110 years of Australian Red Cross

The Red Cross is celebrating 110 years and is inviting the community to be involved with a ‘monster raffle’ next week.

The Australian branch of the Red Cross began on August 13, 1914, with the Gunnedah branch opening a year later in December 1915.

Alice Moulton called the establishing public meeting, with Lydia McDonagh as the first Gunnedah Red Cross president.

Nine people founded the branch, which quickly grew in numbers and consequently strength.

The early days saw the Gunnedah branch helping Australian soldiers in World War I by forwarding them clothing, magazines and sandbags.

World War II had the women operating a tea room in Conadilly Street, opening on Tuesdays and Fridays. The profit during four years of operating the room was 9071 pounds, two shillings and ninepence.

Fundraising efforts evolved as the decades moved on and the Gunnedah Red Cross branch continues to operate. Nowadays, the Red Cross has become associated largely with the “Trauma Teddies”.

Gunnedah continues to be involved with the “plushie agenda”, still collecting from the designated knitters and distributing them to the hospital and ambulance. But that is not all they do.

They are involved heavily with fundraising and some members have even trained for disaster relief to help out during floods, fires and other emergencies.

The last two years has seen the Gunnedah branch contribute to local events to raise money for the Red Cross. These events included catering for the Gunnedah Shire Council and Tongan delegates’ visit to Gunnedah, manning the Mother’s Retreat at AgQuip (something they have been doing for decades), hosting a raffle at the Christmas Fair along with selling plants in Boggabri and at the Drovers’ Campfire weekend.

In the last financial year, the Gunnedah branch contributed $10,599 to Red Cross’ headquarters, which was then distributed among communities.

This was just one year of the 108 the branch has been operating for.

Readers can purchase their raffle tickets from Red Cross volunteers outside the Gunnedah Newsagency this Friday and Saturday and next Tuesday. The raffle prizes consisting mainly of food and kitchen items will be drawn on the Tuesday, for the 110 year anniversary.

Keep your eyes peeled for the group at the Mother’s Retreat again at AgQuip.

Coming up is also the group’s gala garden day with guest speaker Diana Lisle from the ABC gardening program on Saturday mornings.