Red Cross
One of the country's oldest and most prolific volunteer organisations is the Australian Red Cross Society
The First World War was a catalyst for many things, including one of Australia’s most enduring and influential voluntary organisations.
Nine days after Australia joined the war in Europe in 1914, Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, the wife of the Governor General, founded the Australian Red Cross Society as a branch of the British Red Cross. Over the next century, the organisation expanded with networks of state divisions and local branches run by women. The NSW Division led the way by forming the Junior Red Cross.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
What do a teddy bear, a dress pattern and a feeding cup have in common?
They are all part of the Red Cross NSW Division Archive.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
A women's organisation
The Library has a collection of 35 framed pictures and objects which highlight the prominent role and impact of women on the formation, direction and administration of the organisation.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
A company of volunteers
Volunteers are a pillar of Australia’s history and culture - from the volunteers of the 1st Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli, to the iconic surf-life saver at Bondi, and the conspicuous army of volunteers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
- History
- Quick Reads
Red Cross under the Southern Cross
The Australian Red Cross NSW Division archive spans over 100 years of humanitarian aid.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
Hula girls and teddy bears
The Library has the honour and responsibility of being the custodian of Red Cross Australia NSW Division’s archive.
The collection commences in 1914, when the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross Society was formed in response to the outbreak of World War I, and continues until 2014 when the organisation celebrated its centenary. It comprises photographs, manuscripts, memorabilia, framed pictures, branch records, Red Cross publications and posters.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
Voluntary Aids in the First World War
Red Cross women volunteered at military hospitals, convalescent homes and children's homes in Australia during the First World War.
- State Library of NSW
- Collection
- State Library of NSW
Sydney's Anzac Buffet
Early in 1916, four entrepreneurial and influential women agitated to set up an ‘Anzac Buffet’ in Sydney's Domain.
Related Content
Research guide to Red Cross and WWI collections
While the men were fighting overseas women were expected to keep things going at home.
World War I collection
The Library began collecting the personal diaries and correspondence of men and women who served in the First World War soon after the Armistice was declared in November 1918.