Townsville and District Patriotic Fund Archive
On 12 June 1940 a public meeting was held in the Townsville Town Hall to discuss the formation of a Townsville and District Patriotic Fund. A meeting to inaugurate the fund was held a week later, presided over by the Mayor, Alderman J.S. Gill. At this meeting the constitution’s clauses and amendments were discussed, and officers elected. The constitution was adopted and officers elected were: Honorary Secretary, Mr C.B. Smith; Honorary Treasurer, Mr Millican; trustees, Messrs H.A. Weller, A.V. Hamilton, W.R.M. Kogler, R.J. Douglas, J.S. Gill, J.F. Ruddy and A. Dale. Mr Smith “appealed for help from the ladies for the stall at the Show for tea, soft drinks, and ice creams.” Ladies were also required until further organisation was in place to form a Ladies’ Committee to “carry on activities as they wanted to.” The fund held the objectives of: assisting, where necessary, the wives and children or other dependants of sailors, soldiers and airmen on active service; and to have a fund available so that when service personnel returned from active service they could be rehabilitated into civil life. The fund operated for over fifty years until, at a special meeting of the governing council on 3 December 1992, it was unanimously resolved that, due to reduced income because of low interest rates etc., it was no longer practical to operate the fund. In accordance with the aims and objects of the fund, the remaining funds were to be disbursed in part to Magnetic Island RSL Sub-branch, Thuringowa RSL Sub-branch and the Totally & Permanently Disabled Soldiers Assoc. Townsville, with the remainder to go to Townsville RSL Sub-branch for the provision of amenities at the War Veterans’ Homes, Rowes Bay.
Archive Location: 135R
Detailed Listing
TDPF/1 Constitution and Amendments, dated 25 August 1941
TDPF/2 Ledger 1947-1984 [final entry actual date 18 March 1993]
TDPF/3 Cash Book 1949-1992 [final entry actual date 18 March 1993]. Also contains loose correspondence to/from W J (Bill) Gillman, Chairman, December 1980, 3p.
TDPF/4 1955-1992 minutes of meetings
TDPF/5 1959-1967 receipt book
TDPF/6 1968-1993 correspondence, bank statements and disbursal details
TDPF/7 1981-1992 minutes of meetings
