The Rankins Springs Branch of ICPA was formed in February 1988, under the direction of the then State President Helen Withers and NSW Councilors Jenny Sheaffe, Margaret McLean and Mitty Davies. Our initial membership was 19 families in 1988 – and over the years our membership grew to 38 families, with our current membership sitting at 31 families. Our boundaries have also expanded to cover the Naradhan, Lake Cargelligo and Weethalle districts as well.
We have always been a very committed and active branch and have sent delegates to almost every State Conference and some Federal Conferences since our inception. With much trepidation and a great deal of help from many people, we co-hosted the 1990 State Conference in Griffith. This proved to be a wonderful learning experience for us all. The support we received from the business houses in Griffith and our Branch members was magnificent. With experience on our side, we again elected to host the Federal Conference in Griffith in 2000. The conference was extremely well supported by other branches and under the direction of our very efficient convenor Jenny Caughey, it was declared a huge success. Rankins Springs ran the raffle when ICPA-NSW State Council hosted the Federal Conference in Sydney in 2006, assisted at the 2012 State Conference that Hay Branch hosted in Griffith, and hosted the 2016 State Conference in Griffith. Rankins Springs has always been very willing to help with the load!
Some of our major concerns and achievements over the years are:
· Lack of boarding facilities for girls in the Riverina region - resulting in the introduction of girls’ boarding facilities (incl some transportable buildings) to Yanco Agricultural High School in 1991. The transportable buildings became permanent buildings in 2024.
· Discrepancy of hours for school assistants between schools of less than 51 and more than 52 students
· Recurrent funding of vehicle replacement for Mobile Pre School units in the Riverina region
· Success in obtaining the Isolated Schools Grant for Rankin's Springs Public School in 1989
· Seat belts on rural school buses
· Number of children required to start a new school bus run
· Flexibility when considering extensions to rural bus runs
· Naradhan satellite internet connection
· Replacing the outdated Private Vehicle Conveyance (PVC) Scheme (now School Drive Subsidy SDS)
· Introduction of a tertiary access allowance for remote students
· Independent Youth Allowance for remote students once they commence university
· Changes to the Assets Test for Independent Youth Allowance recipients
· School Drive Subsidy for preschool students
· Changes to 482 visas so that children of these visa holders can attend NSW public schools fee free
In the early days, all our fundraising was through catering for local events. Our reputation as caterers has continued to grow and we have been very active in this area over the years, catering for Melbourne Cup
luncheons, birthday parties, clearing sales and weddings. The money raised through catering is used to fund delegates’ accommodation, registration and travel to present families’ issues on the conference floor.
Our fundraising continues and once again we collate, package and mail the 'Top Wire' four times per year. Barbara Luelf started the newsletter in 1991 - 1996 when she was on State Council. Jenny Caughey was the editor of the Top Wire from 1999 - 2006 and Kerrie Johnson was the editor from 2015 - 2025. Wendy Anderson and Ellen Walker have acted as Rugby Tops Convenors (now called Merchandise). Barbara Luelf also produced the Mailbox to Megabytes book to capture the history of ICPA and then later took on the role of ICPA-NSW Archivist, which she relinquished in 2017.
The success of our branch can be attributed to the dedication and commitment of our hardworking members and the advice and leadership we have received from those members who have served on State and Federal Councils. Barbara Luelf (as President), Jenny Caughey (as Vice president and Top Wire Editor), Carolyn Groat, Ellen Walker (as Vice President and Treasurer) and Lindy Kitto (as Secretary) have all served on State Council. Barbara Luelf and Dianne Hill served on Federal Council with Barbara serving on both State and Federal councils concurrently. These ladies have brought issues to our attention and encouraged the Rankins Springs branch members to advocate for improving the circumstances of our rural and isolated communities.
Branch Life Members:
Mrs. Jenny Caughey
Mrs. Barbara Luelf
Mrs Ellen Walker
NSW Life Members:
Mrs Barbara Luelf
Mrs Ellen Walker
Updated April 2025
