Kangaroo fundraising badge, Australia Day

Brown leather badge cut in the shape of a kangaroo with a red, white and blue ribbon around his neck and 'AUSTRALIA / DAY' impressed into his body. The eye of the kangaroo is the head of a pin which is bent and acts as a lapel pin on the rear of the badge.

The first Australia Day was held on 30 July 1915. Its objective was to raise funds for wounded Australian soldiers from the Gallipoli campaign. This badge was produced as a fund raiser. During the First World War money was often raised for patriotic funds by setting aside a special 'day' on which activities such as auctions, street collections, performances and stalls were held to encourage the community to contribute.

It was decided that on 30 July 1915 an 'Australia Day' would be celebrated across the country, and funds would be raised to help the Australian Division of the Red Cross continue to provide their services. Badges such as this, along with buttons and ribbons, were commonly sold at these events.

Note that Australia Day as we now know it, celebrated on 26 January, was known as Foundation Day until the 1950s.

This kangaroo is representative of the material sold by schoolgirl Miss Gwendoline Lucy Allpress of Elizabeth Bay, NSW during the First World War. Born 12 December 1899 to Percy and Lilly Alpress, and granddaughter of George Walker, Mayor of the Borough of Paddington in 1902-3 and 1908-9, Miss Allpress attended Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School and was a top ranking student; she was college dux in 1916. Among the items that she donated to the Memorial in the 1960s are ribbons and badges bearing the words ‘Authorised Assistant’, ‘Lady Assistant’ and ‘Collector’ for such fundraising days as Australia Day 1915 (‘for our wounded heroes’); France’s Day 1917; Red Cross Days in 1918 and the YMCA. See REL/01626.008 or an example of one of these badges.

It appears Miss Allpress was a dedicated and involved supporter of the many wartime fundraising events which characterised Australian society. Given her role as an 'Authorised Assistant' at the 1915 Australian Day fundraising event, it is likely that this leather kangaroo badge also dates from 1915. The theme of 'For Our Wounded Heroes' was taken up Australia-wide.