FIVE decades of local history, friendship, and community connection will be celebrated this Saturday when Baskerville Hall hosts a golden jubilee morning tea for the Swan Valley Community Centre.

The community milestone marks an evolution that originally began in 1976 when a group of local women first came together to form the Swan Ladies Friendship Club.

“There’s not a lot written in official records from back then, it’s mostly word of mouth,” Long-time member Charlotte Gosatti said.

“But somebody just recently brought along a little keepsake that those ladies made together back in 1976 when they first started.”

As the group grew, it leased Baskerville Hall from the City of Swan, eventually incorporating as the Valley Learning Centre in 1990 and securing a Lotteries Commission grant to extend the hall with a meeting room and crèche.

The committee made the deliberate choice to rename the facility the Swan Valley Community Centre in 2013 to avoid confusion with emerging commercial daycares.

“We decided to change the name in 2013 just because a lot of the learning centres that started coming up around that time were all daycares,” Ms Gosatti said.

“That’s sort of what we’ve incorporated in our event over the weekend, that it’s a celebration for both the Swan Valley Community Centre and the Valley Learning Centre, just because it’s what people from 20 years ago knew us as.”

Today the centre remains open, relying on participant attendance fees and local fundraising events like the annual soup lunch to cover its day-to-day running costs.

“We’re a self-funded community group. We do get a lot of support from the City of Swan, but as far as operating everything goes, we don’t rely on funding to keep us going year to year.”

Today the centre hosts a number of programs including pre-kindy, traditional craft circles, art classes, badminton, textiles, mosaics, and pickleball.

“There is always a lot we do for the community here, but a lot of people don’t really know about it because it just goes on quietly in the background,” Ms Gosatti said.

“My message to people would be to reach out, look around, and enjoy and support your local community.”

This weekend’s celebration will bring together local council representatives, past and present tutors, committee figures, and students for a historical reunion.

Guests will also be able to explore the special historical display featuring research compiled by members into the rich heritage of the Baskerville Hall.

“There is always a lot we do for the community here, but a lot of people don’t really know about it because it just goes on quietly in the background,” Ms Gosatti said.

“My message to people would be to reach out, look around, and enjoy and support your local community.”

The 50-year celebration will take place this Saturday, June 27, at Baskerville Hall between 10am and 12pm, with all past and present members welcome to email RSVPs to enquiries@swanvalleycommunitycentre.com