The Nowra-Shoalhaven Amateur Fishing Club was formed after the Great Depression in the years before World War 2. 

Twenty-seven members attended the inaugural meeting held in Nowra School of Arts on Wednesday, October 14, 1936 and decided to start the club. 

It was new territory for the group when a year later Mrs F. Peel applied to be a member. She was quickly informed that under club rules it wasn’t possible to admit her as a financial member.

Her only option was to become an ‘associate member’. 

The matter was raised at the following full meeting of members, but they backed the committee by resolving that “lady members be not admitted to the club”. 

Another controversy in the club came about in September 1937 when the committee wrote to Stan Hanson, demanding to know “whether it is a fact that he caught and sold fish since becoming a member of the club”.

He fronted the committee at its next meeting at Facer’s ship, where his explanation was accepted.

There was a similar situation the following year when Stan Chamberlain was the member in question, but he too satisfied the committee. 

Those at the helm of the Nowra-Shoalhaven Amateur Fishing Club were all from the local business sector. 

A local shopkeeper for 30 years, Thomas Basha was the patron, while the hands-on office-bearers were president Matthew Maloney, a dentist, secretary Robert Esling, an artist and corner shop proprietor, and treasurer Dudley Hughes, a chemist. 

After five shillings was the amount first put up for membership, it was finally agreed the cost should be two shillings instead.

Walter Watson, licensee of the Prince of Wales Hotel made the first donation of one pound for trophies, while Tom Cox offered his motor launch for use of members. 

The first competition was Sunday, November 1 at Purdy’s Flats between McMahon’s Point and Miller’s Point.