HISTORY of the CLUB

 

Documentation, in the form of membership records for the Queen City Philatelic Society, exists from 1957. The earliest meeting recorded in extant minute books is that of 27 July 1974.

However, newspaper reports exist documenting the existence of a stamp club in Toowoomba from as far back as 1895, and we believe the Toowoomba Club to be the second philatelic club formed in Queensland, and the first outside Brisbane.

The club in Toowoomba has existed under at least five different names:

  • it was originally formed as the Darling Downs Stamp Collectors' Association on 11 May 1895.
  • it was re-formed as Toowoomba Philatelic Club on 14 September 1897.
  • it possibly existed as the Toowoomba Hobbies Club on 24 February 1937.
  • it was re-formed as the Queen City Philatelic Society in August 1957.
  • the name was changed to Tooowomba Stamp Club on 26 November 1977.
Below we document some newspaper reports we have found.

  1. The earliest known mention of a stamp club in Queensland - the formation of the Queensland Philatelic Society in 1892. various newspaper reports
  2. The earliest known mention of a stamp club in Toowoomba - a call for potential members to attend the inaugural meeting on 11 May 1895.
    Darling Downs Gazette, 11 May 1895
  3. A report on the formation of the Darling Downs Stamp Collectors' Association on 11 May 1895. Darling Downs Gazette, 20 May 1895
  4. The formation of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club (even if the newspaper had a bit of trouble with "Philatelic"!). Darling Downs Gazette, 15 Sep 1897
  5. The report of the formation of the Toowoomba Club, which led to Brisbane collectors hastening to form their own club. Brisbane Courier, 2 Oct 1897
  6. A report of a meeting regarding the formation of the Brisbane Philatelic Society, held Wednesday 13 October 1897. Brisbane Courier, 14 Oct 1897
  7. A report of the first meeting of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club, held on Thursday 21 October 1897. Darling Downs Gazette, 23 Oct 1897 and
    Brisbane Courier, 26 Oct 1897
  8. A report of the first meeting of the Brisbane Philatelic Society, held on Thursday 28 October 1897. Brisbane Courier, 29 Oct 1897
  9. A report of the second meeting of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club, held on Thursday 18 November 1897. Darling Downs Gazette, 24 Nov 1897
  10. A report of the third meeting of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club, held on Thursday 16 December 1897. Darling Downs Gazette, 21 Dec 1897
  11. A report of the fourth meeting of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club, held on Thursday 13 January 1898. Brisbane Courier, 24 Jan 1898
  12. A report on a special meeting of the Toowoomba Philatelic Club, called to decide the future of the club, held on Tuesday 17 January 1899.
    Darling Downs Gazette, 23 Jan 1899
  13. A report of the QPS meeting of 24 Feb 1937, recording the attendance of "Mr L W Deafloe, of the Hobby Club, Toowoomba". (Constable Leslie William DIFLO was a policeman stationed in Toowoomba at the time. It is also possible that the "Hobbies Club" was associated with Downlands College, rather than being open to the general public.)
    Australian Stamp Monthly, 1 Apr 1937
  14. A report on the activities of the Queen City Philatelic Society, confirming its formation in August 1957, and listing early members.
    Toowoomba Star Pictorial, 22 Feb 1958
  15. A report on the formation of the Queen City Philatelic "Club".
    Australian Stamp Monthly, 5 Apr 1958