Australian Red Cross, formally Australian Red Cross Society, is a

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and Humanitarian Logistics, logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homelessness, homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. Th ...

and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1914 and being incorporated by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1941, Australian Red Cross Society is the national member of the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and part of the International Red Cross Movement. Australian Red Cross is guided by the ''Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement'' and as such is a non-religious, neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organisation. Australian Red Cross provides a range of services and programmes including

international aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Th ...

across the Asia-Pacific region,

international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...

advocacy, migration support,

emergency management Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

blood donation A 'blood donation'' occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called fractionation (separation of whole blood components). A donation may be of wh ...

via Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, and community services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, youth, families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

David Hurley David John Hurley (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who served as the 27th governor-general of Australia from 2019 to 2024. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales from 2014 to ...

, former governor-general of Australia, is the patron of Australian Red Cross and a non-voting member of the Council of the Society of Australian Red Cross. The Council is the peak governance decision-making body and is made up of the Red Cross Board, up to six special councillors, and 32 members appointed by Divisional Advisory Boards.

History

A branch of

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

was established in Australia in 1914, nine days after the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson. The organisation grew at a rapid rate. Lady Helen wrote to the mayors of every

shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

asking them to initiate a local branch. Typically, a letter was published in the local newspaper and a meeting called. By November 1914,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

had 88 city or suburban branches and 249 country branches, all established within the previous four months. The Society was accepted by the community from the beginning. Much of the World War I

home front Home front is an English language term with analogues in other languages. It is commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system for their military. Civilians are traditionally uninvolved in com ...

activities such as knitting socks and rolling bandages were done by local Red Cross branches. The Red Cross Information Bureau was established in 1915 in order to coordinate information gathered on the dead and their burial beyond what was provided by the armed forces. The Red Cross Wounded and Missing files were extensive with searchers sometimes sent overseas to clarify information, make better judgements and resolve conflicting accounts. In 1916 Australian Red Cross Society sent a team of 21 civilian nurses to France; these nurses were dubbed the " Bluebirds" in reference to the colours of their specially designed uniforms. From the establishment of the Repatriation Commission Outpatient Clinic at 310 St Kilda Rd, Southbank, in 1937, Red Cross maintained the canteen staffed by up to 25 volunteers. The canteen provided tea, coffee, biscuits and company for between 200 and 250 veterans each day waiting their appointments. In 1939 there were

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

, and in addition another world war seemed very likely. Lilian Avis Scantlebury assisted the organisation's development so that it could deal with emergencies whether of natural or man-made causes. Scantlebury became a vice-president during World War II. The Red Cross provided assistance to the sick, wounded, and maimed, and their dependants. By agreement with the federal government they provided hostel accommodation to those with no living relatives or friends to support them upon returning home from war. At the time the majority of the volunteers were unemployed married women. High rates of membership in the organisation were attributed to their annual national recruitment drive. The British Red Cross Australian Branch changed its name to Australian Red Cross Society and was incorporated by

on 28 June 1941. Membership grew from 260,000 in 1941 to 450,000 in 1944. Australian Red Cross proved to be an important link between the public and Japanese

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. In 2005, the organisation made an agreement with the Maldives Government to help clear debris created by the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the sci ...

. In December 2010, aid workers from Australian Red Cross were sent to Christmas Island to assist the survivors of the 2010 Christmas Island boat disaster. Australian Red Cross volunteers were also active after

Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...

hit Darwin, the

Ash Wednesday bushfires The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a Bushfires in Australia, series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983 on 16 February. Within twelve hours, more than 180 bushfires, fires f ...

, the Black Saturday bushfires and the

2010–11 Queensland floods 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. In 2013, Australian Red Cross was a recipient of the Queensland Greats Awards.

Volunteers

All Australian Red Cross programs are primarily run, organised, and managed by volunteers with oversight from Red Cross employees. Volunteers are organised into three different groups, responding to different needs: * community volunteering – support for homelessness, mental health, migration, youth, family, elderly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people in the justice system support. * emergency services – urgent-response programs, such as psychological first aid for those in evacuation centres, door-to-door support following a flood or bushfire, or registering missing persons after disasters on their ''Register.Find.Reunite'' platform. * retail, customer service, and administration – volunteering at Australian Red Cross Shops (which help fund services), the Melbourne Supporter Services Centre, or in organisational positions like human resources, finance, or legal. Red Cross statistics show that 2.5 million people have, in some form, volunteered with Australian Red Cross since its inception.

Priorities

The eight priority areas of Red Cross are: * Strengthening national emergency preparedness, response and recovery * Increasing international aid and development * Strengthening communities in areas of locational disadvantage * Championing international humanitarian law ("the laws of war") * Addressing the impact of migration * Partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples * Overcoming

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

by providing bridges back into the community * Provide a safe, secure supply of blood and blood products – through Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Recognition

In 2017, Australian Red Cross was the recipient of the UN Day Honour award, which recognise "individuals or organisations in Australia that have made a significant contribution to the aims and objectives of the UN, for example in promoting peace, respect for human rights, equal opportunities, social justice and environmental sustainability".

References

External links