WI more than tea and cakes

CELEBRATE: Members of the Waingawa branch of the Country Women's Institute - Faye Taplin, longest serving member of 62 years; Jean Millar, the oldest member at 93, and president Joyce Greig - cut the club's 70th birthday cake.PHOTO: LYNDA FERINGA / WTA270314LFCAKE

The Waingawa branch of the Country Women's Institute is celebrating 70 years of knitting needles, collection buckets and cups of tea this week - but wouldn't mind some new members to keep it going for another 70.

The club celebrated its platinum anniversary with a party at the Cosmopolitan Club on Thursday, which was attended by 56 members, past and present.

Member Faye Taplin, who was MC at the anniversary event, said the Waingawa branch has 22 current members, but could certainly do with a few more younger members.

"It does get more difficult to keep the Country Women's Institute groups going, as the younger women have different lifestyles to 70 years ago," said Mrs Taplin, who, with 62 years in the branch, is Waingawa's longest-serving member.

"A lot of the young women are working these days. We do have a 50-year-old - and we call her our 'young one'.

"We'd still love to hear from any younger people who are interested."

The branch mainly devotes itself to community service - such as making knitted items for Wairarapa Hospital, helping out at the SPCA and assisting with charity collections, such as for the Red Cross and the Cancer Society.

"It's not all tea and cakes," said Mrs Taplin, who was "rapt" with the celebration, which had attendees from Tauranga, Feilding, Lower Hutt and Otaki.