Postal Address:
P.O. Box 391
ASPLEY. QLD. 4034

Phone/Fax 07 3263 7118

Note: Please address all correspondence to the Honorary Secretary.

The ADCC - Plain English Explanation

The charter of the Committee is to commemorate our fallen heroes and to honour our surviving veterans. The objects are:

• The recognition of the gallant courage displayed by the Australian sons and daughters in fighting for the preservation of liberty and civilisation.

• The relief, by way of donation, of aged war veterans and their widows including those suffering from dementia.

• The commemoration of our fallen and the acknowledgment of the suffering of our wounded.

• The conduct of patriotic ceremonies in every town in Queensland on ANZAC Day.

• The encouragement of religious bodies to observe ANZAC Day by such religious service as each body shall decide.

• The care and upkeep of graves of ex-service personnel whose death is not accepted as due to War Service by the Repatriation Commission.

Whilst this is an accurate quote from the Constitution, how does it translate into deeds and who are the patriotic volunteer citizens behind this unique Australian organisation? In short, what is a plain English explanation of the ADCC?

The main activities of the Committee focus on:

• conducting the annual badge appeal with the support of the Queensland sub-branches of the Returned & Services League of Australia and other Ex-service organisations.

• promoting the Spirit of ANZAC through education and publicity, and

• providing subsidies and grants in accordance with the charter and objects.

Behind the scenes, some 29 individual or corporate members comprise a General Committee. A minimum five person Executive is elected each year to conduct the hands-on business of the organisation. At the annual meeting, the General Committee performs a role similar to that of a Board of Directors; that is, it reviews the results of the Executive for the previous year and provides guidance for the next. All members are patriotic volunteers who perform their honorary tasks as an ongoing citizens’ gift of the people to the war veterans of Queensland.

Membership is by invitation. The composition as at Februrary 2010 is:

Three ex officio appointments:

• Patron -- Her Excellency the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AO

• Chairman -- The Premier of Queensland, The Honourable Anna Bligh MP

• Vice-Chairman -- The Leader of the Opposition in Queensland Parliament, John-Paul Langbroek MP

The elected Executive Committee:

• President/Secretary -- Lesley Woodroffe

• Secretary -- Neil Cook

• Treasurer -- Mark Cronin MNIA

• Operations Manager -- Di Burke OAM

• Memorials Officer -- Matthew Smith

• Student Ceremony Committee Chair -- Kristine Clarke

• Museums and Displays Officer -- Adele Catts

• ANZAC Day March Officer -- Arthur Burke OAM

Currently 23 member organisations provide State level representation. Each has one vote but may nominate up to two representatives. They comprise a broad cross section of the community:

• Pastoral -- the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting Churches.

• Civic -- Brisbane City Council, Queensland Department of Education, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• Civil -- Queensland Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Royal United Service Institute of Queensland, Toc H, and The Queensland Country Women’s Association.

• Welfare -- Legacy, Defence Force Welfare Association, TB Sailors Soldiers and Airmen’s Association, and the War Widows Guild of Australia.

• Service -- Defence Corporate Support Centre, 1st Division and Deployable Joint Force Headquarters.

• Ex-Service -- AFC & RAAF Association, Council of Ex-Service Women’s Association, Naval Association of Australia, the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia, Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans’ Association, Vietnam Veterans' Association of Australia and the Returned & Services League of Australia.

Queensland’s unique ANZAC commemoration committee has been a proudly non aligned citizens’ organisation since its inception in 1916. Today it continues to prosecute the original aims for a holy day of commemoration rather than another public holiday festival. It is a most successfully managed and effective business which has survived because it is keeping abreast of modern business practices and capitalising on society’s patriotic resurgence. The ADCC must endure because it will always represent the citizens’ gift of the people to Queensland’s war veterans.

You can also find out about the ADCC Logo, our Annual Badge Appeal or read a short history of the ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee.