Back to the Beginning ...  Have you ever wondered how the Club began?  

During a coffee morning four women came up with the idea of a club where women in Brussels could get-together, make new friends and realise the needs of the trailing spouses with links to Britain and the Commonwealth.  In October 1963 they organised a meeting at the premises of the Centre Feminin on the Avenue de la Toison d’Or.  Word quickly spread and amazingly sixty women attended.  Our Founder Members were:  Meg Dodd M.B.E., Chairman;  Liz Logue, Vice-Chairman,  Poppy Lucking, Secretary and Sheila Davies, Treasurer.  By November a membership list was created and the first newsletter circulated.  That was the birth of the Club magazine, Passport.

The aim of the British and Commonwealth Women’s Club of Brussels was defined in the original Bye-laws of 1963:

“The aim of the Club shall be to provide a centre for its members to participate in social, cultural and philanthropic activities, to help them to get to know the country in which they are now living, which will contribute to a wider understanding of European and International problems, without involvement in politics or religion.

With no home of its own, a different venue had to be found for every meeting and activity.  As the Membership was widely scattered, the early well-attended monthly meetings were held in the centre of Brussels.  After Centre Feminin, the next venue was the Club Prince Albert (the Belgian Officers Club), followed by various hotels.  With the number of activities growing, it was soon realised that a “centre” was needed so Fund Raising was the order of the day.  A centre would make it easier to do more for the lonely, the young Mums, the now inactive career women, as well as for charity.

The first Clubhouse was at 20 rue de l’Association, a tall, elegant building in urgent need of refurbishment.  Volunteer members, and many of their husbands cleaned, papered and painted.  Carpets were laid and various furnishings donated.  The house was opened by the then British Ambassador, Lady Beith, and celebrated with 'bubbles'.

The maintenance of an old building proved to be something of a headache but then, suddenly, the proprietor terminated the lease.  The search was on again and this time the use of the Annex to the Madison tennis Club at Auderghem was offered.  For many it was a relief to be out of town and surrounded by beautiful parkland.  With more space and better facilities, it was now possible to offer a wider range of activities.

Four years later, the Club was once again faced with having to move as the entire property was to be sold.  This time the bank balance was healthy as money had been steadily saved over the past twenty-five years for just such a contingency.  After endless searching, the decision was taken to purchase a “sinister-looking dilapidated building” with potential, at a good price.  It had housed a Café called’ L’Oasis’ and was situated at 509 Rue au Bois, 1150 Woluwe Saint Pierre.

Extensive work was carried out to lengthen the main room of the old Café and install a kitchen.  The new Clubhouse opened its doors on 5 November 1990 and became a true centre that Members were able to use daily.

More recently, one of our neighbours informed the Club that she recalled that British soldiers and RAF pilots were billeted in the Café in 1944.  They counted the British planes that flew over the building on bombing raids to Germany and then informed the British authorities how many flew back later.  There were jeeps and other military vehicles parked in the streets and the young Belgian lads would pop into the Café to cadge cigarettes from the soldiers.

The Club has seen many changes over the years.  They were often made to in order to comply with regulations.  For different reasons a major change took place in 2020 when the name changed to Brussels Women’s Club and the membership became more international.  Despite all of this Members are still enjoying the Clubhouse where it is still possible to meet, make new friends, learn new skills, participate in philanthropic activities and appreciate the many benefits to be gained from our very special community.

(The basis for much of this summary is a two-part article written by Daphney Chotteau on the Club’s 30^th anniversary and published in the October and November 1993 issues of Passport.)