On Wednesday the group, made up of members from 12 branches across the region, gathered in Terang to mark the reopening of the town’s CWA hall after major refurbishment.

It has been a year in the making, with external cladding and windows replaced and the interior repainted and revamped and a disabled toilet installed.

South West Group president Bev Byron said the project, worth more than $20,000, was truly a group effort, with members writing funding submissions, undertaking fund-raising and cleaning and painting the hall’s interior.

About 40 members of the south-west group attended the opening ahead of the group’s half-yearly conference.

Past group president Judith Morgan said the Terang CWA branch is one of the state’s oldest, formed in 1928.

“Over the years it has had as many as 70 members at one time,” she said.

The hall was officially opened in 1958 and is home to the Terang CWA branch and Dalvui evening branch, as well as being a much-loved community space.

Ms Morgan said by 2016 its condition had “reached a critical stage”.

“There was noticeable weathering of some external timbers and all window surrounds,” she said.

“It was decided that undertaking imminent repairs to the building would be the most cost-effective course before further weather damage compromised the hall’s internal area as well.

Money from the project was sourced from the R. & J. Uebergang Foundation, the Terang op shop, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and CWA fund-raising, including one member’s anonymous donation.

Ms Morgan said once the external work was complete, volunteers decided to tackle the interior with a number of working bees.

“These were long days full of laughter with workers going home at the end of each day seeing the clear difference they were making to the hall. Teamwork, it’s called. 

“The CWA hall at Terang now looks like a new building inside and out, it has improved facilities and it’s been achieved through hard work by many different people contributing their diverse skills and knowledge.”