Introduction

In 2005, the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane divided its diocesan activities across five commissions – Parishes & Other Missions; Community Services; Schools; Diocesan Services and Ministry Education.

The establishment of the Community Services Commission brought together the services of Anglicare Southern Queensland, St Luke's Nursing Service and Anglican Care of the Aged.

As we set out on our journey together our first step was to integrate our corporate services and develop strategic and operational plans with one organisational view, bringing together all our services with a shared vision and mission under one new name Spiritus.

Looking back we recognise the remarkable contribution our many services have made to the community with over 130 years of service.

This timeline brings together the history and experiences of the three services to present one shared history of service.

The dedicated and committed work of our predecessors inspires us all to take the next step together as one organisation, working with commitment and faith to improve the quality of life for all in the community.

1870's

1870 - The Anglican Church began caring for single women and mothers in Brisbane, establishing The Brisbane Female Refuge in Ann Street.

1890's

1893 - St Mary's Home was established at West End, and relocated to Toowong the following year.
1895 - The Church established Tufnell Home for Children at Nundah on Brisbane's Northside.

1900's

1901 - The Tufnell Home at Nundah was expanded.
1904 - Dismayed by the mortality rates of children and their mothers, the women of Christ Church Parish took action and appointed a nurse to care for the sick. Sister Packer started on a six month trial, using her own bicycle to ride from client to client around Milton.
1909 - By 1909, the high demand for services of the district nurse led to the formation of the "Mothers' Union District Nursing Association" under the oversight of a Committee of Management.

1910's

1910 - Matron Cooper and her nurses moved into "Avondale" ~ an attractive wooden cottage at 430 Upper Roma Street with its own telephone line (Brisbane 2691) ~ which was to be the Mothers’ Union District Nursing Association headquarters for the next 18 years.
1913 - Increasing demand for services led to the lease of another Roma Street property ~ "Craigie-Lea" was converted into a small maternity hospital.
1919 - The global "Spanish flu" epidemic reached Brisbane, and the demand for the Mothers’ Union DNA was higher than ever ~ they became known as "the angels of mercy" in this period.
1919 - St Mary's Home was relocated from West End to Taringa.

1920's

1922 - The Brisbane City Council commissioned the Mothers’ Union District Nursing Association to visit and nurse free of charge, persons in a destitute condition" recommended by Council officers.
1928 - The Brisbane Courier newspaper organised an appeal to its readers which raised £192/10/7, saving financial disaster, and prompting many other sizeable donations from organisations and businesses.

1930's

1931 - A total of 11,543 visits to the sick were made this year. In one day, a nurse travelled in 13 trams, 2 trains and 2 buses, carrying a heavy bag of instruments and dressing trays from house to house. Such a workload led to the formation of the Lady Goodwin Nurses' Transport Corps ~ 30 young ladies volunteered their time and vehicles to drive the nurses around, saving £100 in fares in one year alone.
1932 - St John's Home for Aged Men established at Toowong.
1937 - Change of name ~ the "Mothers' Union District Nursing Association" was shortened to become simply the "District Nursing Association" (DNA).

1940's

1941 - DNA Matron McElnea was called up for war service.
1942 - Lieutenant McElnea was captured by the Japanese whilst escaping from Singapore and suffered three years’ privation as a prisoner-of-war.
1943 - The Courier-Mail ran an appeal for volunteers to help with the cooking and cleaning for the District Nursing Association nurses, to keep them free to care for the sick.
The District Nursing Association's original nurse, Emma Jane Packer, volunteered once a month as a cook and helped answer telephones.  The Association's President sent her car and chauffeur every Friday to help with transporting the nurses.

1950's

1950 - Neilson Home for Aged Women was established at Chelmer in Brisbane.
1955 - The District Nursing Association purchased a new Sunbeam Hillman for £779, thanks to donations by Farsley Motors and the Qld government, bringing the 'fleet' to three, including a Vanguard and Volkswagen.

