Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund, a working subdivision of the

Australian Comforts Fund Australian Comforts Fund (ACF) was an Australian umbrella organisation for voluntary bodies set up after the outbreak of World War I. Many men and women worked at the ACF, including Alice Berry and Cyril Docker in WW2. World War I The Australi ...

, was established during World War I. The purpose of the Fund was to provide comforts to soldiers on active service. This was achieved via appeals for donations, public subscriptions, and organising

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

activities. Numerous branches of the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund were spread throughout Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

during this period.

Formation

StateLibQld 2 187763 Lady Goold Adams at the opening of the Red Cross Fete at Junction Park School, Annerley, Brisbane, 1916

Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund was inaugurated at a public meeting convened by the Mayoress of Brisbane on 21 September 1915. A committee for the fund was formed with Lady Goold-Adams, wife of the Governor of Queensland Sir

Hamilton John Goold-Adams Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, (27 June 1858, in Jamesbrook, County Cork – 12 April 1920) was an Irish soldier and colonial administrator, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1915 to 1920. Early life Born in the townland of Jamesbrook in ...

, elected as patroness, and Lady Cowley, wife of former politician Sir Alfred Cowley, appointed president. Premises for the operation of the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund was secured at Panbury House in Eagle Street, Brisbane.

Comfort packages

One of the committee's first activities was to appeal for public donations of various items that could be dispatched to soldiers overseas in time for Christmas. Accepted items included shirts, undershirts with short sleeves, mufflers, balaclava caps, handkerchiefs, writing pads, envelopes, pencils, pipes, tobacco, cigarettes, bootlaces, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, Vaseline, sweets, coffee, games, books and magazines. By the end of World War I, the Queensland Soldiers' Comfort Fund declared that since October 1915 they had packed and shipped 5,010 cases to soldiers overseas, which included 17,324 shirts and 37,983 pairs of socks.

Branches

Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund established a number of branches outside of their main Brisbane office. These included Ayr, Beaudesert, Beerwah,

Benaraby Benaraby is a rural town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town of Benaraby in the north-east of the locality with two neighbourhoods based around two former railway stations of the same name: * Alki ...

Bowen Bowen may refer to: Places Australia * Bowen, Queensland, a town * Bowen Hills, Queensland, a suburb ** Bowen Hills railway station, a railway station in Bowen Hills ** Bowen Park, Brisbane, a park in Bowen Hills * Bowen Bridge, crossing the Derw ...

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Morayfi ...

, Calliope Valley, Charters Towers, Degilbo, Emu Creek, Eumundi, Goondiwindi, Ipswich, Isis Girls' Club, Kedron, Laidley,

Lake Clarendon The Lake Clarendon Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway located off-stream in the locality of Lake Clarendon in the Lockyer Valley Region, South East Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for i ...

, Longreach,

Many Peaks Many Peaks is a town in Gladstone Region in Queensland, Australia. It is one of four small townships within the suburbs and localities (Australia), locality of Boyne Valley, Queensland, Boyne Valley along with Nagoorin, Queensland, Nagoorin, Bui ...

Mapleton Mapleton may refer to: Places Australia * Mapleton, Queensland, a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region Canada * Mapleton, New Brunswick, a rural community in Kings County * Mapleton, Moncton, New Brunswick, a neighborhood * Mapl ...

, Maroochy River,

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Memerambi Memerambi is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Memerambi had a population of 272 people. Geography The town is on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane ...

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

Morven Morven, or Mhoirbheinn, is a given name and may also refer to: Places Australia * Morven, Queensland, a town and locality in the Shire of Murweh * Morven, New South Wales * Electoral district of Morven, Tasmania Canada * Morven, community in Loyal ...

, Mount Morgan, Nambour,

Nanango Nanango is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,599 people. Geography Nanango is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane, at the junc ...

, Ormiston, Poona,

Pialba Pialba is a coastal town and suburb of Hervey Bay in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the central business district of Hervey Bay. In the , Pialba had a population of 3,678 people. Geography Pialba is a located north of ...

, Sandgate, Tallebudgera, Townsville, Tiaro,

Toogoolawah Toogoolawah ( ) is a rural town and locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toogoolawah had a population of 1,279 people. Geography Toogoolawah is in South East Queensland. Toogoolawah is a centre for gliding and parach ...

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, Wattle Branch and

Wynnum Wynnum is a coastal suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wynnum had a population of 12,915 people. The suburb is a popular destination in Brisbane due to its coastline, jetty and tidal wading pool. Geography Wynnu ...

Fundraising initiatives

Queensland Soldiers' Comfort Fund oversaw several fundraising operations.

Coo-ee Cafe

The Coo-ee Cafe was a volunteer-run cafe initially situated in the basement of the Brisbane Club building in Adelaide Street, Brisbane, before moving to the ground floor. The cafe was in operation between 6 February 1917 and 23 November 1918. During this period over £7,600 (approximately 40 percent of profits made by the cafe) were contributed to various comforts funds.

War-time Kitchen

War-time Kitchen in Southport, Queensland was opened in September 1917 and operated by volunteers. The kitchen sold home-made cakes, sweets, jams and pickles. Seventy-five percent of profits made went towards the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund, averaging £40 per month.

Jam Shop

Situated in a shop in the Podmore and Hall building in Adelaide Street, Brisbane, the Jam Shop sold home-made jams and pickles to the public. The shop averaged £25 per month of profits for the Fund.

Refreshment stall at the Brisbane Exhibition

During the annual Brisbane Exhibition at the Exhibition Grounds in 1917 and 1918, the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund maintained its own refreshment stall, selling sandwiches, fruit and soft drinks with proceeds going toward the Fund.{{Cite news, url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180913571, title=COMFORTS' FUND TENT, date=15 August 1917, work=Daily Standard (Brisbane, Qld. : 1912 - 1936), access-date=27 April 2016, via=National Library of Australia The stall realized profits of £301 and £640 respectively.