Sir,

I can't let the recent death of Mrs Jess Kerr go by without publicly acknowledging the debt Moss Vale owes to her.

For many years she seemed to represent the CWA.

Our CWA Hall was there when there were not many other meeting places in Moss Vale and I used to regularly go there to the monthly meetings of the show society.

The Baby Health Centre was held weekly in their premises, as baby health was a CWA responsibility in any country town.

Jess seemed to be the woman responsible for letting or cleaning, as she lived close by in Kirkham Street.

When the Lions Club opened the Lions Park in Bowral one Saturday afternoon many moons ago, the Lions-donated Wollongong Blood Bank Bus came up for the occasion.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Blood Bank folk were shown the "new" casualty at the Berrima District Hospital.

Subsequently, the Blood Bank came regularly to Bowral, Moss Vale, Mittagong, Berrima Gaol, SPC and other places.

In Moss Vale, the venue chosen was the CWA rooms and Jess was the chosen overseer.

Traditionally, the Red Cross had hosted the Blood Bank but in Moss Vale the CWA always looked after them.

Jess usually had an offsider, often the late Mrs Clarrie Ellis, and they offered drinks and refreshments to the donors. She usually had homemade scones.

She always fed the staff from the Blood Bank, lunch and morning and afternoon tea, and it was a typical CWA homemade fare.

The sisters, nurses and Errol (the driver) certainly looked forward to it, and I think it was an enticement to go on the Moss Vale trip.

Later, the Blood Bank donors had to go to Bowral to donate, where the Red Cross women looked after us. We sure missed Jess' homemade scones.

Jess' son, Gordon Sweetman, still looks after me at the Moss Vale Show, where he is the steward for the honey section in the pavilion, and follows after his mother's example.

I didn't know his father but Jess' second husband was Bert Kerr, a former builder.

When I knew him, he had the "rights" at the tip so, like us all, he always brought home more than he took, only more so.

I could always find something recyclable at his place.

We will miss the likes of Jess. Thanks from all us old donors.

Dr John Roche

Moss Vale