• Our 110+ year history

    Open Minds has been supporting communities for over a century, formerly Queensland Wattle Day League, a small Queensland advocacy group providing art scholarships, assisting soldiers returning from World War I, and helping people with disability. During this time, our dedicated team have worked to meet the needs of the community, proudly supporting thousands of people across Queensland and New South Wales to live their best lives.

  • Historic timeline

    1912
    1912

    Open Minds was founded in 1912 as the Queensland Wattle Day League, a group dedicated to providing art scholarships.

    The inaugural scholarship is awarded the following year during Queensland’s Wattle Day celebration by sculptor Daphne Mayo, who would go on to create such pieces as the Brisbane City Hall tympanum and the Queensland Women’s War Memorial in ANZAC Square.

    1920
    1920

    The League’s focus begins to broaden to the issue of returned First World War soldiers who are struggling with injuries and battle fatigue. In 1922, the League collects over £1,100 for the Distressed Diggers Fund, helping these soldiers and their families.

    1952
    1952

    After a period of dormancy in the wake of World War II, in which the League focused primarily on their provision of art scholarships, a committee is formed to promote a revival of the League’s wider goal of helping people with disability.

    The League is formally reconstituted in September 1954.

    1962
    1962

    The League’s first sheltered workshop opens in Brisbane to provide employment and rehabilitation for disabled and disadvantaged people. In 1965, the name of the League is officially changed to the Queensland Wattle League for the Disabled.

    1973
    1973

    The League begins to officially receive government financial help under the Handicapped Person Assistance Act.

    1986
    1986

    The Australian Disability Services Act – enacted to make it unlawful to discriminate against disabled persons in terms of education, employment, housing, and service – brings new funding and outreach opportunities for the League after a period of difficulty in remaining sustainable.

    2003
    2003

    The name of the Queensland Wattle League is officially changed to Open Minds to better sum up the approach and outlook of the organisation that has taken shape over the past nine decades as an organisation specialising in mental health support and outreach.

    2012
    2012

    Open Minds celebrates its centenary, having grown into one of the state’s foremost bodies for mental health and disability support. While the list of support services would seem nearly unrecognisable to the original founders of the Wattle Day League in 1912, our shared mission and principles of people helping people has always been the same at our core.

  • We're committed to upholding
    the highest standards of support

    With the amount of change we’ve experienced over the course of our century-old history, we always remain committed to upholding our original mission of outreach and uplift.

    We always remain compliant with changing government statutes, as well as new developments in therapeutic practices, expectations, and regulations.

    To learn more about our history, download our centenary book.

    Learn more