Riverboat on the Nile

ABOVE: A fleet of house-boats tied up along a Nile River landing at Cairo in about 1915. In July 1918 Canon Garland sought to buy one of these vessels with money raised through the “Lavender Day Appeal" by The Anzac Club, located inside St Luke’s Church, Charlotte Street, Brisbane. The boat was intended to be used as a floating ward for recuperating wounded First AIF personnel. Within five months the Armistice saw the repatriation of all remaining Anzacs to Australia. This image was captured by Major John M. Rose of the 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force. It is contained in a photographic album held by the Museum of New Zealand. Object reference No. O.040482.

FOR OUR SOLDIERS. House-boat on the Nile.   

The secretary of The Anzac Club, Charlotte Street, Brisbane, has just received two cables despatched by Canon Garland from Cairo, containing information relative to the work which is being done for our soldiers in Egypt and Palestine under his supervision.The first if these reads: “I have just returned from beyond Jordan. We are busy providing six more marquees fro the Front, and other benefits for the Australian soldiers, without in anyway over-lapping the existing organisations, and two huts are now in course of erection.” The second cable reads: “We are opening a new Soldiers’ Club at Jerusalem, and also a house-boat on the River Nile for our soldiers. Please cable £2,000 for this and other purposes mentioned in my previous cable.” These are some of the purposes for which “Lavender Day” collections are to be taken up, and anyone who will obey the old precept of giving quickly, is invited to forward donations to the honorary treasurer, Mr. G.F. Weatherlake [ George Frederick Weatherlake ] care of Anzac Club, Charlotte St., Brisbane.

– from page 135 of “The Church Chronicle” (Church of England, Diocese of Brisbane), 1 July 1918.