THE Country Women’s Association (CWA) has for many years performed important roles in Australia’s rural communities.

There is an active CWA Branch in Bulahdelah that has been running for the past 90 years!

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Glenda Bell the Bulahdelah Country Women’s Association’s Publicity Officer told News Of The Area, “Bulahdelah branch of CWA recently celebrated their 90th Birthday with a High Tea.

“Bulahdelah Central School performed some beautiful music and we also enjoyed a slideshow of photos from the past 90 years of CWA Bulahdelah,” she said.

From supporting locals in need and cooking up a storm of scones or creating the perfect cake to win at the Country Show the CWA and its members have always been there.

From small towns to regional centres the CWA plays a vital role connecting the community and tying it together with their very apron strings.

The CWA is also an organisation that advocates for the bush and its people.

Most recently they have been lobbying against ‘zombie’ Petroleum Exploration Licences (PELS) covering valuable agricultural land, saying it was time for confidence to be restored for the people who call these regions home and who relied on the land for their livelihoods.

They are also advocating for safety at railway level crossings.

The CWA is actively working to make positive changes in areas including: advocating for the use of Australian wool insulation products to be used in development and refurbishment of NSW and ACT Public Building and Housing; supporting and advocating for the establishment of the proposed Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy Rewilding of Sydney’s Koalas; advocating for a review of the organ and tissue donation policies in Australia, with consideration of a soft opt-out policy in preference to an opt-in policy, to assist in increasing the rate of organ and tissue donations for all Australians.

They are also actively lobbying the NSW Government to make additional funding available for rural and remote Local Health Districts and action to address the failure of age care service delivery in NSW and for the development of a single co-ordinated mental health service information and referral resource in towns to provide immediate clarity, connection and assistance as part of the overall measures for suicide prevention in communities and to provide sufficient face to face acute psychiatric services to all local health areas, especially those in rural and remote locations.

The reach is large and the association is also actively monitoring and advocating in the instance of, threatened or sudden closure of banking services in rural, regional and remote communities, an issue that is currently impacting Medowie and other local towns.

The CWA’s advocacy doesn’t stop there!

Women living in regional and rural areas can find their local CWA Branch at www.cwaofnsw.org.au.

By Marian SAMPSON