It is something special to witness.

With a “tip, tip, tip”, her grandmother is pouring ingredients into the mixing bowl.

Everything was done by hand – there was no electric mixer in this kitchen – and, like magic, the sponge was perfect when it came out of the old wood oven.

It was this memory, from 30 years ago, that inspired Vicki to join the CWA last year.

When her grandmother died, the recipe was lost.

“Everything was so quick,” Vicki recalls.

“She ran a farm in those days, so she didn’t have a lot of time. It was tip, tip tip and then it was done.

“If only I could have her back for a day and have her decipher her recipe.”

Now Vicki’s daughter stands on a stool and watches her mix cakes.

With the renewed popularity of cooking and crafting and relearning handmade skills of the past, Vicki is one of the new tide of Generation X and Y women turning to the CWA.

As Vicki explains, this new generation is keen to carry on the traditions of the CWA, while helping to steer Australia’s largest women’s organisation into the future.

“If our generation didn’t get involved in it, my daughter would grow up and say ‘what’s CWA?’,” she explains.

“These ladies know so much. If they take it with them, it’ll be a really sad thing to lose for our kids.”

The Queensland Country Women’s Association controversially moved last month to allow packet cakes into their bake-offs in a bid to make competitions more accessible.

Some members of the organisation have expressed disbelief at the move, labelling it a sad loss for tradition.

Others say it’s not a bad idea.

Incoming Ballarat group president Marilyn Watts supports having packet cakes in the competitions, as long as it helps kids to learn cooking.

“We need our junior members to keep CWA going,” Marilyn says.

“I think a lot of people say they can’t make things and it’s not that easy sometimes to make a packet cake mix come up perfect.”

Like many long-running organisations, the CWA is at the precipice of a new era.

As members age, branches close.

Just last year, the Lexton branch became a casualty, saying farewell to the community after six decades of service and care.

The organisation has become synonymous with craft, baking and scones but Marilyn says there’s much more to the CWA.

She joined eight years ago and has risen through the executive ranks with enthusiasm.

The former aged care nurse said involving herself in the organisational structure of the CWA had represented a challenge and a move outside of her comfort zone.

It was helping her to grow as a person.

“I think you learn more about what you’re capable of,” Marilyn said.

“It’s now not just for country women, there’s a lot more for city people now.

“It’s a place where they can meet with other women and often they can talk about family issues. Some branches are very much into craft. Some branches are not, but they’re into the social side of things. They might have a guest speaker at their meeting.”

Significantly, the convenience of having a dinner branch in Ballarat has allowed many more young women to come on board the organisation.

The Ballarat Dinner branch became the first in the state to start a Facebook page and now boasts more than 700 “likes”. 

Dinner branch member and publicity and membership convener Fiona Darby said several branches in Victoria had now established Facebook pages of their own.

“Many branches are embracing social media for communication between members and, indeed,                                                                                  statewide and Australia-wide in networking with other like-minded women,” she said. 

She believes the future for the CWA is as bright as its past.

“We have members from their 20s to their 80s,” Fiona said.

“We have mothers, working women, retired women and everything in between.”

While 40 people left the CWA in Ballarat in the past 12 months due to age, ill health or moving away, 36 new people joined.

The Country Women’s Association celebrated 85 years of service to the community in March.

Speaking at the state celebratory cocktail party, Women’s Affairs Minister Mary Wooldridge said its capacity to adapt over time was a credit the CWA.

“It is significant to recognise their engagement of women and their community service,” she said.

“Over time there has been a lot of change for women and the CWA has been seen as the cornerstone in regional and rural communities especially, giving a sense of support for those who needed it.

“The breadth of leadership, community infrastructure and social connections, as well as emergency response, is underpinned by the association’s fundraising focus - embedded in an environment of advocacy.”

Government lobbying is part of its role, with a focus on the welfare of women, children and families.

When it was formed 85 years ago, the CWA played an important role in helping women in the bush to overcome loneliness and isolation. 

During World War II, members provided meals and made camouflage nets and knitted balaclavas and socks for the troops.

Their efforts were rated one of the best voluntary war time services in Australia. 

When Sylvia Palmer, 90, helped to found the Dean CWA branch almost 80 years ago, she was a young girl out of the country, keen to see what this new organisation – the CWA – would be like.

“It was a wonderful way to meet other people from the district,” she says.

In her 77-year involvement with the organisation, Sylvia has witnessed “tremendous changes”.

But she said the opportunity to meet new people and forge lasting friendships was something that had endured.

Bacchus Marsh branch president June Webb said being in the CWA meant spending time with “such a great bunch of ladies”.

“We have lots of fun and we also help people in the process,” she said.

“We’re all interested in different things, but we’re also interested in working at making life better for different people.”

Audrey Mather, 83, is the oldest member of of the Ballarat Dinner branch.

The branch has a high proportion of young women and is seen as one of the most progressive in the Ballarat group.

“They’re very active and they remind me of what it used to be like for me,” Audrey says.

She joined the CWA 50 years ago after marrying and moving to a farm in Culgoa, in northern Victoria.

The CWA was the only group that joined women together.

“Women didn’t have anything to go to and were just house-bound,” she says.

“It was the only group that involved all women. Churches split us, but we could all go to the CWA.”

Thanks to the CWA, far from living an isolated life, Audrey found the door opened to new friendships and activities.

But now things have changed in Culgoa.

Audrey moved to Ballarat in 2005 to be nearer to her two daughters and their families and was sad to hear the Culgoa branch had closed last year.

Farmers in the Culgoa district had experienced 10 years of severe drought, followed by two years of floods and locusts.

Some farmers had gone and many of their wives were working and commuting to surrounding towns, no longer in Culgoa to join the various clubs.

The CWA has meant a lot of things to generations of women.

It has also had to change with changing times.

Cecelia Rowberry joined the Scarsdale branch 18 months ago, inspired by the good work the CWA did in the community.

When she found out they also had a junior section, she signed up her 10-year-old daughter.

“I just feel the wealth of knowledge I get from the older members is invaluable,” she said.

“It’s a great way of meeting people in a welcoming and nurturing environment.”