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Ms Tol said the sort of activities the local CWA branch hosts may include yoga classes, plant propagation sessions, barista lessons and art classes.<\/p>\n
“We’ve come up with all sorts of things, a first aid session, budgeting and financial management,” she said. “We’re probably a bit of a progressive group and we’ve done some really successful fundraising.<\/p>\n
“Some of the contributions have assisted with establishment of a playground and we’ve sponsored scholarships for youth in the district, things that are significant to the community.”<\/p>\n
The Country Women’s Association of Victoria was formed in March 1928 and today has about 5000 members each belonging to one of 300 branches statewide. There are CWA branches on the outskirts of Ballarat, in the Moorabool, Golden Plains, Hepburn, and Pyrenees regions, and beyond.<\/p>\n
“A number of our members have identified that we are filling a void of loneliness and isolation,” Ms Tol said.<\/p>\n
“I think we’re valuing it more because people are getting a bit swept away with social media these days, and I think a lot of people have lost social confidence post-COVID.<\/p>\n
“We’re offering an engaging, vibrant little group at Waubra. We’re a bunch of go-getters and we love learning new skills. It’s that sense of contributing to community and having fun while you’re doing it.”<\/p>\n
For those who think the CWA may just be what they’re after, Ms Tol suggested hopping online to check out which CWA branch is closest and then sitting in on a couple of meetings to see if the fit is right.<\/p>\n
“The most simple thing is to get on to the Vic CWA webpage and you can pretty much just type in your postcode and your local branch will come up,” she said.<\/p>\n
“There’s also city branches and most branches meet once a month.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOR decades the CWA has been playing an important role in the community, and that role may just be more relevant than ever. Combatting social isolation has recently been identified as a major benefit of joining the iconic country women’s organisation which has been running since 1928 in Victoria, Beaufort Group president Kate Tol said. […]<\/p>\n