PHOTO: Red Cross President Kylie Parry presents current member Pauline Ditchfield with the 3rd Bar to Long Service Medal commemorating 40 years of service.
The Coonamble Red Cross is turning 110 on Tuesday 13 August and members are asking the people in Coonamble to join the festivities in their best red outfits.
“In celebration of this milestone, we’re encouraging the local community to wear red and acknowledge those who continue to make our important work possible,” Coonamble Red Cross president Kylie Parry said.
The Coonamble branch has a long and proud history, having formed just six days after the very first Australian Red Cross branch in Melbourne.
These days member numbers in Coonamble are dwindling due to people moving or passing away and the branch hopes to continue to sustain itself and keep its rich history alive.
Long time member Pauline Ditchfield provided information on the history of the Red Cross in Coonamble.
“The Coonamble Red Cross is very proud of its long association with one of the oldest and most respected organisations in Australia and around the world,” Ms Ditchfield said.
Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross after witnessing the brutality of the war at the Battle of Solferino in 1859 and wanting to establish a volunteer organisation to help the wounded.
The Red Cross came to Australia on 13 August 1914 when Lady Helen Ferguson formed the first branch in Australia at the Government House in Melbourne.
The country was under British colonial rule at the time and had officially gone to war nine days earlier after Britain declared war on Germany.
The first meeting of the Coonamble Red Cross Branch took place at the home of Mr and Mrs Fetherstonhaugh took place on 17 August 1914.
During the First World War, the Coonamble Branch had 268 members.
“This was hardly surprising as over 600 men and one nurse had enlisted from Coonamble,” Ms Ditchfield said.
“Our main mission when it first started was to help people in distress.”
Members made hospital shirts, cholera belts, bandages, socks, balaclavas, and Christmas packages to send to the front. They also raised enough money to furnish the Coonamble ward at No. 4 General Hospital in Randwick.
Following the end of the First World War, things took a turn for the worse for the Coonamble branch. They lost nearly $2,000 after bank closures during the Great Depression. Their membership numbers also shrunk down to 15.
However, members motivated the community again to participate and they were able to provide assistance to local returned men and their families.
Member numbers began to climb again after the start of the Second World War when volunteers from Coonamble joined the first contingent to sail from Sydney Harbour to the Middle East.
In 1946/1946 the club reached its peak with 326 financial members. The funding went towards the Food Relief Fund and donations to the local hospital.
Since then, the Coonamble Red Cross has continued to provide relief in times of need, such as bushfires, floods, and blood donations. They also continue to raise money for a number of charitable causes.
In 1975, the Red Cross helped house 157 evacuees from Collarenebri in the old pavilion at the Coonamble Showground after severe flooding affected the area.
They also helped prepare evacuation centres when the Castlereagh River threatened to flood the town.
Currently, the branch only has ten active members and hopes to boost its numbers.
“We are on a bit of a recruitment drive to keep our membership going or the branch will have to close. It would be such a shame to see this wonderful 110-year-old Coonamble tradition disappear because there were no members left,” Mrs Parry said.
The Coonamble Red Cross is having their annual Red for Red Cross Day on 13 August and is encouraging everyone to wear red to show their support.