Nord Haus were honoured to be invited to the Country Womens Association (CWA) of New South Wales International Seminar in Dubbo on 6 August 2022.
Each year the different state divisions of the CWA choose a different country of study, and this year, after a lengthy selection process, the CWA NSW announced Latvia as their country of study for 2022/2023.
Joining CWA NSW members and the Nord Haus team and representing the Ambassador for Latvia was the Honorary Consul for Latvia for NSW Martins Tuktens. Presenting a detailed overview of Latvia, the political situation, geography and the pathway to independence, Martin was able to provide members with an informative insight to Latvia.
Two presentations accompanied Mr Tuktens' presentation. Firstly, Ms Brita Lidums spoke about her experiences growing up in Australia. The other was a presentation by a CWA NSW member Sharleen Wright, who developed a passion for Latvia after seeing a Eurovision performance. Since that moment, Sharleen has visited Latvia 11 times and also spent six months living in Latvia as part of her Masters in Hospitality. Providing a humerous, but detailed overview of Latvian customs and food, we were riveted by her experiences and hope to hear more from Sharleen in coming months.
Nord Haus presented a visual exhibition of Latvian cultural artifacts and folk costumes and had a fabulous time chatting to members about cultural matters and their own experiences with migration following World War 2.
CWA NSW members now have the option in participating in a Latvian doll making competition, where entries will be judged on the quality of their needlework, but also the authenticity of the doll and the doll's traditional costume. We cannot wait to see the entries, which will be judged in April 2023.
In the meantime, we were delighted to receive some photos from the Bonshaw branch sharing their recent Latvian celebrations where they wove wreaths (vainagi), enjoyed a traditional meal, sang songs and also put together a display of artefacts. We invite all CWA NSW members to share any photos of their studies and celebrations, we'd love to see them!