The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of the St George Reading Circle. The St George Reading Circle was formed around 1887 for the purpose of exchanging and discussing reading material, and debating current affairs. Following a visit from an American woman named Dr Emily Ryder, the Circle decided to form a new club modelled on the Education Clubs that were popular in America. The objective of the Club was to bring into one body the women of the community for mutual improvement which included involvement in local issues affecting women at that time, social justice issues, and social engagement. The club's motto is Spectemur Agendo, which means "let us be judged by our actions". The Club's first President was Lady Madeline Onslow. In 1904, ten years after the founding of the Karrakatta Club, the first Lyceum Club was founded in London by Miss Constance Smedley. The aim of the Lyceum Clubs was similar to those of the Karrakatta Club. In 1923 it was decided by the members of the Karrakatta Club to align the Club with the international movement of Lyceum Clubs. This opened the Karrakatta Club to a wider contact with women all over the world. In 1954 it had its diamond jubilee. In 1972/73 the Australian Association of Lyceum Clubs was formed to link all Lyceum Clubs in Australia under the one banner, and to be part of the International Association of Lyceum Clubs linking all Lyceum Clubs worldwide. In late 1984 the Karrakatta Club moved into its current premises in the Lawson Apartments building at the corner of Sherwood Court and The Esplanade.
Notable members
Katherine Broadhurst, daughter of Eliza and Charles Edward Broadhurst, was a suffragette in England and member of the St George Reading Circle.
Edith Dircksey Cowan, was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament. Cowan was the first secretary of the Karrakatta Club in 1894, subsequently becoming the Club's president between 1910 and 1912.
Marion Phoebe Holmes, daughter of Henry Diggins Holmes, the General Manager of the Bank of Western Australia. She was a key figure in the Ministering Children's League and the Western Australian Branch of The Girls' Friendly Society. Holmes was a founding member of the Karrakatta Club.
Gertrude Ella Mead, the third woman doctor registered in Western Australia and an inaugural member of the Senate of the University of Western Australia. She was the daughter of Silas Mead. Mead was the vice-president of the Karrakatta Club between 1912 and 1914.
