Today, 60 years on from times when some farmers' wives still came to town in a horse and buggy, the club provides a friendly spot, for lunches, for chats, and for the famous card games.

Don't tell anyone, but while they've never been raided, money does change hands on hands at these card days, so to speak. The members use illegal tender - a lot of old one cent and two piece coins are kitty but secretary Marg Warden would really like you to keep that under your hat.

She's been secretary for about six years. Faith Hammond has been president for two and a regular card player for about 10.

It all began when 120 women met at the small town hall on May 28 in 1954. A committee headed by Mrs A C Robinson but apparently galvanised into action by Mary Cousens, wife of stock and station agent Harold "Bill" Cousens, was formed. The members took out debentures of 10 pounds each but among the trustees were Margaret Fairlie-Cuninghame, Elizabeth King and Jan Treloar.

Mrs Cousens was the foundation president and the patroness was Mrs J F Vickery. Some of Tamworth's oldest families and most famous as well as socially elite were represented in the foundation membership of 192.

In August, the women acquired what they thought were suitable premises, a double brick home in Marius St a couple of doors down from the Uniting church, next to the Jubilee hall.

They bought it for 5,500 pounds, on a mortgage from the bank of 3,500 pound and had 1,200 pounds earmarked for the alterations to a clubhouse.

In the five months of 1955, the club served up 431 lunches and catered 272 morning and afternoon teas.

The ladies still do lunches to this day but differently.

"In the very beginning it was formed for country women who came to town," says Mrs Warden.

"It was a base for them to shower and freshen up, and bring the kids too, and in those days we had a housekeeper who served lunch every day."

"Yes, it was a whole different era. But we still have quite a good membership and we are still doing well. It is all mainly about friendship now, we make everyone welcome. Yes, there's a lot of widows but we do have some men as associate members."

Today there's 97 members, there's lunch once a week, but the card games are on six times a week, every Wednesday and on the first and last Fridays of the month.

"Anyone can play, we have solo, bridge and 500, but on Fridays if they want to, they can even play Ludo," Mrs Warden says.

And there's mah-jong once a week too.

"We have a fashion parade once a year and also a concert. And we have open card days too."

While their memberships these days mostly support the lunches, teas and maintenance costs, it has also helped out the hospital auxiliary, the Westpac rescue chopper, the Salvos, Youth Insearch and the women's refuge.

While it used to be seen as elitist, it isn't these days in a society more egalitarian and where women aren't expected to stay at home.

If you study the foundation minutes and early club history you will note that the occupations of the foundation members were all listed as "Home Duties."

"Well, it was for women who didn't go to work but that's not how it is today, it is a different era, we have a lot of widows, and mostly we have older ladies who join and we'd love to have some younger ones too.

"We used to have a cook too but mostly we cater ourselves these days."

This week their cleaner threw it in too, and while they look to replace that job you can guess who gets to do the hard yards in the interim.

They are proud of their history and their place in clubland now too. Of their foundation members, patron Marie Wright is still with them and celebrated with the cutting of the cake at their big lunch recently. So is Bette Ashton, a resident of Bupa. Others, like Jan Treloar and Anna Atkinson have died in the past few years but their legacy lives on.

"We're still here as a ladies club. Yes, the men's club isn't. They disintegrated but we were never as stiff as the men's club was. When they demolished their place, they asked us if they could move in with us, but we wouldn't have a bar of them. The women stood up to the men. And look, they're history. We have a different history. We're still going. And a lot better than a lot of others and I think that maybe it's that friendship we offer that helps."