Great Australian CWA Stories. Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh. 2011.

*SHE CAN'T SWIM, SHE'S A BIT AFRAID OF THE WATER AND SHE'S ALSO GOT TWO BUNG KNEES. BUT SHE JUST GETS IN THERE AND PADDLES. AND THAT'S THE CHARACTER OF THE CWA, ISN'T IT?'

Put your hand up if you think the Country Women's Association is a tea-and-scones group of women who sit around tables and chat away.

Wrong! Well, they do make the best jams and scones in the whole world, but as these stories reveal, these big hearted, fun-loving, practical women are the backbone of comante thorough out Australia.

Think drought relief, rural health programs, care for newly arrived immigrants, outback education, women standing up and taking on politicians, women with international reputations. Guess who led the protests when the first big shopping centres in Australia were built with no public toilets? WA women dig bogged vehicles out of sand dunes, look after the lost and lonely, speak at national events, and can still, at the end of the day, serve up a plate of scones just out of the oven and a strong cup of tea.

We couldn't get by without the WA, and this book shares their stories, as well as a few of their best recipes and household tips!