ABOUT US

WA Rural Youth has been around since 1935 so is well known as an excellent youth organisation providing educational, cultural and social opportunities for young people aged between 18-35 living and working in regional or rural areas.

We aim to facilitate opportunities to network and interact socially for personal,
professional and business development and to learn in an environment of fun.

We are run by young adults for young adults so we make sure what we do is fun and relevant for the youth of today. We bring young people together from geographically or socially isolating environments to interact with their peers as well as participate in skill development sessions for future life. We also provide young people with experiences in corporate governance, leadership and financial management so that they can contribute to their local communities now and into the future.  Many of our current community leaders are former members of Junior Farmers or Rural Youth.

 

Rural Youth membership is open to all young people aged 18 to 35 years.  It helps to have an interest in country life but this is not essential – there are clubs based in Perth. We currently have over 150 members in both the rural and metro areas as well as a significant contingent of ex-members who are still keen to help out where they can.  Current clubs are in Quairading, Moora, Katanning, Boyup Brook and City Club in Perth.  There are also a lot of Lone Members around the state who are still involved with Rural Youth without having a club close by.  If you and a few friends are keen, we are always happy to help you start a club in your town.

We also have large groups of youth who are non-members that also participate in events that are held regularly all over the State.  This means that all country-based youth can benefit from our organisation's events.  An example of this is the Rainmakers B&S where over 1200 people come together for a celebration of all things country - boots and swags, utes and ear tags. As well as being a great night for those who attend, the Quairading Club raises over $40,000 for worthwhile projects in their local community.

 

OUR HISTORY

The history of WAFRY makes fascinating reading which began life as the WA Federation of Junior Farmers' Clubs. We will provide a brief summary here but there are several detailed publications available at Perth's Battye Library for those interested in finding out more; not least of which is David Johnston's work An appraisal of aspects of the Junior Farmers' Movement in Western Australia 1935-1968 and a later update by Brian Canute A Brief History of Rural Youth 1935-1975.

The first club was formed in Harvey in 1935 with the assistance and support of the local Agricultural Society. It largely focused on agricultural education by exposing young farmers to up-to-date farming techniques with the opportunity to explore new or developmental technologies of the day. The membership of the Federation was principally young male farmers with Yoolgarilup (near Busselton) being the first club to accept female members in 1938/39. The first female State President was elected in 1970.

The first State Conference was held at Pastoral House in Perth in 1937 and was attended by four clubs - Kellerberrin, Harvey, Waroona and Wagin. By the outbreak of WWII the number of affiliated clubs had grown to 44. As you can imagine, the war slowed growth with the first post-war Conference held in 1947 at the Royal Show. By 1950. the Federation had gown to 70 clubs and some 2000 members. It became an incorporated association in 1952.

During the 1960's the Federation reached its peak membership of 2,230 members and 94 clubs. It was managed by ten regional councils and an elected State Executive. There are few communities in the southern agricultural regions of WA that have not had a Rural Youth or Junior Farmers club at some point in their history.

The organisation maintained the name of Junior Farmers until 1973 when it adopted the name of Rural Youth. This change of name reflected the broadening of the membership base and a shift in the objectives of the organisation. The 1973 State President, Murray Williams' had this to say:

Today we are an organisation with a broader base and broader perspectives. Only a small percentage of our activities are specific to agriculture and farming. We have a far greater realisation of our importance as a social organisation in our own right... Through leadership and participation in a wide and varied range of actives we provide opportunities for personal development regardless of occupation or abode. The important thing is that Rural Youth gives us the opportunity to project a new image and a more correct image to let people know that we have something to offer young people in terms of friendship, opportunities for personal development and the chance to pursue special interests.

Source: Christopher Brown's The WA Federation of Rural Youth - a profile (1983)

A statement that rings as true today as it did more than 30 years ago. One of the key strengths of WAFRY is it's autonomy. WAFRY is one of the very few youth organisation where decision-making is the sole responsibility of the members. The Federation is independent from the direct control or influence of outside or parent organisations or individuals. Members are responsible for controlling the organisation's destiny. However, unless members actively contribute to the development of the organisation, it will become irrelevant and ineffective in achieving its objectives.

The structural building blocks of WAFRY are the local Rural Youth Clubs. This has been expanded in recent years to include a 'Lone Members' club of people who still want to be involved as individuals but for one reason or another are unable to access a local club. The variance of objectives from club to club is great - some clubs focus on developing friendship networks among local youth; others get together for recreational pursuits or to run fundraising events for their local community others still focus on running local training and development opportunities. These are all very valid roles and are stated within the objectives of the organisation.

There are also some members who seek to more from their involvement with Rural Youth. For these people, the scope for education and personal development are considerable. There are numerous opportunities for members to develop leadership skills which not only benefit WAFRY but also provide the individual with valuable experiences on which they can draw in the future. The broadening of one's horizons with a Rural Youth study exchange provides members with insight into other cultures as well as farming practices. There are also club officials and state-level board positions in which members can extend their leadership, decision-making, financial management, delegation and negotiation as well as other key skills.

 

WAFRY TODAY

WAFRY is a focused and vibrant organisation. It could be described as a state-wide dating agency but in truth it is much more than that. There is a wide diversity of members from all corners of the state - and a few interstate as well - who are all keen to jump in, meet new people and experience new things. We survived a massive restructure in 2004/05 to regain control of our organisation and to break free from the shackles of the past. With a new Constitution in place and a wonderful new board full of enthusiasm to make country WA a better place - now is a great time to get involved.

To get an up-to-date snapshot of us in the last 12 months, download our latest Annual Report (2MB) or continue browsing through the other pages on our site.