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Wonglepong QCWA Hall is a heritage-listed community hall at 2779 Beaudesert-Nerang Road, Wonglepong, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1935 to 1935 by EJ Franklin. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 11 November 2005. == History == Wonglepong Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) hall is a small, one roomed weatherboard structure in a rural setting. It is situated on a leasehold block in the district of Wonglepong north of Canungra in Beaudesert Shire (now Scenic Rim Region). The hall was built specifically for the Wonglepong branch of QCWA in 1935. The branch continues to use the hall and it remains largely unchanged from the time of its construction.〔 The decision to form QCWA was made at an open conference for country women hosted by the Brisbane Women's Club at Albert Hall in Brisbane in August 1922. At the time, Queensland was suffering severe drought and the conference was prompted by a desire to alleviate some of the problems being experienced by rural women. QCWA aimed to improve the quality of life of country women and children by providing opportunities for social interaction and recreation and by improving rural education and health. The Governor of Queensland, Sir Matthew Nathan, strongly supported the formation of the QCWA and accepted the position of Patron.〔 QCWA soon became an important part of rural communities. It grew rapidly with branches opening at Kingaroy, Warwick, Roma, Chinchilla and Allora in the four months after its foundation in August 1922. QCWA addressed specific needs of rural families with practical measures such as the provision of beachside holiday accommodation, mothers' rest rooms, bush nurse centers and student hostels. They worked to improve the knowledge and skills of rural women by hosting lectures, teaching handicrafts and home industries and maintaining libraries in their halls and meeting places. They lobbied government on a range of rural issues. Their halls were often focal points of the local community and their members were frequently active in other local organizations. QCWA was one of the most influential Australian women's organizations of the 20th Century.〔 In 1925 when the Wonglepong branch of the QCWA was formed, Beaudesert Shire was a prosperous district of small farmers and timber workers. Closer settlement of the district began in the 1860s after the opening of the Logan Agricultural Reserve. From the early 1900s to the 1930s, the district boomed, sustained by dairying, cattle grazing and the timber industry. Dairying and grazing continued through the mid-20th Century although restructuring of the dairy industry led to diversification and the development of larger properties.〔 QCWA was arguably the most significant women's organisation in the Upper Logan River and Albert Rivers district. The Wonglepong branch was among the first to be formed in the area, meeting for the first eight years in the home of the founding president, Ann Franklin. By the 1930s, Ann's health problems led members to take turns hosting meetings in their homes. However, transport presented a problem for many and membership had increased so the decision was made to build a hall. A building fund was started and by 1935, £58 had been raised. The hall was built on land leased to the branch by the Franklin family on a 99-year term. The timber for the hall, believed to have originated from the Franklin's property, was milled at Geo Franklin's hardwood mill at Canungra. E. J. Franklin, the son of Ann, was the supervising carpenter and members' husbands assisted him on a voluntary basis. The hall was opened on 4 December 1935 by Mrs Buchanan, President of Central Division, QCWA. The branch started a library in the year of the hall's construction. In 1937, the hall was lined and a library cabinet was built with matching hardwood boards sourced from the property.〔 Members donated the furnishings of the hall. These include a number of pews that were made for the branch by E. J. Franklin. The original pattern for the pews is stored in the hall. The President's chair was donated by a member of the Franklin family in memory of his mother, Jane. The creed and motto were painted by Frank Tunley, the brother of the founding Secretary, A. G. Campbell.〔 The hall remains largely intact from the date of its construction and it is comprehensively documented. The library cabinet and lining of the hall have never been painted. The cabinet contains a collection of books most of which date from the period when the library was established. The only substantial changes to the hall have been the addition of a kitchen and the restumping of the hall in 1965, the painting of the exterior in 1975 and the replacement of the corrugated iron roof in 1983. The branch has preserved all of the minutes of meetings since its inception and it is one of the few QCWA branches to have preserved its records for this length of time.〔 From the late 20th Century, the Wonglepong area began to change from a farming community to a rural residential area and since the 1960s membership of QCWA throughout Queensland has declined. However, the Wonglepong Branch remains active and is one of only two QCWA branches that still function in Beaudesert Shire.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.qcwa.org.au/branchesDetail.php?Wonglepong-261.org.au/branchesDetail.php?Wonglepong-261 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wonglepong QCWA Hall」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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