An initiative of The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) in conjunction with The University of Melbourne
Skip to contentOne of Australia's early radio clubs, the 2WG Women's Club was an important fundraising group as well as an essential communication tool for women in the Wagga Wagga region with its twice daily broadcasts and weekly meetings especially for women.
Established in the 1930's, the club ran daily broadcasts for women from its Wagga Wagga station through to the 1950's. Using code names where preferred, women joined the club to exchange greetings or news items on air during the two 45-minute daily sessions allocated to them. Each Thursday members met at the radio premises for a 'Bushell's Tea Party', sharing afternoon tea and a sing-a-long.
Fundraising was the focus of the 2WG women's club, and members continued to help finance local facilities in times of economic hardship. The Haven Nursing Home, which was established to provide local care for the elderly and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004, is testament to this prodigious fundraising activity.
The full history of the 2WG Women's Club - a history that "records the contribution of isolated and rural women in the middle decades of the twentieth century to the social fabric of the community" - can now be explored using the Wagga Wagga City Library's archival holdings.
Sources used to compile this entry: Eilagh Rurenga, Local Studies Librarian, Wagga Wagga City Library.
Barbara Lemon
Created: 22 July 2005, Last modified: 8 August 2007
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1243b.htm
