Following a 1977 meeting in Dubbo, a group of about 20 men mainly from within NSW, created the Country Network, , with no formal structure to start

It was not until after the first get-together in 1978 that there was a vision to make the new group an Australia-wide organisation. A Coordinator was elected to head the group, supported by a female Coordinator, Secretary and Treasurer.

Most of the group's early meetings were held in the Blue Mountains for convenience and anonymity. As the membership expanded, meetings spread to various regional centres.

By the end of the 80’s, the organisation had grown, and there was a need for a more business-like management system to ensure the ongoing survival of Country Network. The answer was to form a formal committee structure with elections.

At a meeting held in Canberra in 1990, a visitor from Western Australia advised that he represented an informal group of WA guys who would be interested in joining up with CN. This influx of new members from the west made a significant contribution to membership numbers, and CN finally became a truly national organisation.

At the 1991 AGM in Adelaide, we instituted an initial constitution and elected a new committee headed by a President. The country was divided into Areas, each with a Coordinator to bring management closer to local areas.

After years of discussion, Country Network was registered in 1994 as an incorporated body and adopted a more formal constitution to govern and provide the necessary framework for our large and diverse membership. The membership list continued to connect members and retained its confidentiality as required by the founders.

After many years of a simple newsletter, the Country Networker magazine was launched. The magazine keeps members up to date about activities and functions, as well as news from members, coordinators and office bearers, and any organisational and administrative issues. This year also saw the launch of the new Country Network website.