This distinctive memento of Bingara’s war time history – a piece of signed cloth, is to be presented back to Bingara and District Historical Society this Australia Day, Monday January 26th 2015.
The cloth was a community fund raising effort for the soldiers comfort fund. A section of the cloth was purchased by families who had someone on active war service overseas.
The Australian Comforts Fund was established in August 1916 to co-ordinate the activities of the state based patriotic funds, which were established earlier in World War I. Mainly run by women, they provided and distributed free comforts to the Australian ‘fit’ fighting men in all the battle zones. They became divisions of the Australian Comforts Fund.
The Council of the Fund comprised two delegates from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and one from the states of Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. The Executive headquarters was located in Sydney.
It ceased operation on 10 April 1920 and was reconstituted in World War II in June 1940 and ceased operation again on 27 June 1946.
Discussion between Bingara community member Nancy MacInnes and Bingara and District Historical Society Member Jean Robinson brought the Bingara cloth, which had been in the Society’s procession, to the attention of Gwydir Shire Council, who has undertaken the framing of the cloth.
The framing will preserve the integrity of this unique historical item of Bingara and District war effort.
