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

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) 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 all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, 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 ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. 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 Wa ...

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, Australia. The awards are pr ...

History

The Newtown Methodist Mission in Sydney, 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 capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, on 24 August 1953 by the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

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 in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

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's first 150 years. ...

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 In 2009 State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Library Foundation and the QUT Business School The QUT Business School is one of six faculties at the Queensland University of Technology. It is home to the QUT Graduate School of Business, a ...

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

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 The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contain ...

*{{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