In celebration of International Women's Day, South West domestic violence and sexual assault support service Waratah invited founding board members, past counsellors and chief executives to a morning tea earlier this week.
Founding member Marg Peters said it was fantastic to come back and see how the service had grown.
"Everybody was so committed and there was hard work going on all the time, you weren't thinking of the future because you had to deal with the present," she said.
"We were always having to go on bended knee, begging for money from somewhere.
"I'm very proud of what has progressed from it."
Waratah's first chief executive Liz Phillips held the reins for 16 years and said it was great to now see public acceptance and recognition.
"Women and children are dying and that is everybody's business," she said.
"I came here in 1994 and there were limited resources and only six or seven of us - we were doing the job and doing what was needed.
"There was the idea that it was a private family matter so to have busy bodies coming along and saying no this is not ok - it did ruffle feathers.
"There is a very unique bond for the women of Waratah because we share a passion and we share a history and we share a future."
Current chief executive Astrid Chapman said it had been inspiring to hear some of the women's stories from a time where there was no government funding and sexual assualt and domestic violence was considered a family matter.
"I can't express how deeply I appreciate the work they've done," she said.
"Now we can talk more openly about domestic violence and sexual assualt but there's still a lot more work left to do.
"They were very brave women, they would have been ridiculed and marginalised but they were very strong - that keeps me motivated to continue on."
For more information visit waratah.asn.au.
