Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.

Toc H South Australia and Cooinda Retreats

Toc H was formed in Belgium during the First World War by The Rev. Phillip “Tubby” Clayton. In 1915, he established a recreation and respite centre for young people moving to and from the front lines. The centre, named Talbot House in honour of British officer Gilbert Talbot, was built on a simple but radical idea: that rank did not matter. Whether private or general, all were treated equally. This principle of shared humanity became the foundation of Toc H.

The name “Toc H” comes from the military communications code for the letters T and H. Were the organisation formed today, it might have been known as Tango Hotel. Following the war, Toc H established a centre in London and soon grew into an international movement focused on service, participation and community.

Toc H established its first Australian branches in 1925, with the first Youth Camp held at Mannum in 1928. Alongside camps, Toc H played a pioneering role in community service, including the establishment of the Blood Transfusion Service in 1928, now operated by the Red Cross, and the Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme in 1935, now known as BushKids.

In 1938, Edward Bruce, brother of Adelaide Lord Mayor Sir Wallace Bruce, recognised the impact Toc H volunteers were having on children in need and donated land at Victor Harbor for the establishment of a permanent campsite. Plans for the site and its main hall were prepared by Sir James Irwin, with the hall named in honour of the then Governor of South Australia, Sir Winston Dugan.

For more than eighty years, Toc H South Australia delivered camps and programs for children and young people at the Victor Harbor site, supporting generations of families and communities.

Today, Toc H South Australia is delivering a strategic plan focused on the evolution of this site into Cooinda Retreats, a leading Community Centre Village for the South Coast and beyond.

Located at Victor Harbor, Cooinda Retreats is being developed as a vibrant, inclusive and accessible community hub, a place where people can gather, learn, contribute and connect. The strategy builds on the site’s long history of service while responding to contemporary community needs and expectations.

As the Community Centre Village continues to develop, Cooinda Retreats will host learning and skill development programs, wellbeing and social activities, volunteering opportunities, partnerships with local organisations and community events. The site is being shaped as a shared community asset, flexible in its use and welcoming in its culture.

Collaboration and partnership sit at the heart of this strategy. Cooinda Retreats will work alongside like-minded organisations and service providers, creating space for shared delivery and collective impact rather than duplication.

This strategic direction reflects Toc H South Australia’s commitment to long-term sustainability, relevance and community benefit. Success will not be measured solely in buildings or facilities, but in the life they hold: people meeting, learning and growing together in a place that embodies service, equality and belonging.

Michael Thomas
Chair, Toc H South Australia