Churchill Fellows' Association of Qld Inc.

About Churchill Fellows Association of Queensland Inc.

CFAQ is an incorporated association run by a SEQ based management committee of President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and usually 4/5 members. As most of our inter committee communication is by email, we welcome committee members from all parts of Queensland .

Throughout the year CFAQ host various activities including the AGM, Annual Churchill Dinner, at which new Churchill Fellows are welcomed, visits to Churchill Fellows at their workplace, Churchill Breakfast and the Christmas Picnic. At these functions, we encourage as many Fellows as possible, to tell us about their study trips (Churchill Chats).

The Churchill Fellowship History

In 1962 the Duke of Edinburgh asked Sir Winston Churchill, then aged 88, what memorial he would like to be established in his name. Churchill suggested something like the Rhodes Scholarships, but available to all and on a much wider base. As a result of this request, a fund-raising exercise was organized and was prepared to swing into action the moment Churchill died.

Sir Winston Churchill died on 24 th January 1965 and the Churchill Memorial Appeal Day occurred on Sunday 28 th February 1965 . On that day in Queensland , 30,000 collectors called on 600,000 homes. All monies collected on that day were banked on that day. Banks opened especially for the Appeal Day. The Queensland goal was $180,000, while Australia wide the objective was $2 million. In Queensland $428,000 was collected and $4.5million Australia wide. This is probably the most successful fund-raising ever in Australia – as remarkable as the man it honoured!

Those funds collected in 1966 and wisely invested, have enabled 2800 Fellowships to be awarded in Australia, 460 are Queenslanders.

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

The Churchill Trust was established in April 1965, The principal object of the Trust is to perpetuate and honour the memory of Sir Winston Churchill by the award of travelling Fellowships known as Churchill Fellowships .

The aim of the Churchill Trust is to give opportunity, by the provision of financial support, to enable Australians from all walks of life who, having exhausted opportunities within Australia , desire to further their search for excellence overseas. There are no prescribed qualifications, academic or otherwise, for the award of most Churchill Fellowships. Merit is the primary test, whether based on past achievements or demonstrated ability for future achievement in any walk of life. Benefit to Australia is a significant factor.

Churchill Fellowships have been awarded in just about every field imaginable. Some examples are –

A Churchill Fellowship benefits everyone and everyone is a winner!! The individual because their determination, drive and dedication is recognized; their organization because one of their number is recognized for excellence; and Australia because the Churchill Fellow will return with skills and knowledge not readily attainable here.

You too can become part of the story of the Churchill Fellows by applying for a Fellowship!!! Why not put in an application? Applications for the next round of Fellowships close at the end of February.

More information, including a listing of previous recipients, is available on the website www.churchilltrust.com.au

Who was Winston Churchill?

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was best known as Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II. On May 10 1940 , in the midst of wartime disasters, Churchill was called to power. For the next five years, perhaps the most heroic period in Britain’s history, he held supreme command, as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. He breathed a new spirit into the government and a new resolve into the nation. He told the House of Commons “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by land, sea and air, with all our might. You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory.”

His dominant qualities were courage and imagination. Less obvious to the public, but no less important was his powerful, original, and fertile intellect. He had intense loyalty, marked magnanimity and generosity and an affectionate nature with a puckish humour. Oratory, in which he ultimately became a master, he learned the hard way, but he was a natural wit. The artistic side of his temperament was displayed in his writings and oratorical style, as well as his paintings.

He was a combination of soldier, writer, artist and statesman. Like Julius Caesar, he stands out not only as a great man of action but a writer of it.

When he died in London on January 24 1965 , at the age of 90, he was acclaimed as a citizen of the world and given the funeral of a hero.