The most influential West Australian food writer you’ve never heard of

When Agnes Barnes agreed to compile the inaugural CWA of WA cookbook in 1931, I wonder if she knew what she was getting herself into.

Then again, adventure and community service were constants in Barnes’ life story.

Born in Scotland on September 4, 1874, Barnes was the eldest of six children.

Following her family’s migration to Australia in 1880, she lived in various regional towns including Kapunda in South Australia and Doodlakine and Cue in Western Australia before moving to Perth in 1929. (It was in Cue where she met her husband James Barnes and raised six children of her own.)

Clearly one set of kids wasn’t enough for Barnes. In addition to looking after her own family, she also joined school boards, fought for social causes and, naturally, became heavily involved with the CWA where she was the inaugural president of its Doodlakine branch (1925-1929); state treasurer (1930-1931); and part of the committee that established the association’s monthly magazine, The Countrywoman of Western Australia.

Her most important printed work, though, was undoubtedly the CWA cookbook.

Or, to use its full name, The CWA Cookery Book and House Hints.

Curiously, it took time for the idea to gain traction with initial calls for members to submit recipes and homemaking advice going largely unheeded.

Undeterred, Barnes continued spruiking the project – not least because it also doubled as a fundraiser – and eventually collected enough submissions to hit go.

Although the book was completed in early 1935, paper shortages and other issues held up publication. Eventually, a deal was struck with Perth printers E. S. Wigg & Son who would print the book and pay the association a royalty for each copy sold.

The book’s first edition was out in September 1936 and a thousand copies were sold in a fortnight. By May, the initial print run had sold out with a second edition scheduled for later in 1937.

The book remains in print with current copies representing its 54th edition. (The book is no longer published by the CWA of WA, but by Harper Collins.)

Although the book succeeded in raising funds for the association – according to Silver Years in The Golden West (1949), proceeds helped fund CWA projects including its regional fruit scheme that provided fruit to outback children – the real story is how it helped raise children, households and communities.

While it’s easy circa 2026 to smirk at some of the dishes included in early editions – “mock schnapper”, “farmer’s rice” and “hard times pudding”, say – they speak loudly and clearly to the creativity and resourcefulness of country cooks trying to raise and feed their flock in the pre-UberEats era when fresh ingredients were often limited.

Some recipes, though, have aged spectacularly. We pause here to celebrate the humble scone that has, over the past 90 years, become synonymous with the association.

Acquaintances of mine talk fondly of grandmothers swearing by the CWA scone recipe and count dog-eared hand-me-down copies of the CWA cookbook as prized possessions.

One could also argue that the book has helped cement shortbreads, vanilla slices, ANZAC biscuits and their ilk in (West) Australian food and bakery lore.

Equally influential were the association’s cooking competitions that invited cooks to submit their versions of fruit cake, boiled Christmas puddings and other country classics in the hope of winning prizes such as holidays, stereo systems and cash.

Barnes’ food writing, meanwhile, wasn’t just limited to the cookbook. Her cooking advice graced The Countrywoman, albeit often under pen names such as A.B. or A. Bee.

She also wrote cooking columns for Perth’s Daily News newspaper that covered everything from home bread-baking to drying vegetables as part of the war effort: another cause, incidentally, that the CWA also took to heart. (The association called on members to knit vests for those serving, save household fat that could be turned into glycerine, and to donate food to Europe.)

To me, the CWA’s stoic response to World War II clearly illustrates the organisation’s vital work and track record of supporting isolated women and families and fostering purposeful friendship among those that would otherwise be strangers.

Those blue books might be one of the CWA’s most recognisable calling cards, but they’re just one part of an important legacy.

Consider the many “rest rooms” that the CWA has built across the state since 1928. (Despite their name, these structures were designed to provide travelling mothers with a place to breastfeed in private.)

Consider the many livestock sales, ag shows and milestone celebrations that local CWA volunteers have catered.

Consider how Agnes Barnes and other determined women – country or otherwise – have immeasurably enriched West Australian life and culture.

Scones, Stories and Secret Recipes – a panel exploring the far-reaching influence of the CWA cookbook – will be held at the State Library of WA on Saturday, April 18 from 10am to 11:30am. Tickets are $10 .

Later on the same day, the WA office of the National Archives of Australia will host Tea, Bickies and Stories of Social Change: a talk discussing the social change that the CWA and other organisations have helped instigate. Tickets are free.