For more than 70 years, the Country Women’s Association of Kiama has been a hub for community gatherings, high teas and charitable work. 

But the local branch faces an unexpected upheaval: their longtime home has been sold, leaving the group to find a new base.

CWA Kiama president Cheryl Pearce said the situation has been complicated and frustrating. 

“We’re not entirely sure when everything has to be out,” she said. 

“I rang state office, but they’ve been a bit cagey. It’s commercial and confidential. We just don’t have the details.”

The property, built in 1953, has served generations of women in Kiama, providing not just a meeting place, but also storage for chairs, tableware and other community resources. 

Maintaining such an ageing building, Cheryl says, had become unsustainable. 

“Once a branch decides it no longer wants to upkeep its building, we give permission to state office to take it over and sell it.

The maintenance is beyond us,” she said.

The sale is part of a larger wave of development in the area. Cheryl described developers eyeing multiple properties in the neighborhood, sometimes approaching older residents directly with generous offers for their homes. 

“I’ve been here 26 years, and I became aware of developers knocking on doors,” she recalled. 

“Some of these offers were huge. It can be overwhelming for older women, widows, or those unfamiliar with the process.”

With the building scheduled for a potential demolition to make way for new developments, the CWA has been working quickly to move its resources. 

Finding a new meeting space has also required creative solutions. 

The Kiama branch has been offered limited use of the Catholic Church hall for monthly meetings, though it doesn’t provide the convenience of their former home.

Cheryl emphasised the importance of keeping the CWA community intact, despite the logistical challenges.

“We’re trying to enter the building before state office takes over to retrieve anything we need,” Cheryl said. Furniture, crockery, and other items are being offered to local community groups, including the Anglican Church and Jamberoo CWA.

“We’re trying to keep it as a real community. Even if we have to share resources with other branches or other groups, we’ll make it work.”

The CWA itself has a long history of supporting women and communities.

Formed in 1922 to help country women fight isolation and lack of health services, the organisation quickly became a force for change. 

Members have set up baby health centres, funded bush nurses, built maternity wards and hospitals, and created schools, rest homes, and holiday cottages. 

Today, the CWA continues to improve conditions for women and children, offering a network of support, educational programs, social activities, and fundraising initiatives – locally and internationally.

Though they’ll no longer have their own building, Kiama CWA plans to continue holding meetings, and providing catering and community projects. 

“We’ve enjoyed the luxury of having our own building for many years,” Cheryl said. 

“Now we just have to accept it, adapt, and keep going. It’s about the people and the work we do together – that doesn’t change.”