WELCOME to the West Australian Folk Federation (WAFF)

Welcome to the pages of the WA Folk Federation.
The WAFF was established in 1970 with the principle aim of promoting Folk Music and Dance in WA and attracting the National Folk Festival to WA which we hosted in 1978 in Fremantle & 1985 at The University of WA. The National Folk Festival, held over the Easter Weekend, is now located in Canberra with a featured state each year.
We became an incorporated body in 1974. We serve the entire state, although predominantly the Perth Metro area, and have done so for more than five decades. The WAFF is working now to reinvigorate itself and redefine its role in promotion of folk performing arts in Western Australia, including music, dance, yarns and poetry. In the coming months we promise many new and exciting developments. Join us as we work to elevate understanding and appreciation for folk music, poetry, dance, and story-telling.

— AGM Announcement
The WAFF AGM will be held on 31st October 2020 at 2pm in accordance with the regulations governing not-for-profit organizations.
There will be a ballot for office bearers as well as updates on the past year and future undertakings. We welcome nominations for 4 executive positions (chairperson, vice chairperson, treasurer & secretary) and up to 6 ordinary committee members. You must be a member to nominate and only members can vote on the ballot and proposals put to the meeting.
The meeting wil be held at John & Deb Ralph’s place. If you wish to attend please email john at johnralph@hotmail.com or wafolk@hotmail.com

WAFF Affiliated Folk Clubs

WAFF supports new and existing WA Folk Clubs through affiliation. Affiliated clubs can receive benefits though WAFF such as APRA license fees and other assistance. Affiliated clubs are asked to pay WAFF a small membership fee yearly to help cover expenses for club license coverage. WAFF can and sometimes does help with managing clubs and finding performers.

If you would like to start a folk club we are here to help you!

Currently two clubs are officially run by the WAFF (Wanneroo Folk Club & Jackadders Music Club) and a number of others are affiliated.

Wanneroo Folk Club 2nd Friday of the month Dorchester Hall, 2 Dugdale St, Warwick. Find us on Google Maps here Entry price and door opening varies: Guest Nights $10 ($8 WAFF Members). Doors open: 7:30pm, Music from 8pm Sing-a-round & Come-All-Ye nights $5 ($3 WAFF) Doors open: 7:00pm, Music from 7:30pm Email: John at johndralph@hotmail.com

Jackadder’s Music Club 3rd Sunday of Every Month I’m afraid that Jackadder’s won’t be happening until the physical distancing of 2sqm per person has changed. It means that our audience numbers would be limited, as the space where we hold concerts isn’t large enough. Also at the moment we are not permitted to use the kitchen. All in all we are going to wait (we’re not holding our breath) until restrictions are lifted. Community of Christ, Cnr Elmwood and Lombardy St’s, Woodlands. Find us on Google Maps here Adults $12, Children FREE, (WAFF $6) More Information at: www.carmelcharlton.com/ Carmel Charlton 0412777061 carmel@carmelcharlton.com

Ken’s Drawing The combination of Ken’s & Cindy’s drawings the colourised version

How our logo/banner came about Prior to 1997 there was a new “modern look” logo in use which didn’t really say much about who we are or what we do. After the the Joondalup Festival the committee decided that we needed to go back to basics a bit. As the new Town Crier editor at the time I was looking through the WAFF office and unearthed 2 items. One was a drawing by the late Ken Ferguson which was used as the logo for the National Folk Festival in 1978. The other was a silk screen of Swans and instruments which was used for a tee shirt design for the 1990 Toodyay Folk Festival. I had no idea who had designed the T-shirt art work but at the Wanneroo Folk Club a couple of years ago I discovered that this mystery artist was a lady by the name of Cindy Stonor-McClean, a long time supporter of the WAFF and folk music in WA. I liked the look of both drawings since they had a connection to both folk music and Western Australia. So after much scanning and fiddling on my computer I combined the two drawings into one and a new logo was born. Over time it evolved with the adding of a bit of colour. The banner at the top of our new pages has better definition and is the latest version.