Mypolonga CWA branch faces its biggest challenge yet

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One of the Country Women’s Association’s few remaining branches in the Murraylands is at risk of closing unless more new members join up, a member has warned.

Janelle Traeger has been part of the Mypolonga CWA for more than 30 years, having joined after marrying into the district.

At that time, the group had 20 or 30 members who met in the supper room at the back of the Mypo Institute, where they planned bake sales and clearance sales to raise money for the community.

That was the excuse for their get-togethers, anyway.

“It’s not just about scones and cups of tea, and sitting around chatting and knitting – (though) we’re sometimes called the Chin Waggers’ Association,” Ms Traeger said with a laugh.

“Even though it doesn’t necessarily have a big presence in communities, it’s there as a place to go.

“A bit of fundraising here and there … that’s what we’d mostly do, and then the money that we’d give goes back to the local community – like the CFS, football clubs, the history group and those sorts of things.”

The CWA could be a channel for advocacy by country women, too.

“There is a committee that you can put forward things, and then they have a bit of a way of saying to the government, ‘Hey, this is happening out in this area, rather than within the confines of Adelaide – can something be done about it?” she said.

“Sometimes those sorts of things work.”

The problem was, it was hard to built any kind of momentum when just three members were left at the branch.

Age and lifestyle changes had forced members to move away or leave the association, and numbers had dwindled.

The same challenges had confronted many CWA branches around South Australia, Ms Traeger said, including those at Murray Bridge and Jervois, or further afield at Karoonda, Coomandook and Langhorne Creek.

She recognised that the Mypo branch would need to become something new if it was to attract a new generation of women.

For one thing, its meetings would need to be held at a time that could fit with people’s other commitments.

“If you look at the young people who come to the area, come to Mypo, they’re either married with young kids – and the kids are their priority – or they work, and they’re in and out,” she said.

“And there are so many other associations and football clubs and netball clubs and that sort of thing; they’ve all got little bits and pieces where they give their time to.”

Change was something the CWA women were willing to embrace.

The only other option would be closure, which would be a shame with the branch’s 80^th birthday coming up in the next 12 months.

“If people said, ‘Hey, we’re interested in doing it’, my idea is to look at the future direction it will go,” Ms Traeger said.

“I’d like to step back and do other things, but also help in a way.”

• Express an interest in joining: Contact Janelle Traeger by emailing jaygee@mypolonga.com.au or calling 8535 4290.
• More information: www.sacwa.org.au.