The Camp Columbia Heritage Association has completed a major project funded through a $20,000 Australian Government Stronger Communities Programme grant, providing new exhibition, digital and audiovisual resources to help preserve and communicate the remarkable history of Camp Columbia.
The grant was secured with the support of the Hon Milton Dick MP, Federal Member for Oxley, who has been a strong supporter of efforts to preserve the history of Camp Columbia and Brisbane’s south-western suburbs during the Second World War.
The project has ultimately delivered more than originally envisaged. Together with additional support from the National Trust of Australia (Queensland), the total value of the completed project reached $24,565.91.
Bringing the Camp Columbia story to the community
An important part of the project was the development of a professional series of portable Camp Columbia exhibition banners and associated display material.
The banners tell the story of the enormous military complex established in Brisbane’s south-west during the Second World War. Initially developed for the United States Army, Camp Columbia included the headquarters of the US Sixth Army and subsequently became the principal base of the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile.
The portable displays allow CCHA to take this history directly into the community. They have already been used at exhibitions, conferences and public events and can be transported to schools, libraries, museums and community venues.
Their value was again demonstrated at the Home Front Festival at Wolston Farmhouse on 16 August 2026, where the CCHA exhibition attracted a steady stream of visitors throughout the day.
Preserving the history digitally
The grant also supported the reconfiguration and development of the CCHA website and historical database.
This work has enabled CCHA to continue categorising and digitising Second World War documents, photographs, personal stories and other historical material relating to Camp Columbia and the wider Allied presence in Brisbane.
The digital collection is particularly important because much of the physical Camp Columbia complex has disappeared. Documents, photographs, maps and personal recollections are therefore essential to reconstructing the history of the site and the thousands of American, Australian, Dutch and Indonesian people associated with it.
The website provides a permanent public platform through which this material can be preserved and made accessible to researchers, descendants, schools and the wider community.
A major new resource at Wolston Farmhouse
The largest component of the completed project is the new audiovisual and communications equipment installed at the National Trust’s Wolston Farmhouse.
Following the establishment of the partnership between CCHA and the National Trust of Australia (Queensland), it became possible to create a more permanent base from which the Camp Columbia story could be presented close to the original wartime site.
The new equipment includes a professional 75-inch UHD 4K monitor designed for indoor and outdoor use, mounted on a mobile stand. Supporting equipment includes a mini-PC, Wi-Fi 7 access point and 4G/5G communications equipment.
The mobility of the system is particularly valuable. It allows the large screen to be moved between the Library and Research Centre, other areas of Wolston Farmhouse and outdoor locations for special events.
The system can be used to show historical photographs, maps, presentations, oral histories, documentaries and other digital material. It will also support lectures, educational programs, exhibitions and community events.
National Trust Queensland contributed $4,565.91 towards the overall project, bringing the combined investment to $24,565.91.
The system will be used for the education programs including a new programme focussing on WWII and Camp Columbia. Also students from the University of Queensland can use the facilities at Wolston House for the history and archeology projects they are conducting.
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From grant funding to a long-term partnership
The project has consequently achieved considerably more than the purchase of equipment.
It has helped establish the infrastructure for the developing partnership between CCHA and the National Trust Queensland at Wolston Farmhouse.
CCHA now has access to facilities for research, exhibitions and historical interpretation at a heritage property located immediately adjacent to the former Camp Columbia area. This creates opportunities for future exhibitions, school programs, research projects, presentations and community-history activities.
The success of the Home Front Festival provided an early demonstration of this potential. The CCHA exhibition attracted visitors throughout the day, while the first Camp Columbia presentation filled the Wolston Farmhouse parlour to standing-room capacity.
Equally valuable were the conversations with local residents. Several visitors provided recollections and information that may add further details to the Camp Columbia story, demonstrating how public exhibitions can also generate new historical knowledge.
Thanks to our supporters
CCHA sincerely thanks the Australian Government and the Hon Milton Dick MP for supporting the project through the Stronger Communities Programme.
We also thank the National Trust of Australia (Queensland) for its financial contribution and for working with CCHA to establish the new facilities at Wolston Farmhouse.
The completion of the project represents another important step in CCHA’s long-term objective: ensuring that the nationally and internationally significant history of Camp Columbia is researched, preserved and shared with future generations.
