Piece of cake: How CWA burned by robbery made a hot return to the Show

The Country Women’s Association sold more than 12,000 scones at this year’s Show, but that wasn’t their most significant accomplishment.

On the final day of this year’s Royal Adelaide Show, the Country Women’s Association’s (CWA) cafe was buzzing.

The association sold 12,644 scones this year – but that wasn’t their most significant accomplishment.

After a man robbed the CWA of $30,000 at last year’s Royal Adelaide Show, creating a safe and enjoyable experience was the top priority for the cafe’s volunteers this year.

CWA ladies Bernadette McNamara from Edwardstown and Sally Lightburn from Murray Town in the Flinders Ranges celebrate baking the last batch of scones in the CWA kitchen during the Royal Show. Picture Mark Brake

Ila Neighbour, a 74-year-old member of the CWA Semaphore branch, said last year’s robbery was very upsetting.

To bolster safety, she said the association hired a security company to handle and move money.

“Unlike last year, the money isn’t kept at the cafe at all times, and we’ve taken extra security measures this year,” she said.

Evelyn Dyer, the 75-year-old chairperson of the South Australian CWA Country Cafe, said that all nine days of the show were highly successful for the CWA.

“Aside from one rainy Thursday, we had long lines outside our doors every day,” she said.

Ms Dyer, a volunteer from Two Wells, has been with the CWA for 22 years.

“We love serving people and helping out. Our cafe offers home-cooked meals in a lovely atmosphere, and people have been enjoying it for the past nine days,” she said.

Both Ms. Dyer and Ms. Neighbour described their nine-day experience at the CWA cafe as “satisfying.”