1930 – 1939
APEX FOUNDED
Apex formally began on March 10 1931, in Geelong, Victoria during the 1930’s Depression. Founded by three young architects Sir John Buchan, Ewan Laird, and Langham Proud.
Within seven months of the founding of the Geelong Club, Clubs were started at Ballarat, then Camperdown, Albury and Warrnambool. In 1934 the first Club in a capital city was started in Melbourne.
NATIONAL SCHEMES
were initiated quickly as a means of organising and attacking problems which could not be overcome by individuals, or individual Clubs.
ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE
The first National Service Scheme in 1935 saw a truck and pedal wirelesses donated to the RFDS and the Australian Aerial Medical Services.
FREE MILK
for Australian School children was introduced thanks to the 1937 National Service Scheme.
MOTHERS & BABIES ASSOCIATIONS
were supported throughout Australia with the donation of various equipment in 1938
1940 – 1949
WORLD WAR II
There were 40 Apex Clubs by the end of 1939. Over 900 of the 1505 Apexians served in the Armed Forces. The war naturally dramatically retarded the growth of Apex, but the growth resumed after the War. In the following decade, the number of Clubs grew from 41 to 162.
WORLD COUNCIL OF SERVICE CLUBS (WoCo)
In 1945 Apex joined the World Council of Service Clubs, a group of international service organisations.
ANTI TB X-RAYS
For three years after 1946 Apex lobbied and petitioned Governments heavily to have x-rays to detect Tuberculosis made compulsory, resulting in the virtual eradication of the disease in Australia.
1950 – 1959
CIVILIAN WIDOWS
In 1955 this Apex initiative saw the formation of the Australian Association of Civilian Widows. Apex helped to establish a National Executive and over 200 branches of ACW across Australia within two years.
ABORIGINAL WELFARE
The 1955 National Scheme was aimed at stimulating thought and recognition of responsibilities to Aborigines
OPERATION SEALIFT
In 1959 each Apex Club was called upon to sponsor a migrant British family, organising employment, accommodation and assimilation of the family into the community.
GUIDE DOGS
The 1957 National Service Scheme established the first Guide Dogs for the Blind Training Centre in Australia.
1960 – 1969
AUTISM
Apexians walked around Australia in 1968 to start the Research Foundation into Autism, still supported by the Apex Foundation.
OPERATION HANDCLASP
A migrant scheme supported by Apex, that saw more than 11,000 migrants sponsored to Australia.
MENTAL RETARDATION
A three year scheme started in 1966 and resulted in the Apex Trust for Research into Mental Retardation.
SAVE THE CHILDREN
The Australian Save the Children Fund was the beneficiary of the 1960 National Scheme.
TALKING BOOKS
In 1964 the National Scheme sought to make talking books and cassettes available to all blind people.
BLOOD DONORS
A push by Apex in 1969 saw 11,000 new blood donors found, and new donor centres established.
1970 – 1979
AID TO THE DISABLED
A 1970 Scheme to assist the disabled members of society.
FOUNDATION 41
In 1972 Apex Clubs established the Foundation 41 Research Unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Sydney, to research the effects of ingesting substances during the first 41 weeks of life.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
The 1974 National Scheme assisted research into and the education about MS, while also directly assisting individual sufferers.
HELP A KID MAKE IT
The 1978 National Service Scheme raised over $1,300,000 to build a research centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, for research into the causes, prevention and treatment of leukaemia and cancer in children.
THE MAGIC CASTLE
This chalet at Smiggins Holes, in the NSW Snowy Mountain, was built and funded by Apexians for the use of underprivileged Children. Today the Magic Castle is managed by the Apex Foundation.
ROBERT STOLZ
The Robert Stolz Fine Arts Scholarship was launched in 1979, and enables young Australian to further their music studies at the Vienna Conservatorium of Music.
THE APEX FOUNDATION
In the late 1970’s the Apex Foundation was established to manage, distribute and develop the funds raised by various National Apex Schemes.
1980 – 1989
SIDS
A research foundation was established in 1980 to investigate Sudden Infants Death Syndrome.
CRANIOFACIAL SURGERY
This 1983 Scheme raised money for the highly specialised surgery that rebuilds faces after accidents and deformities.
DIABETES MELLITUS
Fund for research into Diabetes Mellitus were raised for the 1984 National Service Scheme.
CPR
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation training was actively promoted and undertaken by Apex.
MELANOMA
“Knocking the Spots off Australia” was the title of the 1988 National Scheme, aimed at public education about malignant melanoma, and research into its causes and treatment.
LIFE EDUCATION
Apex Clubs have been major supporters of Life Education in their local communities, and also played a major role in supplying manpower for a Telethon that raised over $4,000,000 for Life Education – educating Primary School children across Australia about the effects of substance abuse.
1990 – 1999
WOMENS APEX
In 1990 the Women’s Association of Apex Clubs was established, as a separate association of Apex Clubs for women between the ages of 18 and 45.
MERGER
The Men’s and Women’s Associations merged to form one Association of Apex Clubs in 1997, enabling Men’s and Women’s Clubs under the one banner.
MIXED CLUBS
In 1998 Mixed Gender Clubs were approved, for men and women between the ages of 18 and 40.
CHILD PROTECTION
In 1992 a five year scheme focussed attention on the protection of children through the Apex Australia Family Protection Trust.
DOWNS SYNDROME
The 1996 Scheme raised much needed funds for the Australian Downs Syndrome Association.
TESTICULAR CANCER
The 1993 National Scheme raised the public’s awareness of Testicular Cancer.
YEAR OF THE COACH
The 1994 National Scheme recognised the sporting coaches in our local communities, and helped in the development of their coaching skills.
CLEAN UP THE WORLD
In 1995 Apex took Clean Up the World to the international community of 6,000,000 volunteers. Apex has also maintained a strong local participation in Clean Up Australia.
KIDS HELPLINE
Apex has been a major supporter of Kids HelpLine since 1997. Kids HelpLine is a free telephone counselling service for kids. The recent focus of Apex involvement is with their youth suicide prevention programmes.
THE APEX FOUNDATION
From 1997 to 2000 the Apex Australia Scheme was to support the Apex Foundation, to assist Foundation to continue to support Apex’s past National schemes.
2000 AND BEYOND
WESTMEAD NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
In March 2000 the Apex Clubs of NSW handed over their $1 million donation to the New Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Sydney, and the public entrance to the state of the art hospital was dedicated as the Apex Galleria in recognition of the achievement.
