The Quota Brisbane fundraising event held at the Shingle Inn City Hall was a sell out with Quota members, family and friends travelling from Bribie Island, Redcliffe, the Redland Coast to join the Brisbane members for Devonshire tea and a visit to the Museum of Brisbane’s Red Dress Exhibit. The Red Dress was exquisitely embroidered by 380 embroiderers from 51 different countries. It is touring the world until 2030 when it will be retired to the United Kingdom (UK).
The Quota Brisbane members were pleased to support the Red Dress coming to Australia by attending a National Council of Women of Queensland fundraiser at Miegunyah House and providing raffle prizes. The funds raised assisted the Queensland Historical Women’s Association to purchase two tickets for the flight from the UK to Brisbane Australia for Kirsty MacLeod the textile artist and the dress safely tucked into a suitcase.
The members waited with expectation for the Dress to finally come to Australia. After spending a week in Warwick during the Jumpers and Jazz Festival the dress was brought to Brisbane where it was displayed until 13th September 2026. Finally the day arrived, Tuesday 1st September. Due to the expected crowds during the morning sessions we were asked to break the group up into two smaller groups. The dress proved very popular with between 1,000 and 2,000 visitors to view the dress each day. The mornings were reported to be the busiest. The first group of members and friends waited at 10 a.m. to make the journey up to level 3 where they were to view the dress. Sandy Smith, a Red Dress Ambassador and member of Quota Brisbane shared information about the dress before they excitedly made their way to the dress. Before long they were making their way down to the ground level for the delicious Devonshire tea in the Shingle Inn foyer. By that time the second group had arrived and was being briefed by Quota Brisbane President Cheryl Beaton.
Cheryl then took the opportunity to move around connecting with the guests selling raffle tickets to raise money towards supporting Zephyr Education. Quota Brisbane has supported Zephyr Education for a number of years. A worthy cause the money is used to buy school uniforms and school bags for children who are out of home due to domestic violence. Over three hundred dollars was raised on the day. Special thanks to Quota Brisbane member Marilyn McGinn for providing a lovely raffle prize.
The Shingle Inn is one of the oldest cafes in Brisbane full of character and charm. Cheryl, also a Red Dress Ambassador was well informed about the history of the dress. After the Devonshire tea Cheryl took the second group up to view the dress. She reported heavy crowding around the dress when they went up to view the dress at 11″30 a.m.. She found the crowd eased by 11:50 a.m. when they were able to enjoy better views of the embroidery that made the dress so unique, to learn more about the stories and people who contributed to creating the dress.
