The Australian Women's Register

St Peters Women’s Community Centre was established to provide a venue for the women in the area as part of the International Women’s Year Initiative. A survey of the women were undertaken in the area to demonstrated a need for the Centre. Two and a half years of meeting mostly weekly, saw the women trying to organise the accommodation funding and structure of the centre. The St Peters Council granted the funding and a building and the women worked to renovate the old house in which the Centre was officially opened in 1977. The Centre offered a meeting place, and a series of courses that would run for a term where child care was provided. Grants were given for the Arts Grants Advisory Board for the craft courses and Early Childhood Council for the child care worker. The courses included yoga, self defence, fitness, craft, massage and assertiveness training. A walking group and free film were also part of the Centre. The strong volunteer program offers women’s work skills to help with paid employment. In 2007 the Centre was involved in a campaign to preserve the 100 year old cottages they occupy and were successful.  Some of the women involved in the Centre over its long history are, Chris Beasley, Mary Nettle, Sally and Monica O’Wheel, Suzi Jones, Viv Szekeres, Mary McLeod, Myra Betschild, Trish Fairley, Connie Frazer, Bernice Cohen, Sue Hetzel.