[written by member Amie J for our January 2020 newsletter]

The first ever Clubhouse was opened in the year 1948. It started from a group of people with varying mental health issues wanting to support each other after being discharged from a mental health facility, Rockland Psychiatric Centre, New York. They met on the steps of the New York Public Library. It’s amazing to learn that a small group of people diagnosed with mental Illness could have established over the years a clubhouse that would one day become an international support network of community. A community that one day would work to help support thousands of its members in their everyday lives and to achieve their goals.

It is a history worthy of recognition when we refer to the timeline below:

 1948 – The first Clubhouse was established in New York

 In 1977 – Fountain House establishes a national training program for the Clubhouse model

 1987 – national Clubhouse expansion project begins

 1988 – the faculty for Clubhouse development is established to mentor new and existing members.

 1989 – Clubhouse programs were accredited

 1994 – Clubhouse International is established as a global help for the international Clubhouse community

 2011 – The Clubhouse model in included in the NREPP, National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices.

 2014 - Clubhouse International is awarded the Hilton Humanitarian prize

All of what happened on this timeline was achieved over time by the collaborative effort of many people and members. How about Toowoomba Clubhouse and its history? The table in the Clubhouse garden holds a logo that says Toowoomba Clubhouse since 1996. It was started initially by a reverend Eileen Thompson along with two community development workers Bryce Alcock (who is interviewed in the following blog article) and Meredith Rawlings. However as is the way of Clubhouse it was established in all its ways by the input of so many people and most importantly its own members. The Clubhouse programs and model refined over time and it took resources such as funding and some trial and error to produce the Toowoomba Clubhouse we see today.

Eileen Thompson was a social worker at Bailey Henderson hospital in 1970’s and 1980’s and a director of Anglicare during her career. Together with Bryce, Meredith interviewed one hundred people with mental illness in the community and found that people needed support in the areas of employment, as well as general support towards personal goals of participation. From there they needed to see another model in action so they turned to Stepping Stone Clubhouse in Brisbane, and then together with members also attended seminars in a national Clubhouse conference in Melbourne. A public meeting was held in which a Toowoomba Clubhouse working party was formed including members. Securing funding from Queensland Health was a collaborative effort.

A location needed to be found which was difficult but was finally settled on to be in St James Taylor memorial Hall. The hall was first established in 1912, the land was donated by James Taylor, a former mayor, to the Anglican parish and the building was designed by Harry J Marks. In 1991 the building was placed on the QLD Heritage register. Renovations were made to include a kitchen for Clubhouse purposes and Toowoomba Clubhouse was officially opened in 1996 by local member Mike Horan.

[Pictures: St James Parish Taylor Memorial Institute signage at the front of the Toowoomba Clubhouses premises on Russell Street, and the Plaque commemorating the erection o the St James Taylor Memorial Hall. Sources for information: Wikipedia; Clubhouse International website; information from Bryce Alcock.]