THE CWA’S LAST STAND
WOMEN WANTED TO JOIN THE FUN!
EACH week a 30-strong group of wise Gold Coast women get together in an unassuming Mermaid Beach house and get busy. They are keeping the once-powerful Country Women’s Association alive, knitting and sewing gifts for hospital patients along with indulging in a healthy dose of hot drinks, banter and baked goods. Joan Parker, 80, welcomes new members: “Someone has to learn the talents we have. We are all going to die out – let’s face it.”
A LITTLE white house with a navy roof and brick chimney sits lonely among the multimillion-dollar mansions of Mermaid Beach.
From the outside, the building casts a dreary shadow. Paint is chipping away and the guttering needs replacing.
Inside, however, is a labyrinth of laughter and chatter as up to three dozen wise women congregate for a weekly catch-up.
“Tea or coffee?” one member asks within seconds of my entering the building.
Some of the 30 self-titled “Mermaids” are in the kitchen preparing morning tea. Others chat while knitting or sewing gifts for hospital patients. The laughter is loud.
“Are you sure I can’t get you tea or coffee?,” another Mermaid asks. It is a question to be repeated another four times in the course of the morning.
The request is interrupted by a ringing of a bell. Branch president Jan Woolmer has called for attention.
There is a new lady in the house and she needs to be introduced properly. The laughter and chatter is like a tap, turned off with seconds and replaced by silence.
Number 43 Ventura Road was the lifeblood of the coastal town almost 60 years ago when it was heaving as branch headquarters of the Country Women’s Association.
The little white house was a powerhouse haven where the city’s real leaders – female movers and shakers and the wives and sisters of politicians, business boffins and sporting champions – gossiped and pulled the strings from afar.
The CWA in Mermaid Beach was built in 1962 and today is still one of the biggest blocks of land on the street, valued at $2.6m.
The association was down to just one member eight years ago, when the Bulletin drove a campaign to continue the tradition.
That last member Denise Blyth knocked on every house on the street.
The following week, dozens of women, young and old, flooded the door and joined.
One of them was 80-yearold Joan Parker.
“I joined because I’ve always loved craft,” she says.
“(My) six grandchildren had all grown up and weren’t needing me anymore.
“They (the CWA) were in danger of folding (in 2012), and after a letter drop I came along and have been there ever since.”
Mrs Parker says it was only recently that she realised how much she needs CWA and how much the community needs the help.
“I didn’t realise what it meant to me until just recently when we thought we might not be able to continue because we couldn’t get a committee.
“I missed the company. I just like a cup of tea and a chat. I think my husband (of 60 years) was happy to have me out of the house.”
In its heyday, the Mermaid Beach CWA had as many as 60 members. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, however, the branch has faced another struggle.
The former committee packed up and left, leaving an uncertain future for the club.
“I put my hand up to do it because someone had to,” Mrs Woolmer says.
“No one wanted to do it anymore. But I can’t drive. I can’t get to the QCWA meetings in Brisbane. And I don’t know how to use the internet or email.”
Now the club has 32 members and the Mermaids meet at 9.30am sharp every Wednesday. They will jokingly scold you if you are late.
The members come from all walks of life. One worked in the air force; another in the makeup and beauty industry.
CWA Mermaid Beach is
desperate for more members, especially younger women – teens, mums with bubs or those simply with free time.
“Unfortunately, with this generation, everyone has to work,” Mrs Parker says.
“Someone has to learn the talents we have. We are all going to die out – let’s face it. They need to get off their bottom and learn how to do it.”
Mrs Woolmer promises to exchange the knowledge that she has amassed over decades of change for online education, as she is “computer illiterate”.
“We are always open, especially for young women who would like to learn aspects of knitting and general house maintenance and cooking,” she says.
“It means a fellowship for women of all ages, helping each other.
“In the early days we were very politically minded. We had a lot of things passed through government. It was basically started to help country women, but now it’s every woman.
“We supply a lot of things to Gold Coast hospitals – bags for the drainage bags, beanies for mainly the men’s oncology ward and for the homeless.
“We do little octopuses for premmie babies. Turbans for the oncology ward, blankets for dementia patients, weighted blankets for people who have disabilities.
“There are a lot of different things we’re asked for and we try to accommodate. We always try to help.”
Everything they make and donate comes from their own pockets. Bragging and self-gratitude never pass their lips.
“It’s a good social group,” CWA assistant treasurer Carol Hall, 75, says.
“We are from all different walks of life.
“Some people think CWA is little old ladies sitting around having scones and tea and coffee. We do all that but here on the Gold Coast we’re a bit more modern.
“Everyone who comes here will certainly learn something and we can learn from them.
“I’d like to learn about the internet. We feel like we could advertise more.”
Despite the speed of technology and great change in society since they were teenagers, the Mermaids are not as far removed from today’s generation as they think.
When asked for a group photo, one member panics and asks: “Do I need to wear lipstick?”
Without a selfie stick in sight, another cheekily says: “I want you to use the skinny lens – make me look like a size 10.”
CWA Mermaid Beach is located at 43 Ventura Road. Membership is $75.68 for the year from July 1 to June 30, 2021. Contact 07 5679 3972.