1989
The Wiltshire Farming Club
President: Mr. W.J. Gale.
Chairman: Mrs. A. Bucknell.
County Secretary: Mrs. K. Telling, The Old School, Great Somerford, Chippenham. Telephone Seagry 720760.
The Wiltshire Farming Club – A Brief History
The Wiltshire Association Of Dairy Students (WADS) was founded in 1927 by the late Mrs. Ida M. Bull.
Agricultural education was in its infancy; Mrs. Bull having been a demonstrator in butter and cheese making, and following the discontinuation of travelling schools, she resolved to maintain contact with her ‘students’ within the county.
In those pioneering days of mechanisation and the need to feed the nation, the role of the association was an important part of modern-day agriculture, beside the social aspect. Lifetime friendships were forged, and indeed a good many matrimonial ones during those times (the Young Farmers’ movement had not yet begun in Wiltshire.
In its heyday, the association had nine branches throughout the county. Membership ran to over 1,400 in the early fifties. A member journal was produced, and a county agricultural show was held annually. During this time strong links were forged with the Lackham College of Agriculture from its inception in 1945 until the present day.
The winter programme of county meetings are still held in the Avon Hall at Lackham.
1973 brought about inevitable change, marked by the death of the indomitable Mrs. Bull. Her position as county organiser was never filled. The county journal was published for the last time after 45 years. Some branches ceased to exist or were amalgamated, and in an effort to attract a broader spectrum of the farming community, the association changed its name.
The Wiltshire Association of Farming Folk (WAFF) was not a popular title, and regarded by some as portraying a ‘yokel’ image to the club.
The Wiltshire Farming Club (WFC) was born out of this in 1976, and today has five thriving branches: Chippenham, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Poulshot and Warminster. Current membership within the county numbers around 250.
The County President, Mr. Bill Gale, is one of many 2nd generation members; his father Mansell Gale being a prominent and active personality in the Warminster branch in his day.
The Wiltshire Farming Club and its origins are unique.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in agriculture, both young and old.