For the Sake of the Soldier: Voluntary Work of Brisbane WomenMacleod, Rita
History
For the Sake of the Soldier: Voluntary Work of Brisbane Women
Macleod, Rita
World War, 1914-1918 -- Medical care -- Australia; World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Australia
This general fund provides comforts for all Queensland soldiers
irrespective of the unit to which they belong. Over £5,000 has been
donated by the people of Queensland, and this money is used to buy the
materials for garments and socks, to provide groceries and sundries
required by the men, while a certain amount of money is sent monthly
to the commissioners abroad to provide coffee stalls, entertainments
(picture and variety shows) and musical instruments for men right in
the trenches and firing lines. Honorary commissions have been appointed
by the Commonwealth Government, and it is they who acquaint the
Australian governing bodies of what the men require. When Mr. Budden
(late Chief Hon. Commissioner for Australian comforts) was in Brisbane
he said that in one month alone they had provided 81,960 socks to men
in the front trenches. The colossal task undertaken by the women may
be imagined when this was quoted as one item. At another time, 25,000
tooth brushes and 25,000 tins of tooth powder were provided. To all
these requirements the Queensland Division contributed her share. In
the first year the hundreds of consignments sent abroad included among
the comforts 5,830 shirts, 11,607 pairs of socks, 1,232 tins of milk,
763 tins of fruit and jam, 5,000 packets and tins of cigarettes, 1,250
tins of fish, and a list of articles too lengthy to enumerate. And in
no way has the work slackened since that month of September, 1915.
The headquarters at Parbury House are the scene of many busy hours.
The room is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Saturday, when it
closes at midday, and one of the honorary secretaries is on duty
daily. The workers are occupied continually with sewing or cutting
out, distributing material or wool to be used up, arranging the goods
for various consignments, packing cases to be forwarded abroad, or
unpacking the contributions from one of the 40 country branches. There
are ten sewing machines in the room, and when they are all being used,
and the various other sections of the organization are centres
of busy women, the room seems one hive of activity. The honorary
secretary’s table, with a telephone, is in the centre, while to the
left is a circulating library, initiated by the Girls’ Sub-committee
to augment the funds. This committee has also made considerable sums
through the sale of cakes and home-made sweets, while individual
members make and sell home-made jams to swell the funds. All work is
voluntary, and no effort is spared to increase the comforts for the
soldiers, and the committees are continually improving their methods
and means of attending to the wants of the men who are in the trenches.
The movement is essentially alive, and if the men could see how
earnestly and unselfishly the women were considering their wants, they
would feel cheered indeed. As it is, the letters that pour in from all
sources show the deep appreciation of the men. The wonderful part is
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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