CWA State President Joy Beames gives her address at the opening ceremony. Photo: Supplied.
There is something about the Country Women’s Association (CWA) that you may not know: the undeniable trend of members who joined after encouragement from family and loved ones.
Hundreds of women have gathered in Wagga this week for the CWA’s annual conference, including Audrey Hardman, who has links to the very beginning of the organisation formed to improve conditions for rural women and their families.
“My mother-in-law (Lillian Hardman) was at the first (CWA) conference in Sydney in 1922,” Mrs Hardman said.
“(She) actually gave me my first membership when I got married in April 1959, and she said, ‘This will be the best gift I will ever give you’ and she was right,” Mrs Hardman said.
Audrey Hardman is New South Wales’ longest serving CWA member, chalking up 66 years.
CWA’s longest serving members in NSW (from left) Audrey Hardman, Patrisha Hurley, and Margaret Smith. Picture: Marguerite McKinnon.
Of those 66 years, Mrs Hardman attended 64 annual conferences; the two she missed were due to the birth of one of her children on the opening day in Broken Hill that year; and last year, when Audrey missed the conference to care for her beloved husband, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago.
Impeccably groomed, and revered among her peers, Mrs Hardman’s warm smile paused at the thought of her loss, but with true country stoicism, she owned her elegance and focussed on why she loves the CWA.
“I’m very interested in the debate section,” Mrs Hardman said. “I think the influence with government, the fact we have people from all over the state representing approximately 400 branches, and we have to have (a minimum of) 57 per cent of those branches here, and we have over 60 per cent attending.
“I like the friendship and the fellowship and the fact that women of all ages and all backgrounds, financial backgrounds and religious backgrounds, can come along.
“We have boards covering handicrafts, and cooking, and agriculture, and international work. Or if you just want to go along and be with friends and have a cup of tea or coffee and have a gossip around the washing up, you can. It’s wonderful ,” she said.
This week’s CWA 103rd Annual Conference in Wagga Wagga, attended by more than 600 women. Picture: Marguerite McKinnon
Patrisha Hurley lives on property 100 km west of Condobolin and belongs to the Myamley Branch of the Oxley Group.
“Ive been a member (of the CWA) for 60 years,” Mrs Hurley said. “I had aunts and so on who asked me to join our little Myamley branch.
“It has evolved slowly over these years, and I think very carefully. We don’t jump in and make decisions quickly. We research motions in our branches before they get to the conference, and we have a lot of success,” Mrs Hurley said.
Like Patrisha and Audrey, Margaret Smith is another treasured CWA member and a former Country Woman of the Year, which gives the winner a trip overseas to meet other like-minded women groups.
“I’m now based near Camden but my CWA life started in Wallendbeen, between Cootamundra and Young,” Mrs Smith said.
“Mum was a member of the CWA but never got too involved as my dad was a country bank officer and we moved too often, but when I got married my mother-in-law signed me up to the local branch in 1968, and I’ve been a member ever since,”she said.
Ask any CWA woman and they’ll tell you the question people ask them the most. Mrs Smith said it’s a long-held stereotype.
“People say, ‘Oh you must be a good cook!’,” Mrs Smith said. “I’m not a good cook. At all!” she said with a laugh.
Third-generation CWA member Toni Nugent is one of the conference’s key organisers. Picture: Marguerite McKinnon.
And at this conference, there is a sense of celebration of the impact these amazing women are having on our community, and building lifelong connections.
Key organiser of this week’s event and President of the Uranquinty Evening Branch Toni Nugent praised the more than 700 women members who travelled from across NSW and the ACT to attend the conference.
“We have a record 36 motions brought to this conference that cover a huge array of topics like women’s health, telecommunications, agriculture, and reducing food waste,” Toni said.
“If these motions are passed at this conference, they will become CWA policy and then our executive will work with whichever government as we are apolitical, and hopefully we create action.”
Toni is a proud third-generation CWA member.
“My grandmother was a state president in the 80s and she got my mum involved, and Mum’s held lots of positions like Group President and International Officer, and she was part of the larger World CWA and held a position as South Pacific Area President for a number of years,” Toni said.
“It was always a joke in my family that I didn’t really have a choice. I was always going to be tied up with the CWA!” she said.
The Country Women’s Association of New South Wales 103rd Annual General Meeting has been held all this week, and concludes today (22 May).
To find out more about the CWA, and membership, visit its website.
