CLOUDS of flour fill the air and laughter echoes throughout the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA) Ekka kitchen whenever Jean Harrop is on the scene.
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The QCWA kitchen is a favourite among showgoers, with Jean’s exceptional scones having earned her the fond title of “scone queen.”
Born in England and immigrating to Australia when she was 27, the QCWA provided Jean with a family far from her own and 56 years later Jean is still a big part of the organisation.
“We left England about 58 years ago and lived in a hostel for the following two years,” Jean said.
“When we came to Australia, my husband, son and I came on our own.
“We had absolutely no one.”
Joining during the inauguration of the Oxley branch – now president of the branch – Jean joked that she hadn’t had a minute to herself since.
“I’ve always worked for charity – as a Lyon and also on my kids’ school committee – and so I have always been part of groups like this,” she said.
“But what I like about QCWA is the incredible friendships you make with the women.”
Jean’s favourite part about the Oxley branch is their 16-strong choir who entertain fortnightly at aged-care residences and hospitals.
“You don’t have to be able to sing, as long as you can hold a tune of course,” Jean said.
“Let’s just say Monday morning choir practice is not serious.”
While the choir is a feast of fun and frivolity, Jean said it does provide a more serious undertone.
“Music, if you are upset, is your best outlet,” she said.
“We are there for each other if anybody has a problem and we work together and have lots of laughs.”
Despite being a self-confessed city girl, Jean feels she has a stronger connection to rural Queensland thanks to her QCWA membership.
“I love Australia and our children always thank us for making the move here, which is reward in itself.”
Jean has been attending the Ekka for the past 10-12 years but says she was only promoted to the revered scone-making position within the last few years.
Regardless of her relatively new ascension into the role, Jean said that while she loves to cook scones, she has no interest in eating them.
“I find making scones kind of therapeutic,” she said.
“I used to love serving in the kitchen, but it is a bit full on as you get older.
“Now I have my nice, quiet little corner out the back here to work.”
This sweet, good-humoured woman was unexpectedly tight-lipped when probed about the esteemed QCWA scone recipe.
“We do have a secret recipe but we don’t tell anybody,” Jean said.
“So I won’t be telling you either.”
Jean did reveal one, and only one tip for novice scone makers across the State, however.
“Scones have to be a little sticky, because if they aren’t they go hard when they are cooked,” she said.
Cooking, sewing, public speaking and floral art competitions mean that QCWA ladies learn a valuable array of skills through their membership.
“We run a lot of craft classes at our branch, and I know most QCWA ladies love to cook.”
Jean said a huge part of the QCWA is assisting charities, whether it be making clothes for babies in New Guinea, or sending birthing kits to East Timor for homeless women.
“That is a very, very rewarding aspect,” she said.
“While every branch doesn’t take part in absolutely everything, we all have a finger in the pie to some degree.”
