Healthy Wheatbelt Women

Community stories: 20 August 2020

In the heart of the Wheatbealt in Western Australia you will find the Cunderdin Community Resource Centre (CRC), run by local residents. Their mission is to provide basic services to their small farming community of 500 people and those surrounding that would otherwise require a 60 km drive to the nearest large town, or worse, more than 150 km to Perth. 

A study by Rural Health West recently indicated in 2009-2012, 13.4 percent of Wheatbelt adults 16 years and over had suffered from a mental health problem, with prevalence almost twice as high in females. The Cunderdin CRC wanted to help address this issue by hosting a women’s health day for 100 Wheatbelt women, to help reduce social isolation, build networks, and strengthen physical and mental wellness. 

With a $1,645 SGRC grant funded by a private donor, and leveraging the support of local business and services, they held their very first Wheatbelt Women’s day. Instead of focusing only on the physical aspects of health, they invited some motivational speakers and a mental health expert, covering all bases of women’s health and wellbeing. There were also a variety of stalls offering products and services relating to healthy living, including counselling services and medical information. It attracted women from many other districts, including Goomalling, Bencubbin, Kellerberrin and even Perth, who came into town specifically for the event.

SGR33 Cunderdin CRC

It was the biggest event that the Cunderdin CRC has ever hosted; they had people asking all day why there were so many people in town and so many cars parked in the main street. The event got people talking, spreading the message of the importance of women’s health and wellbeing and bringing local women together. It was a great accomplishment for all those involved which also benefited the Cunderdin economy. The feedback received showed an eagerness to continue the event annually.