About Us

Toc H is a volunteer movement dedicated to building a caring community. Toc H strives to build better communities by reaching out to all in friendship and service, confronting prejudices and practicing Christian values.

Toc H is has many worthwhile projects: tackling problems of loneliness, working with children who are disabled or who are in need and fostering a sense of pride in our nation’s history and traditions.

Toc H Aims:

• To love widely
• To build bravely
• To think fairly
• To witness humbly

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The Northern Region

The Toc H Australia Northern Region consists of all branches and members of Toc H in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
The body responsible for the operation of the Movement in this region is the Toc H Northern Region Executive, which meets about five times a year.  Within this Executive there are three sub-committees:

• The Youth Sub-committee;
• The Elderly Sub-Committee; and
• The Ethos Sub-Committee

The role of the Youth Sub-Committee is to provide a focus on involving young people in Toc H in a meaningful and interesting way:

• Establishing and supporting Toc H Action Groups in Schools and Universities; and
• Encouraging Toc H Branches and Groups to undertake projects which involve young people,  for example working with children with disabilities and those who are in need.

The Elderly Sub-Committee works to identify needs of the elderly in our communities and seeks to find ways in which Toc H can help, through:

• Developing programs which focus on loneliness;
• Arranging outings for people who are housebound;
• Providing entertainment, such as concerts, for those who are in Homes; and
• Encouraging Toc H Branches and Groups to undertake projects to help the elderly

The role of the Ethos Sub-Committee is to ensure that the Aims and Objectives of Toc H are being fulfilled and this involves the organisation of a number of projects:

• Maintaining important traditions in Toc H – The Ceremony of Light, The Main Resolution, the Mission Statement and the Toc H Prayer;
• The organisation of the Toc H Midnight Service on ANZAC Eve at the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane;
• Participation in the ANZAC Day Parade in Brisbane, Bribie Island and Cairns; and
• The publication of literature about the ethos of Toc H

The Australian Capital Territory

The names of Ted Geach and Doug Dickenson were well-known to Toc H members around Australia for over fifty years.  They started Canberra Branch in 1938.  A little later they were joined by Neil Truscott and he played an active role in the outstanding work of this Branch until very recent times.  Under the guidance of these three men Toc H worked with Aboriginal children at Wreck Bay and they were responsible for bringing out to Australia a number of families under the immigration policy of the time – ‘Bring out a Briton’.  All were members of the Toc H Australia Council for many years and they made outstanding contributions to the development of Toc H throughout Australia.  Ted Geach was one of the founders of the Blood Transfusion Service in the early 1930’s, Doug Dickinson was the Chairman of the Australian Council for many years and Neil Truscott was the Public officer for Toc H Australia also for many years.  He was a great supporter of the Toc H Australia National Youth Leadership Courses and a number of Toc H Youth Forums.

One of the projects for the years leading up to the centenary of the Movement will be to rebuild Canberra Branch.

All of the above give some idea of the fine work that has been done in the Toc H Australia Northern Region spanning many years.  There are many more stories that could be told, stories going back to 1925 and leading right up to the present day.