Anzac Cottage

The Anzac Cottage Trust was established in Queensland in 1915 as a sub-committee of the Queensland War Council. It endeavoured to ease the hardship experienced by the widows and dependents of servicemen killed in World War I by the acquisition of land and construction of homes. Construction of the cottages was funded from the profits made by the Queensland Golden Caskets lottery, specifically lottery numbers three, four and five. This was an initiative of the Anzac Cottage Trust headed by Harry Coyne, MP. 

Anzac Cottages were also constructed in other states with the first one probably built in Western Australia in 1916. Research suggests that the first Anzac Cottage in Brisbane was built in 1917 on donated land on the corner of Pullen and South Pine Roads, Everton Park. A pre-cut house was donated by the Brisbane timber firm of Brown and Broad who launched their catalogue of ‘Newstead’ ready to erect houses in 1915.

The scheme provided timber cottages, mostly built on donated land and constructed by volunteer labour. Much of the material used for the construction of the cottages was supplied at cost price by Brisbane businesses. Various community groups also contributed funds such as  the proceeds of school concerts and other fundraising activities. 

The Anzac Cottage Trust was also responsible for delegating who would occupy the houses. A prerequisite for occupancy was that the widow was to be of ‘good character’, and remain unmarried and respectable. The widow was to pay a small rent of £1/6 per week as well as Council rates and other expenses. The land was to be held in perpetuity by the Public Curator, with the widow or dependant signing a lease. The rent paid was to fund the ongoing maintenance of the cottages. If the widow remarried, she had to vacate the cottage. 

In 1923 the Queensland War Council decided to use the balance in the Anzac Cottage fund to build TB Homes. TB Homes were intended for returned soldiers and sailors suffering from tuberculosis and were rented at £8/- per week. Only married servicemen who did not own or were not buying a home were eligible for a TB Home and they were required to be members of the TB Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen’s Association of Queensland.

TB Homes were designed and built under the auspices of the Workers’ Dwelling Branch and were of a standard type, different to Anzac Cottages, costing around £600. The Public Curator however, managed them in a similar way to Anzac Cottages. By October 1924 nine homes had been built.

The design of the TB homes shared similarities with pre-cut homes produced by firms like Campbell’s and particularly Brown & Broad. Both firms were recorded as supplying materials to the Anzac Cottage scheme and produced designs which conformed to the requirements of the Workers Dwelling Act of 1909.

The Anzac Cottage Trust Committee was disbanded in 1932 and responsibility for the houses passed to the Public Curator (renamed Public Trustee in 1978). By 1956, the majority of the Anzac Cottages were rented to non-Anzac families as the number of World War I widows and descendants had decreased. The Anzac Cottages & TB Homes Act of 1960 was passed enabling the sale of properties held in trust for Anzac Cottages or TB Homes to fund repairs to tenanted cottages.  During the debate on this bill it was revealed 50 Anzac Cottages had been built in Queensland, 38 of which were in Brisbane. Twenty-six TB Homes had been built, of which 22 were in Brisbane.

In November 1998 the Public Trustee listed 60 Anzac Cottages /TB Homes it administered in Brisbane. Another 16 were located outside Brisbane. Many were named commemorating notable Anzac locations or people. 

Aerial photographs show that in 1946, the cottage had retained its simple design with a pyramidal roof which extended over a front verandah across the width of the house. A central staircase led to the verandah.

Planning records reveal that various alterations and additions have been carried out to the house since 1946, with alterations approved in 1982 and 1994 and a more recent application for additions in 2004. An extension along the southern side of the house includes a front projecting gable at the end of the verandah. There is also a large extension at the rear of the house post 1999.

The property (837 m²) at 39 Wright Street was transferred by Deed of Grant from the Public Trustee into private ownership in 1980. Alterations were carried out in 1982 and 1993.

The verandah has a plain timber balustrade with double, timber lattice doors flanked by lattice panels. A stair leads to the verandah doors which are central to the original (circa 1917) section of the house. The front door is situated between pairs of French doors.

A post 1946 timber extension with a projecting gabled roofed front room has been added along the southern side of the house.  This section has a timber batten gable apex and timber framed, double hung window with a hood. There is a multi-paned window with a hood below the gable.

There is a further extension to the rear of the house and the under storey of the house has been partially enclosed and has a scalloped timber batten valance at the front. The alterations and extensions are not of heritage significance.

1. Brisbane City Council Aerial Photographs

2. Brisbane City Council Building Cards

3. BCC Detail Plan. (nd). Revised to 1957

4. Queensland Certificates of Title

5. Telegraph 1 Jun 1918, p.2

6. Refidex: The Greater Brisbane Streetfinder 1943-44 edition

7. BCA Balmoral – Wright St 39 – C823-117. Surveyor’s Field Book plan

8. EHP. Extract from Queensland Heritage Register 602064 – ‘Strathearn’. Retrieved 26 May 2016