Wardell Red Cross
You are most welcome to join the Wardell Branch of the Red Cross, one of the oldest branches in Australia. Our meetings are held on the 1 st Wednesday of each month in the Wardell Memorial Hall in Richmond St, at 10:00 am.
Contact the secretary Jane Sproule (Mob. 0422 011 492)
Wardell Red Cross celebrates 110yrs this week as one of the few remaining original Branches.
On the 4th of September 1914 exactly 1 month after the declaration of war, the ladies of Wardell formed a branch in Victoria Hall (now demolished). Over 105 members joined up. From this they formed a “cutting out” committee and various garments were then sewn for the soldiers. In the November of that year, Headquarters requested eggs to be sent to hospitals at the front. Money was sent to Lismore to fund a travelling kitchen and motor ambulance.
Each month a donation was sent including 8 pounds was sent for Prisoner of War (POW) food parcels. The funds were raised through various ways such as Flower shows, Euchre parties, dances, tea tents at sporting events, etc.
Over the years the enthusiasm of members has not changed only the events we hold to raise money.
In 2024, Wardell Red Cross still uphold the 7 Fundamental Principles of Red Cross: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service Unity, Universality, as the members did so 110yrs ago. However, membership only stands at 22.
Our records show that over the past 15yrs we have raised over $41,000 for appeals such as drought, fire, Christmas, Nepal, Myanmar, Fiji, Indonesian and Winter. We donated a Defibrillator to the Wardell Hall, helped the Woman’s Refuge in Ballina, supported local youth programmes, and handed out vouchers in the 2022 floods etc.
Our executive is President Jeannee Spears, Vice Presidents Ros Walsh and Jeannette Henwood, Treasurer Paddy Goff, and Secretary Jane Sproule.
We aim to continue with the tradition of Red Cross for as long as we can with the support of the community. It has been an amazing 110yrs.
Members of the founding Wardell Red Cross branch - 1915
WARDELL RED CROSS 110 YEAR MEMORIAL SERVICE
Wardell Rededicates World War I Memorial
In the process of constructing the pod village at Wardell, the original memorial, laid in 1925 was relocated. A tranquil space with the memorial set on a plinth has been constructed in Bath Street. It was appropriate in this 110th year of the Australian Red Cross, that the Wardell Red Cross Branch commemorate this event.
On Wednesday, August 7 the rededication was conducted. This took the form of a service led by Reverend Richard Brown where the memorial was rededicated and blessed with Australian wildflowers. Wreaths were laid and visitors, including the grandson of one of the original Wardell Red Cross members and other branch representatives, agreed it was a moving service.
Jeannee Spears, Wardell Red Cross President, spoke on the history of the original memorial, its original location and the grove of trees with names of the men from Wardell. Some of the names are to be seen around Wardell on the Street names and there are photos and an honour board in the Memorial Hall in Richmond Street. Jeannee herself is a retired servicewoman (RANNS) and so this service was a fitting activity for her first role as new President of the Wardell branch.
After the service, a very pleasant morning tea was held at the hall, with the usual abundance of delicious food to share.
Our recent impact
Wardell Red Cross have fund-raised and sent over $32,000 to Red Cross Australia for national and international relief efforts.
$6500 has been sent for drought appeals including “Lets talk for farmers”
$4000 for local flood and fire appeals
$4600 to overseas appeals for Earthquakes, Cyclones and Tsunami recovery support for our neighbours in Nepal, Indonesia and Fiji.
$15,000 into general revenue which helps with disasters like the recent floods and bushfires which affected communities throughout Australia.
Locally we have contributed to Wardell Hall, the Wardell CORE, Women’s refuge Ballina, Wardell Primary School breakfast programs, Alstonville Youth Program, purchased the defibrillator at The Wardell Hall and the memorial plaque at the War Memorial on Bath Street.
Get involved and join us
Wardell Red Cross branch meet a the Wardell and District Memorial Hall
on the first Wednesday of the month at 10am.
Please contact Jane (Mob : 0422 011 492) for more information
Red Cross marks a century of crossing borders with care :
The Wardell Branch of The Australian Red Cross was formed on 4 September 1914 just 5 weeks after Britain declared war on Germany.
The Wardell Branch of the Red Cross is one of the oldest continuous branches in Australia. From a peak of one hundred members, the branch has declined in numbers but not in enthusiasm. It has always had enough dedicated members to remain active and is ready to expand to meet any major emergency.
On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. A week later, the Australian Red Cross was founded and three weeks later, on 4 September 1914, the ladies of Wardell formed the Wardell Branch of the Red Cross.
During the war, clothing was made for the troops and extensive fund-raising was undertaken to provide some comfort to our soldiers bogged down in a bitter conflict. Clothing included scarves, balaclavas and socks, with pyjamas for the wounded in hospital. Money was raised by catering for weddings and sales at farms. The Red Cross held dances, sports days and euchre parties
Items were collected from outlying farms by pony and sulky. Parcels were made up, then boxed and shipped from the Wardell jetty to Sydney for transport to the war zone. Money was raised towards the cost of providing a travelling kitchen and a motor ambulance to the war front
After the war, assistance was given to returned wounded veterans by the Red Cross. Then it was on to the home front with the branch helping out in the 1919 influenza epidemic and with the provision of mosquito nets and linen for the Ballina Hospital.
In 1925 the branch assisted with the planting of the memorial grove adjacent to the Sports and Recreation Club. The club still maintains the grove as a quiet place to honour those who put their lives on the line. In 1938 the branch cooperated in the planting along Richmond Street of an avenue of weeping figs that stand to this day in memory of those who went to the first world war. No sooner had these projects been completed than World War II broke out in 1939 and it was on again just like before. By September they were back into the war effort with Mrs Lumley’s house, Mayley, used as a Red Cross receiving depot.
Cabbage Tree Island held monthly fund-raising events and donated the proceeds to the Prisoner of War fund to which the Cane Growers’ Association also contributed.
