THE CWA COMES TO COLLINGWOOD
We are proud to be one of the newest branches of the Victorian CWA, forming late 2016. We love new members.
We meet together regularly to support our community, enjoy friendship and hone our crafts. Our members have already joined the ranks of CWA prize winners for outstanding cooking, knitting and crafts!
At our meetings, we share home cooked treats and craft skills, and we lend our support to local community issues. We are champions of the CWA’s progressive social agenda.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we live and meet. We pay respect to them for their care of the land over countless generations. We hope they will walk with us on our journey as we share friendship together.
In all we do, Collingwood Branch tries to be guided by the last line of the Collect that we read at the beginning of every meeting:
And let us not forget to be kind…
COLLINGWOOD CWA SUPPORTS MANY IMPORTANT LOCAL ISSUES:
- Social inclusion is important to us and we actively supported marriage equality, implementing the resolution made at the 2017 CWA State Conference.
- We support local initiatives to assist refugees, and women and children affected by family violence.
- We are very concerned about the climate emergency and support action on climate change. We have a big focus on living more sustainably and we’re researching, trialling and sharing practical ways to go plastic free. This year we are also interested in learning more about the crisis facing our foodbowls and what we can do to help protect farmers’ livelihoods and agricultural land as it comes under increasing pressures.
- We provide “Handmade with Love” hampers of welcome gifts to local vulnerable people settling into stable housing.
- We actively support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the campaign for a First Nation’s Voice: Put it to the People.
- Our ‘Barn Yarns’ on Sunday afternoons over afternoon tea by the fire in the farm barn, get locals together to talk about things such as sustainable fashion, a local food share, and animal welfare.
- We run cake stalls at the local Bunnings, but our big annual fundraiser is the Winter Solstice Bonfire at the Collingwood Children’s Farm where we sell hundreds of homemade cupcakes and chocolate crackles.
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At SisterWorks holding a knitting and crochet workshop…
We’ve recently taken up a community garden plot at the Collingwood Children’s Farm to grow, cook and preserve with our neighbours and other community organisations.
We meet at the Collingwood Library in the cooler months and in the summer at the old farmhouse at the front gate of the Collingwood Children’s Farm during the daylight saving months.
We warmly invite local women of all ages to join us at our meetings on Monday evenings 6:00-8:00pm.
WHAT IS THE CWA?
“The Country Women’s Association of Victoria, Inc. is an organisation for country and city women living in Victoria and bordering towns. It is a vibrant Association aiming “to improve conditions by community service more especially as they affect the welfare of women and children”.
The CWA is a self-funded volunteer philanthropic organisation with a focus on friendship, personal development and advocacy. The Association encourages advocating on: community issues; sustainable development and the protection of the environment; and social issues. The CWA also encourages supporting community and taking an interest in the workings of government at all levels. It awards educational grants and scholarships. The CWA was formed on 12 March 1928 and today boasts over 5,600 members. Each member belongs to one of 320 branches state-wide that maintains its own program and is empowered to meet community needs. We are also a member of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), which has non-government organisation status with several United Nations agencies.
“Part of a worldwide network of city and rural women supporting women, children and families”
Collingwood CWA 