hygiene and cookery, gardening and dressmaking as well as her passion for raising poultry and show birds.  As Evelyn and Maz discovered, Mary also has a great sense of fun and knows a thing or two about making her presentations engaging and memorable. 

Mary takes up the story: ‘It was billed as “An Evening with Elvis”. I took the cockerel, who was a Blue Cochin. The cochins have feathery feet and he was a very large cockerel and nobody knew just quite what was coming.  So we had the music playing, “Blue Suede Shoes”, and we opened the box and out came Elvis!’ 

Times have certainly changed but one thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication of our volunteer speakers, demonstrators and tutors who just like Mary Wilson do so much to make learning in the SWI such an enlightening and enjoyable experience.   

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