Drouin CWA

The month of May, which ended with the CWA state conference in Bendigo, was a very busy one for the Drouin branch.

The branch hosted the annual casserole dinner and also opened its club rooms during the heritage week event in Drouin - Open House Drouin.

The guest speaker at the casserole tea was West Gippsland Trade Training Alliance project manager Rod Dunlop, a project of which Baw Baw Skills Centre is part.

Skill shortages in the West Gippsland area recognised were plumbing, electrical, carpentry, automotive, horticulture, dairy/agriculture, hospitality and also hands on courses for years 10 and 11 students in hairdressing and horse studies.

The installation of the most up to date equipment was met through generous sponsorships and the co-operation of Registered Training Organisation partners.

Video conferencing enables the delivery of live practical training in each of the trade areas to anywhere in the world with focus across Gippsland.

The benefits of this are courses can be run for small classes, both near and far, and the capacity to record up to 800 hours content which can also be used for staff development, VCE subjects and Baw Baw Shire staff.

This year Federation University came on board. Two days per week a Bachelor of Arts degree course is offered to mature age students.

It is hoped that 2016 will see the introduction of Dairy and Agriculture programs.

An added bonus was the talk given by an American teacher trainee from Kansas University who had accompanied Mr Dunlop to the dinner.

Dana was one of three young people attached to schools in the area. She outlined some of the differences and similarities in training and method procedures when the two colleges are compared.

Dana felt she had benefitted from the experience and is now an Anzac biscuit and golden syrup dumpling addict.

She was presented with a CWA cookbook, which contained these recipes.

For Open House Drouin, a small committee had worked very hard to show the contribution the branch has made locally since its inception 76 years ago.

It has the honour of being the longest community service club in Drouin.

The displays featured kitchen utensils and gadgets from the 1930s and 40s; beautifully embroidered, crocheted and knitted articles from the era; continuous slide show of events and achievements over the years and vintage clothes (in the early years women really dressed up for meetings - hats and gloves included).

A traditional afternoon tea was served and also current CWA recipe books were sold. “My grandmother/my mother/even my great grandmother had one of those,” was a well-heard comment.

The event was so successful that the branch had more than 200 visitors view the displays including enquiries in regards to membership from several people.

The theme for the state conference, which 800 women attended, was community, connectedness and creativity.

The quality and content of the guest speakers’ addresses all featured examples of how these aims can be achieved.

Guest speakers included Beyond Blue ambassador Jeff Kennet , Cameroon immigrant Dr Mimmie Claudine Ngum Watts, who has a doctorate in women’s health, and world president of Associated Country Women of the World - Projects for Women around the World - CWA Ruth Shanks.

All local, state and national branches are affiliated members and contribute to this organisation.

The Drouin branch meet on the second Monday of the month in its clubrooms, Sinclair St, Drouin.

New members welcome.