THE Warriapendi Bookclub, a local hills group, celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Saturday, June 8 with a luncheon and a special guest speaker at the Parkerville Tavern.

The book club was formed in 1974 and is believed to be one of the longest continuously running book clubs in WA.

They maintain a membership of 11 and meet monthly in members’ homes to discuss the book chosen by each member in turn.

The club has seen stable membership with one of their current members being involved for over 40 years, and several others for over 30 years.

Detailed records have been kept so most of the previous members were able to be contacted and invited to attend the function along with current members.

Altogether, 30 people were present for the function, including two original members.

The original constitution and records were on display, along with their recent updates.

Each of those attending was presented with a name tag which included the year they had joined, and a booklet listing all the books the club has read over its 50 years, totalling 508 books over the span of its existence.

Former ABC presenter Gillian O’Shaunessy was guest speaker at the anniversary event and talked about her lifelong love of literature and the importance of books and reading.

She is also the host of Reading Between the Wines Facebook group, celebrating a passion for the written word.

After a light lunch and the cutting of the celebratory 50th Anniversary cake, members continued to enjoy renewing acquaintances from earlier years of the book club and reminiscing with old friends.