Kalangadoo Women in Agriculture and Business celebrate 90 years together

In 1923, women who lived in Kalangadoo weren't happy about attending the mens Agricultural Bureau, only to be asked to cook the men supper and clean up after the meeting.

So they formed their own, the first in the South East and it was called the Kalangadoo Women in Agriculture and Business.

Meetings were held on Saturday afternoons when the shops were still open so the hard-working women could combine their new roles as members with shopping duties at the time.

Today marks an important day for the Kalangadoo ladies - they first met 90 years ago.

Secretary for the Women in Agriculture and Business Kalangadoo branch, Josie Flanagan, and President, Lorraine Rayson, joined Mornings to discuss the celebration.

"We're looking at fifty to sixty and I think they'll be absolutely thrilled with how the hall has been set up. We've tried to re-enact when Kalangadoo won the Glover Cup and they won that through their entries into the agricultural, horticultural shows," Ms Rayson said.

"The members have put all of this together and got hold of heaps of information and it's absolutely marvellous what they've done."

Delving into the history, Ms Rayson said there were some notable examples of differences spanning the years from the WAB's beginnings to now.

"They had this question box often and I think that's where they ask questions about different things, farming or cooking and I find that quite interesting.

"They didn't seem to do a lot of activities like we seem to do today."

Secretary Josie Flanagan has been absent for the last twenty five years put upon returning to the area last October, rejoined the WAB community.

"You always come back to a good place don't you."

"They're a fabulous group of ladies at the WAB here and they're very active within the community and I think the organisation, what they've come up with today, it's great to be a part of something like that."

For Josie Flanagan, membership with the WAB is something of a family tradition.

"My grandmother, Lucy Rogers, was a member for a number of years with the Kalangadoo branch."

"It didn't sound very exciting back then but her name's popping up in all the minute books and it's good to see that we've got new generations continuing through the WAB."

"It's nice that we're continuing the tradition for the families."

"I don't know that our sponges are quite as good though!"

Today, meetings are held at the Kalangadoo Institute on the second Tuesday of every month.

Hear the full interview with Josie Flanagan and Lorraine Rayson by selecting the audio to the right.

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