The Busselton branch of the Country Women's Association celebrated their 90th anniversary on September 3, 2021 with members from surrounding South West clubs.
Busselton's longest serving member Lorna Osborne has been with the Busselton branch for 32 years, first joining the CWA in the 1970's while she was living in The Pilbara town of Goldsworthy .
"It has changed a lot, a lot of things have happened in 32 years," she said.
"I love the companionship mostly, we get together, have a bit of fun and do a bit of good in the meanwhile."
Fellow member Cath White said in the good old days they used to drive more than 400 kilometres for afternoon tea in Newman.
"It used to take us four days and we would call into Wittenoom on the way," she said.
"Now we have the younger ones dragging us into the technological age, which we've had to do, it is the best thing we could ever have done.
"It also encourages the younger ones to take over, because us older members are too old to do too much.
"On the whole it is a brilliant organisation, absolutely fabulous."
The Busselton branch was established in 1931 and was presided by Mrs Craig and Mrs Hatton, with their first meeting held in Barnards Hall, located in the now bottle shop next to the Esplanade Hotel.
Their earliest records were destroyed in a fire in the secretary's home, and were resumed in 1938.
In 1937 the group received a Crown grant for land building their hall which opened the in same year, prior to that they met in the home of Mrs Brockman on Albert Street.
Members worked hard to pay for the building by providing catering for cattle sales and agricultural shows in Busselton and Vasse until 1953.
Until a library was established by the Shire, the CWA was the place where the community borrowed their books, from 1938 the organisation would open a library every Saturday buying and exchanging books with other branches in the region.
President Audrey Sully has been with the Busselton branch for six years saying she loved the friendships she has gained since she joined the organisation.
"Just this year I became a member of the state board and attend meetings in Perth, which oversees the whole state," she said.
"We have 136 branches throughout Western Australia, which is a lot ladies in the CWA.
"It is amazing, this is just my sixth year, and for all those years before ladies have been working hard doing a lot of the same things we do now such as fundraising for the local community, or sending money to the head office to support natural disasters and those sorts of things.
"Every year we have a bursary for a Year 10 student going into Year 11, someone who is doing great academically but needs help financially.
"We help anyone in the community who needs a hand for any reason and do small amounts of catering.
"We we support the women's refuge with kits to set up house when the women leave the refuge and we have an active craft group that make items for dementia patients including fiddle rugs and aprons."
