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T. C. BEIRNE & Co.,
“The House of the People.”
The VALLEY, : : : BRISBANE.
Anzac Club.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND SOLDIERS’ HELP SOCIETY.
In a quiet obscure street leading from the main thoroughfares of the city, there is a sign hung out from the building of an old church, “Anzac Club.” A rest home is here provided for returned soldiers in particular, but all soldiers, whether recruits or men who have come through action, are welcome. It is the outcome of the efforts of the women of the Church of England Help Society, but no questions of religion are asked, and the club is open to men of all denominations and creeds.
The management is in the hands of men, and personal attention is given to individual soldiers in an open, broadminded way. For instance, if an intoxicated man comes into the club, he is not turned out, but taken to the rest room upstairs and given a couch to sleep off his intemperance. Everything possible is done to encourage the men to use the club. There are three rooms for their occupation. A large reading and lounge hall in the basement with a piano, gramaphone, easy chairs, small tables and a restaurant. The stage of this hall has been turned into a billiard room, and at all times of the day there are men using the privileges of the club. Upstairs there is a reading, writing and rest room, where notepaper, envelopes and a library are provided free of charge. No entrance fee or subscription is asked, and the only time a soldier has to put his hand in his pocket is when he requires refreshments. These are provided at the lowest cost possible, and it is obvious that some return is necessary to keep the restaurant in financial order. Letters are received and remain in the care of the manager until called for, the manager being in attendance every day and night, and the club open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Different societies, and Protestant churches in and around Brisbane, provide a fortnightly social, and no offer is ever refused to entertain the men. The members of the Church of England Help Society hold a “tea” every Sunday and provide all provisions. This function is extremely popular, and the attendance averages 270 soldiers. These forms of entertaining returned men have had a wonderful influence among men of previous uncertain character. They have wandered in, in the first instance, out of curiosity, but the kindness of the girls and women and the happy atmosphere of the club have attracted them again and again. Seeing that a certain respectability is expected of them, they have taken care to come sober and remain sober. The numbers of men who were apparently “lost” characters and who have reformed under the influence of the club is amazing. The women who worked up this movement, and who continue to give strenuous attention to the welfare of the club, are the source of more influence for good than they are yet aware. But the Anzac Club was not instituted as a house of reformation, nor is it run on any such lines. It is a rest home for the men who have done “their bit,” or who are going forth to fight for their country.
Remember the Men in the Trenches.
HOW WOMEN MAY HELP AND ENCOURAGE.
There is an ever-increasing demand for comforts for the men in the trenches. The Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Depot in Parbury House has an army of women throughout Queensland working daily to supply those wants. But these women are in need of re-inforcements just as the soldiers in the trenches are in need of re-inforcements of men to-day. Those women who have immediate ties with men in the firing line have learnt of the soldiers’ delight in receiving additional comforts—they have also heard of the long hours spent midst wind, rain, mud and snow, when the soldiers’ only food was military rations, their only clothes—military equipment. Sufficient comforts have not been sent to the men. Additional socks, mufflers, mittens, Cardigan jackets, Balaclava caps, shirts, games, musical instruments, books, tinned fruits and milk are urgently needed. Surely the women of Queensland will not fail to make further and greater efforts to bring some gladness to the men fighting for us in France and Egypt.
The Anzacs who have returned from facing the hourly risk of death have a strange look in their eyes, and many, when sitting quietly smoking or resting, seem to be listening. One soldier was questioned: “You look as if you were listening all the time to something we can’t hear.” “Yes,” he said, “when I sit quietly I seem to hear the chaps in the trenches calling for me to come back.” The Anzac in question was well enough to do light military duty, but he felt that even he, after his strenuous work and severe wounds, should return and give the men a helping hand.