Workforce hits CWA

By Shaun Inguanzo
GENERATIONS of women in the workforce are leading to the demise of one of Greater Dandenong’s most iconic community service groups.
The Country Women’s Association (CWA) is teetering on the brink of extinction in Greater Dandenong due to declining membership.
Its members have been a pillar of support to the community for more than 70 years, but ageing members are now witnessing the CWA’s strength crumble as older members pass away and the organisation struggles to attract younger women.
The Noble Park and Dandenong CWA groups this week said their survival was under threat because more women were in the workforce as opposed to the early 1900s when CWA was formed.
Both groups are rethinking their membership strategies in a bid to attract women with spare time on their hands to the CWA.
A membership drought led to the Springvale CWA folding in 2004, and was a driving reason behind Greater Dandenong Council’s attempt to force Dandenong CWA to share a meeting room with a senior citizens’ group earlier this year.
Noble Park CWA member of 18 years and former president Yvonne Smith said: “To be honest, I think there is going to be a struggle to keep memberships going. The CWA attracts older people while the younger ladies are tied up working or running the kids back and forth to school and other activities.”
The membership shortage has left Greater Dandenong’s only two CWA groups with just over 70 members between them.
But Ms Smith said Noble Park CWA would do anything it could to avoid dying off.
She anticipated smaller clubs would condense into larger clubs over the next 10 years.
Dandenong CWA treasurer Marilyn Hester said current members would battle for CWA’s survival, just as the group had battled for the community over the past 73 years.
“You have got to think back to when CWA started in Dandenong 73 years ago,” she said.
“Dandenong was in the country then, but now it has become the city.” Back then it was basically women getting together and sharing talents, and I think that is where membership has now dropped away.”
Ms Hester said the branch would set up a stall at Dandenong Library in coming months to perform craftwork and attract new members to its ranks. But she agreed the challenge would be a daunting one.
She said the group was hoping to attract recently retired or widowed women.
“We are after women who want to find extra things to do,” she said.