Elections are held every year for the positions on the Executive Committee with members serving a two-year term in office. We have had 32 presidents since the Guild’s convening in 1965.
- Jean Lange (convener) (1963 – 1965)
- Betty Haughey (1965 – 1966)
- Gertrude Siegele OBE (1966 – 1968)
- Jean Lange (1968 – 1970)
- Margaret Wilkinson (1970 – 1972)
- Eileen Campbell (1972 – 1973)
- Betty Haughey (1973 – 1974)
- Muriel Hill (1974 – 1976)
- Peg Saddler (1976 – 1978)
- Noel Shepherdson (1978 – 1980)
- Maureen Holbrook (1980 – 1982)
- Betty Gregory (1982 – 1984)
- Eva Chambers (1984 – 1986)
- Peg Saddler (1986 – 1988)
- Glenda Lawrie (1988 – 1989)
- Jean Rawnsley (1989 – 1991)
- Eleanor Adams (1991 – 1993)
- Ann Hetzel (1993 – 1995)
- Jennifer Beale (1995 – 1997)
- Gay Sanderson (1997 – 1999)
- Patricia LePlastrier (1999 – 2001)
- Jenny Macintosh (2001 – 2003)
- Gwenellen Deare (2003 – 2005)
- Dianne Fisher (2005 – 2007)
- Jenny Macintosh (2007 – 2009)
- Estelle Farwell (2009 – 2011)
- Patricia Beaven (2011 – 2013)
- Arrienne Wynen (2013 – 2015)
- Vivienne Pring (2015 – 2017)
- Joylene Smart (2017 – 2019)
- Kerry Sanders (2019 – 2021)
- Mary Hall (2021 – 2025)
I have been the president for four years. It is an interesting position to hold. The opportunities to meet so many members and others involved in the world of textile arts are very rewarding. To function and run the Guild well, we need a good team of people on the committee. Every Executive Committee meeting, we cover a wide range of topics. Finances and fund-raising, property management, appeasing the government gods of administration, education, ways of promoting the Guild, sorting legal issues, illegal parking, documentation to appease the gods of administration, plans for 2025 and the list goes on. My committee have been on the ball. We’ve managed to cover this diverse range of topics in two hours. Thank you to them all for their wealth of knowledge and skills and for being so efficient.
Mary Hall, Former Guild President (2021 – 2025)
I’ve had the opportunity to attend many functions organised by the various branches around the state. There have been exhibitions, regional conferences and the state conference. The members are very talented embroiderers. They are generous with their skills and knowledge, sharing them with fellow members, thereby spreading the beauty of embroidery.
The Guild is actively involved in getting out into the community to raise our profile. Fibre Feast, working with some university students studying costume design, stitching in Adelaide Arcade, Craft Alive and Fibre and Fleece are just some of those events. The barbecue at Bunnings is another way to do this as are our exhibitions whether they be in the city or regional areas. The Garage Sale and the Stash Sales are important, too. Not only do they raise our profile, but they are important fundraising events. Be ready for a callout to support these events. The public are interested in what we do.
This reminds me of the “Iceberg Effect”. Behind these events are groups of members busily organising them for you and the public. I am eternally grateful to these people. How can you help to run the Guild?
Our sixtieth anniversary celebrations were very successful, again, thanks to a hard-working committee. The little treats at General Meetings, the Candle Project and the Luncheon all went off very well indeed.
Many thanks to all those members who have helped me in my role as president.
We owe the original pioneering members a huge amount of thanks for the legacy they have created as they firmly established the foundations of the guild we have today. May we continue to enjoy all that The Embroiderers’ Guild of South Australia Inc has to offer, now and far into the future.
