Special celebrations were held in Gunnedah last week when the local branch of the Red Cross helped commemorate 100 years of the service in Australia.
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The original tea rooms were re-opened on Thursday when the branch and members of the community enjoyed an afternoon tea like they would have during the war years, complete with egg and lettuce; corned beef and chicken sandwiches, jam drops and scones.
A giant cake marking the anniversary was cut by Gunnedah’s oldest serving member, Nancy Jaeger, Gunnedah shop co-ordinator Barbara Chaffey, and regional manager of the Red Cross Western Region, Joy Horton.
President of Gunnedah Red Cross, Ruth Strang, said the organisation has been so successful because it was internationally renowned and so highly regarded.
“Whenever we have an appeal in Gunnedah, it is massively supported and we’ve been so incredibly active,” she said.
The local branch’s aim is to provide a service to the Gunnedah district, by operating tea rooms, first aid courses, hospital visits, blood bank assistance and a large amount of catering.
There is a strong focus on fund-raising, with the branch having just raised $1000 for the Ebola Appeal which will be an ongoing campaign.
The Gunnedah Red Cross branch began on December 28, 1915 and the initial work of the volunteers was to support Australian soldiers in World War I by sending bales of clothing, magazines and sandbags collected in Gunnedah.
They also knitted items like woollen socks and jumpers, and held appeals.
During World War II, the Red Cross ladies opened tea rooms in Gunnedah’s main street which was one of the most concentrated efforts in any small community throughout the district with women operating the tea room on a roster basis.
Next year marks the 100th year of the local branch when there will be more celebrations.
Thursday’s afternoon tea also displayed a table of Red Cross memorabilia, like uniforms, badges and photographs.
Most intriguing was an old book likely to be the oldest surviving record of Red Cross minutes in Australia.
It details the workings of the Gunnedah branch from its first meeting in 1915 until 1929.
The book was on loan from Don McDonagh, whose mother Lydia was the first president and his father, William, the first secretary.
“It contains massive quantities of knitting and other items that were sent to the troops,” Mr McDonagh said.
The woollen items were made from donated fleeces in the district and there are also details about local Red Cross fund-raising appeals like garden parties and Christmas tree stalls.
“The quantity is just so intriguing, and the fund-raising,” Mr McDonagh said.
The Gunnedah Red Cross branch currently has 32 members with up to 20 active participants in fund-raising events and monthly meetings.