CWA Rest Room - site, Nungarin

Statement of Significance

The CWA Rest Room Site has Historic importance to the Nungarin community. Nungarin CWA was the first Branch of the Country Women's Association to be formed in Western Australia, and it is appropriate that the site of their first Rest Room be recognised.
The site also has important social significance. In the early days of the district, travel was slow and tedious, and trips to town were usually lengthy, drawn-out affairs. CWA members appreciated the need for women to have a comfortable place to rest and to feed their children, and CWA Rest Rooms satisfied that need.

Physical Description

The CWA Rest Room Site is now vacant, although some sections of the foundation remain. The site is marked by a large stone bearing three plaques.
On the north face of the stone, visible from the main road, is a round blue and white copy of the CWA insignia:
On the south face are two plaques with the following inscriptions: On the top:
This plaque was unveiled On October 5 1996
By member Mrs Phyllis Cornish Serving in her 52nd consecutive year
And underneath:
The first branch in Western Australia Of the Country Womens Association Was formed in Nungarin on July 7, 1924
This is the site of Nungarin's first Country Women's Association Rest Room 1951-1965

History

One of the earliest ambitions of the Nungarin Country Women's Association, was to build their own Rest Room, and at a meeting held in the Agricultural Hall on January 8th 1925, the Branch President Mrs Francis opened the building fund with a donation of five pounds.
Later that year, as a result of a meeting with representatives of the Road Board, it was decided to incorporate a Rest Room in the rebuilding of the Agricultural Hall. This arrangement proceeded for a number of years, but the desire for a Rest Room of their own was not completely satisfied, and a building committee was formed at the end of 1934.
Fund raising continued until 1948 when members were finally able to make their first positive move towards the building of a Rest Room in Nungarin. A house was purchased from Westonia, dismantled and transported to the site in Nungarin. Bricks were used from the old Co-op house, and other materials were gathered from various sources. Many weekends were spent by members and families in sorting the materials and scraping old mortar from the bricks. In September 1950, it was finally moved that a builder be engaged to begin construction, and the Rest Room was completed the following year.
Six Dundas Blackbutt trees were ordered from the Forestry Department to shade the grounds of the Rest Room, and a grant was obtained from the Lotteries Commission to erect a fence around the children's playground.
The venue was used by various local organisations, and at one time the district doctor hired the building as a venue for weekly consultations.
In 1965, the deteriorating condition of the building was a cause for concern, and an Inspector from the Public Health Department recommended that tenders be called for its removal.
Fourteen years would not seem to be a very long period for the building to have been in use before its condition became a cause for concern. One possible explanation concerns a story that among materials donated was a quantity of cement that had been exposed to moisture and become solidified. Many hours were spent crushing the hardened cement into a rough powder so that it could be "recycled" in the construction.

Condition

Site only

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.