During World War II many of Maitland's young women joined the Country Women's Association's Younger Set to support the war effort. The Younger Set was a nationwide CWA-related society for unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 30.
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According to its 1927 charter, the Younger Set's purpose was to teach young women the skills of first aid, home nursing, mothercraft, social service and the arrangement of social functions. It was also expected to further the general aims of the CWA.
Younger Set had branches, each associated with a CWA branch which seconded women to act as mentors. The Younger Set had their own officers, state hierarchy, and held their own meetings and social functions.
By 1937 NSW had 142 Younger Sets, which making it one of the most popular organisations in NSW for young women. Younger Sets were popular in the Hunter with 16 branches including Maitland, Branxton, East Maitland and Singleton. Maitland branch was set up in 1932. While the early Maitland membership was not large, ladies held several successful fund-raisers and social functions.
Unfortunately, due to reasons never fully explained, Maitland's Younger Set disbanded in 1937. It did not remain disbanded for long, however.
The Maitland Rotary Club decided to open a service for the soldiers in the Maitland area, in particular for the thousands of young men from all over Australia in the 2AIF who were undergoing military training in the Greta Army Camp. This "Service to Soldiers" opened in February 1941 in a purpose-built hall in Bulwer Street.
The Rotary and CWA promoters of the service felt that "the success of the project, from a social point of view, would be governed by the extent of the assistance forthcoming from the young women of the community".
In December 1940, the Maitland Younger Set branch was re-formed specifically to assist in the "Service to Soldiers". Young women responded enthusiastically to an appeal to join the branch. During the war years the reformed Maitland Younger Set was able to draw upon a membership of 283.
Every day during the war the Younger Set, along with the CWA and the Rotarians, hosted up to 400 men in uniform who travelled from their training camps to the Bulwer St hall. The young women participated in the singing and dancing. The Younger Set was not there late in the evenings, however, except for chaperoned functions.
After the war the membership dropped back to between 15 and 20 and branch functions became more traditional. The branch organised charitable events, garden parties and dances. Film nights and sports days were popular. There was often a guest speaker during the monthly meetings, which were usually held in the homes of members, Meetings were frequently followed by a supper prepared and served by the member hosting the meeting.
In the 1960s greater education and employment opportunities opened for young women in rural areas of NSW. As a result, by the late 1960s Younger Set numbers had declined dramatically. A 1969 directive from the CWA State Executive asked that all Younger Sets be closed.
