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Sue Upton is interviewed by Jim Sullivan about Women's Clubs. Towards the end of last century women in New Zealand were looking for a social life beyond the boundaries of the home and family - and so the facilities of Women's Clubs were formed. In country ares these were to provide women with somewhere to go while the men were at the sales yards
or doing business in town, and in the cities the clubs rapidly became centres for various educational interests, as well as for social gatherings. The clubs became so successful and popular that in 1925 a Federation of Women's Clubs was formed and they were allied to similiar
clubs in Australia and Britain. Although they had a non-political stance, during World War Two many ended up becoming centres for war work, eg. knitting. After the war the rents became too expensive and many of the women went back to work after the war, therefore giving
the women little time. It has been noted that there has in recent years been a resurgence in interest to re-form clubs for women.