1960's

1960 - St John's Home at Toowong was rebuilt.
1961 - Symes Thorpe Home for the Aged opened in Toowoomba.
The Courier-Mail donated £5,910/6/0 - which enabled the DNA to trade-in and replace four of its five cars.
1963 - E M Tooth Memorial Home for the Aged opened at Manly overlooking Moreton Bay.
1968 - The District Nursing Association became St Luke's Nursing Service, and officially became an outreach of the Anglican Church.

1970's

1973 - The Federal Government introduced the domiciliary care benefit, which led to a sharp increase in demand for St Luke's Nursing Services.
1976 - The Anglican Women's Hostel established in New Farm.
Board of Diocesan Mission and Service (Mission & Service Fund) formed, and the Social Welfare Committee set up, the latter responsible for homes for aged persons, children, homeless women and single mothers as well as emergency relief for those in need.
1978 - Anglican Social Welfare Department begun.

1980's

1980 - St Luke's new headquarters block in Milton was officially opened by Lady Ramsay, wife of the Governor of Queensland.
1982 - St Martin's Nursing Home opened in May at Taigum on Brisbane's Northside.
1983 - ABRI Home for the Aged opened at Southport, and the Anglican Refugee & Migrant Service (ARMS) began as a refugee support outreach of the congregation of St John's Cathedral.
1984 - Director of Nursing Val Gibbs became the first Queensland AIDS Council educator; she and a team of St Luke's nurses began education programs which helped to dramatically change public perceptions of the disease.
1986 - St Luke's was the only community nursing service willing to provide specialist care for people living with HIV/AIDS, even before government funding became available, with the full support of the Anglican Church, and Archbishop Grindrod's endorsement led to the creation of an Anglican AIDS Taskforce.
St Luke's Cleveland (now known as Bayside) and Zillmere branches opened.
1987 - Anglican Care of the Aged established as an entity in its own right.
1988 - Tufnell Child Care Centre opened in February.

1990's

1990 - Tufnell House renamed TRACC (Tufnell Residential And Child Care) Springwood Residential.
1991 - TRACC South was begun as a result of the closing of Tufnell House.
1992 - Operation Kinder Community (OKC) began servicing families in the Riverview/Goodna area.
Anglican social welfare programs in Queensland came under the umbrella name of "Anglicare".
Student accommodation offered at Tufnell Lodge.
1993 - OKC was officially incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act.
St Luke's Logan City branch opened.
1994 - Anglicare Western Region was established.
1997 - TRACC Regents Park was formed to care for a sibling group.
1998 - St Luke's opened branches in Roma, Townsville and Buderim, and launched the Illicit Drugs Program (later renamed amend ~ assisting mothers end the need for drugs).
OKC was formally aligned with Anglicare Tufnell Welfare Services.
1999 - St Luke's respite centre opened at Robina on the Gold Coast.
In-Sync (In Supporting Young people in the Community ~ its name suggested by the youth in the area) began in the Redlands district. Beenleigh Youth Accommodation And Support Service began in the Beenleigh district.

2000's

2000 - St Luke's Volunteer Program started.
Homeless Project began operating in Brisbane South, Brisbane North and Townsville branches.
2002 - Anglicare Age Advantage offered employment services to the Gold Coast's mature-aged unemployed.
St Luke's Longreach sub-branch was opened.
2003 - Anglicare Age Advantage was renamed "Jobcare" and opened an office in Fortitude Valley offering services to the mature aged, disabled or long-term unemployed.
St Luke's Sydney branch established.
2004 - Centenary of St Luke's Nursing Service, with more than 500 staff and volunteers providing services in Qld & NSW.
TRACC Springwood Intensive Foster began; TRACC Logan Place in 2005.
2005 - Establishment of the Anglican Community Services Commission (ACSC), incorporating:
Anglican Care of the Aged (ACOTA) Anglicare Southern Queensland and St Luke's Nursing Services
2006 - All three organisations changed their name to ~ Spiritus ~ with over 2,000 staff and volunteers serving the community from 60 different locations around Queensland.
2007 - Sydney branch is transferred to another service provider. All Spiritus services are now within Queensland.
New Executive Director Mr Don Luke joins Spiritus and Mr Rob Law becomes the new Chairman of the Anglican Community Services Commission.