Relocating from Victoria to Queensland when her eldest child was just six weeks old, Alison Huth was determined to meet new people. She chose playgroup as a conduit to finding her new community. With her enthusiasm, her administrative skills and her inherent desire to volunteer, Alison’s first experience as a playgroup mum transformed into one in which those skills and qualities were put to best use.
Those early playgroup experiences quickly led to Alison volunteering as Contact Person for the group. Her belief in the benefit of playgroup was firmly established and joining the Board was a natural progression.
"It was purely about connecting with other people and finding out that you are actually doing an okay job ... talking to other mothers was just a good way to learn how to be a mum.
After I became a Contact Person, I went to a couple of Association meetings and volunteered to go on the Board. I very happily became President. I discovered that I quite like running meetings and public speaking."
Alison had the pleasure of seeing the expansion of the Association by the appointment of the first Development Officers and also the honour, as President, of introducing the first computer to the office in 1987.
"I remember when we bought in the electric golf ball typewriters and how amazing that was - you could take a golf ball out and put another one in and it gave us a different typeface ... It was extraordinary after what we called the ‘sit up and beg typewriters’. The staff were happy to stick with the golf balls but I said, ‘Come on, let’s move on’, and they made the switch very easily ... There was no reason to not move forward with the times, the whole organisation and the people there were interested in and excited by new things. It was good to move forward."
With a progressive mindset and with the availability of additional funding in sight, Alison also initiated the move to affiliate with the Playgroup Council of Australia. After the initial concerns regarding autonomy and governance were resolved, PAQ joined the national body.
"I thought, ‘They have a pile of money they are sharing out’. So, I invited us down to join it and I went to the national meeting in Adelaide [1987]. I met a lot of very like-minded women and we had a lovely time ... Joining the national body was good for playgroup at that point. That’s what any organisation should do, go with the way it needs to operate at that time. After that, Queensland hosted the national meetings a few times and I was invited to chair the national meetings three times in Queensland, and I came back to do it after my time with playgroup had ended."
In the last year of Alison’s Presidency, with no children then attending playgroup, Alison confesses to borrowing her goddaughter as her playgroup child to ensure she could continue in her role. Her dedication extended beyond that year; as well as returning for national meetings after leaving PAQ, Alison also returned for Annual General Meetings to help enthuse others to join the committee. Part of the challenge for those of us who were enthusiastic was to enthuse the apathetic ones.
"It’s amazing, if you create an enthusiastic environment, how people do choose to become involved. So, you had to make it fun to be part of everything and people would happily join. Making it fun was certainly on Alison’s agenda throughout her time with playgroup, and as she reflects on those years, her enthusiasm is still palpable today. I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that playgroups are more for the mums than they are for the children ... I simply loved playgroup for what it did for me, what it did for my kids and for what it could do for everyone who was part of it. Trying to share the benefit of playgroup far and wide was why I was so happy to be involved."
Times were changing, and with continued developments in child care, mothers were embracing increased opportunity to move into paid work. Playgroups were no longer providing for mothers alone; more and more fathers were attending playgroups with their children. In 1987, the Association welcomed Bob Turner of Mackay, as Zone Coordinator, the first male to hold such a position. Bob wrote in Playtimes, “I would like to foster a greater participation of males within the groups, this would include husbands and single fathers, like myself.” The following year, another father was added to the list of Zone Coordinators.
Partnering with key organisations was also broadening and now extended to child safety. Child Protection Week in 1987 was the brainchild of the Protect All Children Today organisation (PACT), with support from the Queensland Centre for Child Abuse. Events promoted the importance of preventing child abuse and included participation from PAQ, the Safety House Association of Queensland, the Save the Children Fund and the Protective Behaviours Consultancy Group (QLD). The Development Officers were also partnering with various early childhood and health agencies to determine needs and provide support, reaching out to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, socio-economically disadvantaged areas consultation with community service agencies, the C&K, preschool and childcare groups, as well as state and federal ministers led to increased respect and recognition for the organisation.
PAQ partnered with the C&K to provide and promote state-wide activities during Australia’s 1988 bicentennial year and the Association’s 15th birthday celebrations. Local playgroups and kindergartens were encouraged to combine and celebrate the milestone of 15 years of successful collaboration during August’s Party Week. An extended bicentennial edition of Playgroup magazine also included contributions from the C&K, such was the valued partnership. President Alison Huth wrote:
"In 1973, the Creche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland gave practical, moral and physical support to a fledgling organisation of parents and their young children. Fifteen years later this fledgling organisation is a strong, vibrant part of nearly every community in Australia … Our Association has come a long way but our basic aims have not changed." (Playgroup, issue 3, 1988)
The organisation of professional concerts and appearances also developed during PAQ’s second decade, such as musical artist Patsy Biscoe touring locations across Central and Southern Queensland in 1991. Toy libraries in areas where the concerts were held benefitted from $10,000 of profit for new equipment. Meanwhile, commitment to parent education continued. The library of parenting and child development books and videos was updated and developed, while a range of guest speakers were invited to playgroups, seminars and workshops, including the popular paediatrician and author, Dr Chris Green. It was also recognised that modes of parent communication were outdated and in April 1992, a free bi-monthly newspaper replaced both the purchasable magazine and regular free newsletters.
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