AFTER 26 years the Nowra Older Women’s Network (OWN) has launched the first book of the group’s history.
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Members of Nowra OWN met at the Shoalhaven Neighbourhood Services building on Friday to celebrate the book and the people responsible for creating it.
Nowra OWN member and original co-ordinator of the group Anne Warren officially launched the book.
She said the journey was filled with fun times and great events including camps and parades down the main street of Nowra, Seniors Week activities and afternoon tea dances.
“We made banners for the occasion with the few members we had at the time and marched down Junction Street through the main streets shouting and cheering and making a lot of noise,” she said.
“When I came to Nowra I was looking for something to do and joined the Universities of the Third Age. During one of the sessions a woman from the Older Women’s Network in Sydney spoke and it was something she said that really clicked - to promote the rights, dignity and wellbeing of older women and to have fun.
“We got our heads together and contacted the Shoalhaven Women’s Health Centre to chair a meeting.”
Ms Warren said they made their faces and voices known to get the group off the ground and it progressed from there.
“Now OWN has access to providing information to state government about issues affecting women. The NSW OWN group then contacted the other states to then form OWN Australia and they sit at federal government to promote the rights, dignity, wellbeing and address issues affecting older women.”
Member numbers have fluctuated over the years, but the ideals of the group remained the same.
Current members said they were keen to embrace new initiatives where they think their input would make a difference to the wellbeing of older residents of the Shoalhaven.
They are interested in improving car park facilities for disabled people in the area and the introduction of CCTV cameras in community car parks for the safety of all residents.
Nowra OWN meet on Friday, every two weeks at the Shoalhaven Neighbourhood Centre opposite the police station on Kinghorne Street, Nowra.
Guests and those interested in becoming members are welcome.
For more information contact Janet Walsh on 4422 0236.
