Liz Coles
Here’s one tip to begin with — get your hands on a CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints. Whether brand new or lovingly passed down through generations, these books are treasured possessions in many Australian homes. Often gifted between family members or inherited over time, they are much more than recipe books; they are little pieces of history.
Recently, I travelled through South Australia with my sisters. We hired a car and set off on a road trip through the Clare Valley, across the Adelaide Hills, and finally to Kangaroo Island.
You may be wondering what this has to do with a CWA cookbook — but bear with me.
Early into the trip, we discovered that every time we missed a turn on the GPS, it somehow redirected us onto a dirt road. Fortunately, being country girls, dirt roads never worried us. In fact, they often led us to wide open spaces, unexpected sights, and hidden treasures we would have missed had we stayed strictly on course.
On the very first day, after travelling down one particularly long dirt road, we arrived in the small town of Balaklava — a true Aussie gem. Naturally, we spotted an op shop, and if you know me, you’ll know I can never walk past one without having a look. You simply never know what treasures might be waiting inside.
And treasures we found.
One sister discovered a beautifully handmade apron perfect for a friend. My other sister found a stack of vintage records with wonderfully unique titles to help decorate a friend’s upcoming 60th birthday celebration.
Meanwhile, I was coming up empty-handed. I couldn’t let the team down — I needed to find my own gem.
Then, in the very last room, my eldest sister pointed toward a table and said, “What about that book?”
There it was: a CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints. A rare find for just $1. I was thrilled.
That evening, after settling into our accommodation, we sat together sipping wine while I flicked through the book, reading aloud some of the handy hints from the South Australian edition. We wondered whether it would differ much from the Western Australian versions we knew so well.
The book was a Sixteenth Edition. Opening the cover, I was surprised to read: “The Country Women’s Association of Western Australia (Inc.).” Reading further, I discovered it had actually been published in Adelaide, South Australia, under the direction of the CWA of WA head office in Perth.
Despite the years between editions, many of the hints remain just as useful today as they were decades ago.
One particular tip appeared in both my well-used Fifty-Sixth Edition and my newly acquired Sixteenth Edition of The CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints, under the section “Hints for the Home and to Preserve the Temple: To Save Firewood
When not actually cooking, put on a piece of wood such as white gum, jam, or anything that burns to a white ash and close the doors of the stove and the flue. The fire will stay in for hours and be easily lit again with a few chips. This keeps the kitchen cooler and saves wood chopping.
Perhaps that is the real beauty of these old CWA cookbooks — hidden among the recipes and household hints are stories of resilience, practicality, and country life passed from one generation to the next. Much like our unexpected dirt-road detours, sometimes the best treasures are the ones you never planned to find.
And if you would like a treasure of your own, copies of the CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints are available through the CWA Bindoon Belles branch. Simply get in contact with the branch to purchase your very own copy and discover the timeless recipes and handy hints for yourself.
