W.A.S.P.S. “Food for the Fighting Forces”

The outbreak of WW2 led to a significant loss of rural manpower as men enlisted in the armed services. To ensure the agricultural sector could still function effectively, an appeal was made to women to fill this void.

The Australian Women’s Land Army was formed in 1942 with participants drafted to work anywhere in Australia.¹ By contrast, the Women’s Agricultural Security Production Service (WASPS), formed in 1943 by Donald Shand, an Armidale grazier, as an Auxiliary of the Land Army, required participants to work on farms in their home locality and only when required, generally harvesting fruit and vegetables.²

In April 1943 a regional tour of the NSW North Coast and Northern Tablelands was undertaken to encourage the formation of local area WASPS branches. The scheme received little support in Taree given that dairying was the dominant agricultural enterprise locally and women were already heavily involved on family farms.³ However, in October 1943 a branch was established at Mondrook, with Miss Mary Gollan elected President and Miss Kohlbach as Secretary/Treasurer.⁴

It has been reported that the Mondrook group was involved in the harvesting of both broom millet and peas⁵ whereas the Armidale WASPS had an opportunity to work with the more exotic crop of opium poppies which were used for morphine production.⁶

Author: Penny Teerman