The Sunshine League...The Carnival Queen's Hall (1908).
This article is about the history of the Sunshine League, the League's first annual meeting and combined concert at the Queen's Hall in 1908.
By May, 1908 there were over a 1000 members who participated in the Sunshine League in a variety of ways including participating in concerts and writing reviews of the concerts that were published in The Daily News newspapers.
The article describes the participation of the children and their performance at the concert. The photograph of the children and their families was taken at the Queen's Hall on the first anniversary.
The article and photograph is from Trove, the database of National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
West Australian, 30 May 1908.
ENTERTAINMENTS. QUEEN'S HALL. THE SUNSHINE LEAGUE.
The first anniversary of the formation of the children's society known as "The Sunshine League" was the occasion for a great display at Queen's Hall last evening. There was a large audience, young folk predominating. "The Sunshine League" owes its inception to a member of the editorial staff of the '"Daily News," who under the name of "Uncle Tom," has gathered together a band of about one thousand one hundred children, whose daily mission is to visit charitable institutions, help on any good work, and generally "bring sunshine" into the lives of those less fortunately situated than themselves.
Since its formation the League has already endowed two cots at the Cottage-by-the-Sea (which have accommodated 24 convalescent children within the past four or five months). At Christmas time this energetic and charitable band of juvenile workers also raised sufficient money to give Christmas gifts to all the inmates of the Girls' Orphanage, Adelaide-terrace; the Old Women's Home, Murray-street; and the Cottage-by-the-Sea, Claremont. Since then, in accordance with a suggestion made by "Uncle Tom," a special effort has been made to raise £200, in order to furnish a "Sunshine" ward in the new Children's Hospital which is to be erected. The date fixed for the achievement of this object was the first anniversary of the League's formation (May 18), but some days before the specified time the sum of £215 had been collected; today it stands at £253.
The proceeds of last night's entertainment will, it is anticipated, add £40 to that sum, and as "Uncle Tom" said in his speech last night. "he has every confidence that before many weeks are past he will be in the happy position of asking the committee of the Children's Hospital to allow the Sunshine League to furnish two wards in the new building." To raise such a sum as that mentioned above, not only have these children subscribed their pence, but numbers of them have worked assiduously in organising concerts, bazaars, sales of gifts, afternoon teas, and other forms of entertainment. In all about 40 performances have been given by members of the League during this year.
The entertainments have mostly taken place in suburban districts, and from each programme "Uncle Tom" selected what he considered the best item for repetition last evening. As a consequence, the programme was inordinately long, comprising no less than 30 numbers. The Lieut. Governor presided, and after Miss Ella Weickhardt had opened the programme with a pianoforte solo he addressed the children. He said that on the preceding evening "Uncle Tom" had given him a copy of the annual report of their League, and he had read it with great pleasure and with deep interest. He was delighted to be with them that evening, on the occasion of the celebration of their first anniversary, and to find from the report that the many little seeds of kindness which they had scattered spring the past year had resulted in the production of such excellent fruit.
His little friends could not engage in a better or nobler work than that which had been set them by "Uncle Tom." They would have to call him "Father Tom" instead of "Uncle Tom" before long, because of the great and deep interest he had taken and was taking them, and the energetic way in which he was furthering the work of the League. The little members of the League could not know how many were the blessings they were bringing into the hearts and homes of those they visited. Their happy faces, their cheerful little prattle, their kindly gifts were, he was sure, deeply appreciated, and the love that had prompted their work had sunk down in the hearts of those little ones, and of those older ones too, whom during the past year they had laboured for and visited.
He viewed with the greatest pleasure the establishment of the League amongst us, and he knew of no league that could do more good to the children by instilling into their little minds and hearts those virtues which it was essential they should possess if they were to grow up good women and good men of our State. The time might come it probably would come to some of them when they would appreciate the ministering of little children. They might be so circumstanced that they would be placed on beds of sickness, or in convalescent homes or orphan homes, and then they would be pleased to remember what they had done for others. It would be good to be able to remember that they had done for others what they would like others to do for them, and if they carried out their work on those lines then in the future, as in the past, they would be thrice blessed.
Of such a lengthy programme it is impossible to give a detailed account. The items include songs, dancing, physical drill, recitations, a mouth-organ selection, a scene from a play, choruses etc. In almost every instance the children appeared in costume, and some of the dresses, particularly those worn in the scene from the play "Cinderella," were beautiful. To mention a few of the most meritorious performers must suffice. Of these, the clubs winging by the girls from the Orphanage was a splendid display, and fully deserved the enthusiastic applause which followed. A tiny little mite, Baby Butler excited much admiration with a ballet dance. Miss Madge Cole's recitation, "My Dolly," was very good, so was the dialogue "Playing at School," by the Victoria Park children. Master Sam Masel, admirably costumed as a bride, was excellent in the character song "Waiting at the church" Miss Dora Davis won much applause for her dancing of a Highland Fling (in national costume), the music being supplied by Piper McKenzie; and the East Fremantle girls did very well in a chorus, "The Fisher Girls" a contingent of Claremont children presented a scene from the play "Cinderella." and in spite of the incidental drawbacks of lack of scenery and drop.
During the interval Master Masel on behalf of the members of the Sunshine League, asked "'Uncle Tom's" acceptance of a handsome gold pendant suitably inscribed, as a slight token of their respect and esteem for him and a small acknowledgment of the many kindnesses he had shown towards them. In accepting the gift, "Uncle Tom" (Mr. Rust) said it was totally unexpected. Since the inception of the League he has steadfastly refused any little gifts preferred to him, but the spirit in which this was given had induced him to break through the rule for the first and only time. "Uncle Tom" then briefly reviewed the rise, progress, and work of the League as epitomised above, and concluded by urging its members to continue their good task of sunshine making. 
