Blue Care is an agency of UnitingCare Queensland, the health and community arm of the

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. Originally established as the Blue Nursing Service by the Methodist Church in 1953, it has grown into one of the largest not-for-profit providers of residential aged care, community care and retirement living in Queensland and northern

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 ...

. In 2009 on

Queensland Day Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wal ...

it was announced that Blue Care was the recipient of the

Queensland Greats Awards The Queensland Greats Awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their years of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community in Queensland Queensland ( , common ...

History

The Newtown Methodist Mission in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, launched an aged care nursing service in 1949. The nurses became known as the "Angels in Blue" because of their blue uniforms. Inspired by the Newtown service, the Blue Nursing Service was launched in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, on 24 August 1953 by the West End Methodist Mission. The service was to provide in-home nursing care to those who needed it on Brisbane's southside suburbs. It was intended for people recently released from hospital to convalesce at home and for those at home with chronic illnesses. At its inception, the service consisted of one full-time paid nurse, Sister Olive Crombie, for daytime work with a car provided for her use and four volunteer nurses to be "at call" overnight who had to have access to their own car. A small payment was requested for the nursing service, but it would be provided free for those in poverty. Like the Sydney service, the nurses wore blue uniforms and became known as the "Blue Nurses". Within three weeks of the launch, Sister Crombie was fully busy and the

Lord Mayor of Brisbane The Lord Mayor of Brisbane is the chief executive of the City of Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, and the head of the Brisbane City Council. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner of the Liberal National Party was sworn in o ...

Frank Roberts commenced fundraising to expand the service, offering to donate a pay rise of £350 towards the Blue Nursing Service or a similar municipal scheme. By October 1953, Methodists in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

were seeking to expand the Blue Nursing Service to Ipswich as one of the first activities of their new Central Mission. By November 1953, the Brisbane service expanded to a second full-time daytime nurse and three people who would do housework for the sick. In 1983, the now heritage-listed house Kieraville in

became the headquarters for the Blue Nurses. In 2009 as part of the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia ...

celebrations, Blue Care was announced as one of the

Q150 Icons The Queensland's Q150 Icons list of cultural icons was compiled as part of Q150 celebrations in 2009 by the Government of Queensland, Australia. It represented the people, places and events that were significant to Queensland Queensland ...

of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention". In 2015 Blue Care was inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame recognises a set of the leaders in business and social development in Queensland, Australia. Inclusion in the hall of fame can be of individual people (living or dead), groups of people, and organisat ...

in recognition of its leadership and contribution to developing services in aged care throughout the communities of Queensland for over sixty years.

References

External links

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame
*
Blue Care digital stories and oral history: Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2015

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

*{{Cite web , title=Our history , url=https://www.bluecare.org.au/about-us/our-history , website=Blue Care Uniting Church in Australia Health charities in Australia Queensland Greats Social work organisations in Australia 1949 establishments in Australia Medical and health organisations based in Queensland

History

References

Further reading

External links