CWA House

Values

The place is associated with the national Country Women’s Association (CWA)
movement, and is indicative of the development of the organisation in Western
Australia since 1924 and its importance in the community life of isolated country
districts.
The place is a modest example of a post-war CWA Rest Room, constructed as a
meeting room and to provide facilities to families.

Physical Description

The place is a raised timber and fibreboard building with a corrugated iron roof that extends over a verandah. CWA House, Wubin is located between a former shop and a playground which is no longer in use. The front door is accessed by a small timber stairway directly opposite the front door. There is a brick extension to the rear connected to the wash house, which is partially enclosed by a verandah. Adjacent to the north elevation chimney is a corrugated iron water tank. The building is divided into several rooms. The front door opens into the main room of the building, featuring a fireplace to the right. To the left is a door leading to a small kitchen. There is also an opening in the left wall providing a view into the kitchen. The ceiling in the main room has partially collapsed, revealing the timber beams and corrugated iron of the roof. The kitchen includes a Metters wood-burning stove, chimney, sink and cupboards. Other rooms include an additional back room and a washroom with a sink.

History

The area now known as the Shire of Dalwallinu was first occupied by the Badimia people, who lived in the northern tracts of the Shire, and the Galamaia people, who were the largest group in the area. Small areas of Amangu, Yued and Balardong countries also overlap with the current Shire boundary. Wubin, which name is derived from the Aboriginal name for a nearby water source, Woobin Well, is located in Amangu country. The first graziers in the district were Benedictine monks from New Norcia in the second half of the nineteenth century, and exploration in Dalwallinu began around 1907. Large areas of land were opened up for agriculture in the Dalwallinu district, and assistance was provided to settlers in the form of loans from the Agricultural Bank. By the 1920s, the district had become established as a wheat growing area. The Wubin townsite was first gazetted in April 1913. Located 21 km north of Dalwallinu, the first town lots sold in June 1914, and the small community developed as more land was taken up for farming. Following the end of World War I, a number of soldier settlers arrived in the area and by the mid-1930s, Wubin was a sizeable and important agricultural centre.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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