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The making of the Curtains Perhaps the nucleus of the idea to make the original stage curtains for the Deans Marsh Hall came as early as August 1938, when there was a competition for the best article made from a sugar bag. (Sugar bags were often mentioned in the CWA magazines, Country Crafts - 'Everyone knows the rag rugs made with a foundation of sugar bags, and what things of beauty some of them are. I have seen table cloths and cushion covers made from dyed sugar bags, and the hessian really takes the most beautiful colours. Lots of uses about the house to be made of this lovely material - used as valises, tucker kept in sugar bags when camping). March 1939 the CWA members agreed to commence working on Hall curtains, members to work on squares cut from sugar bags which must be washed and pressed well before starting to work.
July 1946 Ms W Clissold won a competition for a curtain piece (Mrs R Clissold and Mrs A Schram were other prize winners). Then there were negotiations with the Hall Committee to get permission to put the steel rod up for the curtain - this seemed to take some years. In December 1948 the curtains were fully pieced and lined - Mrs Walter Clissold was given a handbag in appreciation of the work she had done in piecing and lining the curtains. (Mrs Clissold unfortunately died in April 1949, before the curtains were hung). It appears that the curtains were finally presented to the Hall Committee and the community at a concert on November 10th 1950 - the minutes are unfortunately silent about the form the concert took.
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Money
from the curtain fund was used in June 1942 to purchase two war
savings certificates. Project went into abeyance during the war
- no further mention until February 1946 when Mrs Walter Clissold
suggested that 'we make an attempt to finish our curtain.' Members
of the Younger Set were asked to help in the making of the curtain,
and Mrs Ramsay visited to encourage the completion of the work and
to show off the Birregurra curtains
