- Sharing a special bond with her grandma Pammie, Megan Sutton, 30, from Denmark, WA, was heartbroken knowing her daughter, Pearl would miss out on the generations of love.
- Teaming up with her local CWA, Megan founded Nanna’s Next Door – a way for mums to turn to other women with a wealth of life experience.
- Pearl, now 18 months old, has a whole family of Nannas!
Here Megan tells her story in her own words.
Sitting on my grandma’s knee, I listened as she told me a story.
‘Then all the fairies flew out from their homes in the trees…,’ she regaled.
Her name was Pamela, but I called her Grandma Pammie, and she was the best storyteller.
From a small country town called Denmark in WA, and being an only child, to me family meant everything.
Though I was close to all my grandparents, Grandma Pammie – my mum Tanya’s mother – was the apple of my eye.
Our bond never wavered. Grandma Pammie was as soft as a cushion but also as tough as nails.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, she put up one hell of a fight, but it kept rearing its ugly head.
‘I’ll come and look after you,’ I promised as she faced another round of chemo in 2018, when I was 23.
Moving into Grandma Pammie’s home, I took her to hospital appointments, kept her company and helped her to get dressed and look her best.
Then in 2022, when she had regained some strength, I made a suggestion.
‘Let’s join the Country Women’s Association,’ I said, encouraging her to get out and socialise.
She agreed so we went along. Walking in, we saw a group of smiling women sitting at a table sorting toys donated for sick kids at the hospital.
Talking to the ladies, I soon realised the CWA was so much more than its stereotype of old women crocheting over a cuppa and slice of Victoria sponge cake.
Formed in 1922 for rural women fighting isolation and a lack of health facilities, the CWA evolved into the largest women’s organisation in Australia.
The women lobbied for change, organised community events and fundraisers, provided a network of support to empower, as well as educating and teaching the community skills.
Enjoying that visit so much, I joined. Pammie and Mum did too.
In November 2023, I gave birth to a baby girl, who I named Pearl Pamela, after my Grandma.
The CWA ladies adored her, but no-one doted on my girl more than Mum and, of course, her namesake.
With Grandma Pammie frail and fragile, we put a pillow on her lap so she could cradle Pearl.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Grandma beamed.
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Heartbreakingly, in December 2023, when Pearl was just six weeks old, Grandma Pammie lost her battle with breast cancer, aged 76.
‘She held on just so she could meet you,’ I whispered to Pearl.
While the loss of Grandma Pammie left a gaping hole in my heart, I felt blessed to have had such a magical relationship with her.
I vowed my daughter would make the same cherished memories with her elders, too.
It gave me an idea.
‘Seeing different generations mingle and form connections is so heartwarming,’ I told Mum.
‘I’m going to host a monthly playgroup that brings together old and young – so they can bond, learn from one another and share intergenerational experiences.’
‘What a wonderful idea,’ Mum replied.
At the next CWA meeting I brought up my proposal.
Explaining it’d be a great way for mums to turn to other women who had a wealth of life experience for advice, I said it was also a fantastic way for the generations to gain an appreciation for each other.
After a resounding thumbs-up, I was granted use of the CWA hall as a venue, and by word of mouth and posters news of my playgroup – that I named Nannas Next Door – spread.
In August 2024, we held our first event and I was stoked when 12 mums, bubs, toddlers and nannas came in.
It was a joy to see older ladies cooing over kids, as nannas and mums nibbled on biccies and exchanged yarns.
‘I’ve never felt so full of energy,’ one CWA lady said afterwards.
The following Nannas Next Door meet was just as successful. I watched as two tots squealed with delight when they recognised one of the CWA women from the previous gathering.
Their little legs bolting as fast as they could towards her, she swooped them up.
One lady roared with laughter when the children insisted on having a ride on her walker, and she gently pushed them around.
It was equally rewarding to see mums turning to motherly figures for help and guidance on all aspects of life.
Nans to the rescue, I grinned.
The nannas also reaped the benefits.
‘I’ve been lonely and felt useless for so long,’ one said, revealing her children were grown up and overseas.
The Country Women’s Association is more than a not-for-profit organisation in Australia, it is the lifeblood of so many rural, regional and remote communities. The first association was formed in New South Wales in April 1992, and by the mid-1930s there was associations in every state and territory across the country. Powerful advocates for the bush, the communities sole mission is to improve the lives of women, children, families and communities in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia by lobbying government on key agenda issues, fundraising and teaching life skills. For many country women, the community is a source of social interaction and friendship. Today the CWA the largest women’s organisation in the nation.
What is the Country Women’s Association (CWA)?
‘Now I have something to look forward to each month.’
And the group was wonderful for kids whose grandparents were no longer alive.
Operating on gold coin donations, I’m stoked by its popularity.
In the future, I’d love to see all CWAs offer a similar service.
Pearl, now 18 months, still loves going to Nannas Next Door.
When I tell people about Nannas Next Door, their faces light up.
‘What a wonderful idea to bring generations together in such a fun and fulfilling way,’ people say.
I completely agree and I know my Grandma Pammie would, too.
