We have been connected with The Queen’s Fund for over 80 years and we are very proud of their amazing efforts!
The Queens Fund (TQF) was founded in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign by the then wife of the Governor of Victoria, Lady Loch, in response to the worst mining disaster Australia had experienced which left many women destitute. Today, TQF is one of Victoria’s oldest charities, run by women for women, to assist women and their children in distress or crisis.
The Fund still continues to this day, encouraging women to increase their self-worth, skills and knowledge. The committee meets monthly at the Melbourne Town Hall and has done continuously since 1887.
Accru’s connection with TQF began in the 1920s, principally as honorary auditor, or a token of 10 guineas, as it was known in those times. Until 2017, the Fund was operating under the original trust deed and had three individual trustees. This made operations difficult, so they applied to the Attorney-General and approval was granted to appoint a corporate trustee for the Fund.
Around 20 years ago, TQF’s treasurer approached Accru to help them with monthly accounting reporting. As the number women TQF has helped over the years increases due to the generosity of its donors, so too does the need in our society. The Queen’s Fund are now helping more than 120 women and their children every month. The referrals committee needed a computerised accounting ledger to help with the many grants they were making each month. An automated system enables the committee to discuss and process funding applications more efficiently.
We also provide monthly accounting reports, bank reconciliations and more, which greatly saves the honorary treasurer’s time and efforts.
Accru Melbourne (formerly Accru Danby Bland Provan) have always supported The Queen’s Fund. We celebrated its 125 years of existence with recognition and a formal occasion at Government House in 2015, at which Barrie Provan and I attended.
The Queen’s Fund does not employ anyone to carry out support and secretarial services – it has always operated on a shoe string budget, continues to do so and the women on the committee volunteer their time to make a ‘difference’.
The Queen’s Fund is my first choice of making a donation – all funds are directed to the women who need it most.
