World War 2, Western Australia, Australian Women's Land Army, 1945

In Western Australia, the Country Women’s Association (CWA) established local chapters of the CWA Land Army in 1940. Based on the British civilian organisation, the AWLA was formed nationwide on 27 July 1942 under Lady Denman, (wife of Governor-General Baron Denman), to combat rising labour shortages in the farming sector with the build-up of armed forces. Around 400 women volunteered as full time members in WA, membership was renewed annually or was ‘for the duration’. Part time members were also enrolled for seasonable work. In October 1942, the Minister for Labour and National Service, recommended instituting it as a fourth women’s service. However, the final regulation draft was not completed until 1945 or acted upon before war end. The AWLA was disbanded on 31 December 1945.