Welcome to the Shirley Club, where you must be named Shirley to join
What’s in a name? Well, a lot if you’re named Shirley. And if you’re at the Shirley Club.
At the Shirley Club, everyone must bear the name Shirley. You even have to show your birth certificate as proof.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a first name or second name,” said Shirley Brushaber, the club’s New South Wales co-ordinator in Australia. “We have a Mr and Mrs Shirley in Western Australia. “It can even be your middle name, just as long as it’s on your birth certificate.”
Now entering its 16th year with over 200 members, the Shirley name is still thriving.
“At one time we thought the name was starting to die out but we’re getting a lot of people now who have it as their second name in honour of their mothers and grandmothers. We’ve got a few younger ones whose membership is paid by their grandmas.”
The idea for the exclusive Shirley Club started out in Australia's state of Western Australia from a woman named, you guessed it, Shirley Brown. The idea exploded in popularity and there’s a Shirley Club in every state and territory in Australia, as well as three here in New Zealand. In the US, there are almost 400 members.
Members of the Shirley Club often meet every one or two months.
“Our motto is fun, food and friendship, and we have lots of it,” Brushaber said.
But what happens when all Shirley’s are in a room and you need to find someone? The members have already figured that out.
“If someone calls across the room, they use your surname,” explained Brushaber. “And of course all the surnames are shortened so Robertson is Robbo, Brushaber is Brushy and so on.”
To find out more about the Shirley Club, visit their website here.
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