IF you are a female member of the Syred family in the Bolgart area, chances are you are a member, or will become a member of the local CWA in the future.
It's become a right of passage that has been spread over four generations and given the way things are progressing, it looks set to expand in years to come.
The proud family tradition was on display at the Bolgart CWA's 95th anniversary celebrations in the local town hall earlier this month, with three generations currently active.
Natalie Syred, who joined the local group in 1952 and is 90 years of age, was given the honour of cutting the anniversary cake.
This follows the path laid out by her mother-in-law Rene Syred, who in her 90th year, cut the Bolgart CWA's 50th anniversary cake back in 1988.
And to make the Syred connection even deeper, the latest anniversary cake was made by Natalie's granddaughter-in-law, Annette, who at 34 years of age, is part of the movement to blood new members into the organisation.
Natalie, who these days lives in Stoneville, grew up in Toodyay which she described "as a few miles down the road" and "I married a Bolgart boy and I joined the Bolgart CWA as soon as I was married".
Despite living in Perth these days, she is still a loyal member and makes the regular journey with the help of family, like daughter Joan who drive her back to Bolgart.
"I am very proud to be a member of the CWA in Bolgart and it has always been a lovely town to me," Natalie said.
"I really look forward to returning, meeting up with my friends and the younger ones (who have joined) which is lovely for the district."
Being one of the longest-serving members, Natalie said over the years there have been many achievements from the local women's organisation, but said friendship remained a constant drawcard.
"It is great meeting so many lovely people from all walks of life and we just get together and share our family history and how our children are growing, where they go to school and things like that," Natalie said.
She said the importance of vibrant CWA groups for small regional towns such as Bolgart could not be under-estimated.
"I think it is wonderful for the whole district to have a good CWA membership and it brings the young and the old together, which helps the club itself to keep going."
The injection of younger members and new ideas is something that keeps people like Natalie motivated, where each generation interacts and learns from each other.
"It is just a wonderful organisation for the young and the old," she said.
As far as the cake-cutting duties went, Natalie tried to downplay the importance of being given the honour.
"It was quite a thrill really because there are a lot of young members around, but I have turned 90 and thought they would give me a go this year," she laughed.
Natalie's daughter-in-law Serena has not followed the Syred family tradition of getting involved at a young age, but concedes she has been "involved" for quite a long time in a cryptic message that required further questioning.
"Well I am relatively new, I have only been a member for a year and a half, but going back in the books I was a member when I was first married because by darling mother-in-law used to pay my membership," Serena said.
"I was newly married with kids and I didn't come to the meetings, but I think she paid my membership for about 10 years in the early 1980s.
"I was a member but not active member, but I have been involved for the past year and a half and now I am the secretary and I love it."
Serena said current president Marion Guthrie, who has only been a member for four years and is part of the drive that has seen membership increased three-fold in that time, was a factor in her joining.
"She (Marion) got in there when it was really quite low on numbers and she said it was great and a few of us thought we will join and it has grown from that.
"And now we are getting these young ones in their 30s with new ideas and it's exciting, I think we have got a great future ahead of us."
Serena always knew it was a wonderful organisation and had supported many projects over the years.
"I wasn't active but if there was ever a catering job to do, I would always cook and we would all pitch in," she said.
Serena said the CWA brand was a strong one and a lot of people didn't realise how united the collective group was.
"And they do really wonderful things," she said.
"My mother-in-law said to me one day, the reason the white lines were on the road from Toodyay to Bolgart was that the Bolgart CWA pushed and pushed to get those white lines on that road."
Serena said there were many reasons why she enjoyed the CWA fellowship.
"It is getting together and once the meetings are finished, the 'afters' take longer than the meeting," she said.
"And it is the different age groups all getting together and making things happen.
"I am heavily involved in sport as well, but this is a different avenue."
Annette Syred is Serena's daughter-in-law and is one of the younger members of the Bolgart group, joining 18 months ago to maintain the Syred family tradition.
While she joked there might have been a bit of pressure for another Syred generation to join, her own family connections run deep with CWA.
"I moved across here and met my now husband but I grew up in a small country town in South Australia and the CWA was a big part of my childhood growing up with my own family," Annette said.
"Back then I couldn't join as I was too young but then once I got married I decided I could probably join the CWA.
"It was a big thing for me to join because I had seen my mother and grandmother do it previously.
"It has also been a great way to meet people and know everyone in the town."
Annette said there was plenty to learn from the older members but said it was more than that.
"The main thing I have learnt is just get in and get the job done," she said.
"It doesn't matter the pecking order - there is no 'this one is the boss', everyone has just got to get in and get the job done, no matter what we do."
Annette said communities across Australia also knew they could rely on the CWA for support, no matter what the event - even simple things like catering for a farm clearing sale.
"Things like clearing sales can be a massive drain on families who are holding them and it is at that time we can take on some of the burden and say, 'look we've got this' and they know it is going to be catered for and they know they are going to have more than enough food," she said.
"It is all of those things where we get the job done together as a team."
Annette said it was an exciting time to be part of Bolgart CWA with so many projects to be involved in.
Adding to the story, she also lives at the property that Rene Syred, her great grandmother-in-law, lived in, "so it's nice to have that connection".
And the Syred baton could be handed down to another generation in years to come.
"My little girl loves to come along to the meetings and my son even asks why he can't join the CWA," Annette said.
"I will grab them from the school bus and they will come in have a cuppa tea - they love getting in there have a cake and they know all the older members.
"They can put a name to the faces and build relationships and that is important in such a small community like ours and we need to keep these things going and stick together."
Annette said joining the CWA came at a time when she said it was the right stage in her life.
"In a country town there are these seasons or stages where it is 'OK it is time for you to go and do that', like it is not time for me to do golf yet because I can still run around on the hockey field, but there will be a time when I can't do that and then I will join the golfers."
As long as it fits in with CWA.
