THIS year marks a centenary since the Red Cross organisation came into fruition.
Across Victoria, there are more than 300 branches, however only 24 have been around consistently for the past 100 years.
The Lake Boga branch is one them.
Over the years, with much help from the community, Lake Boga Red Cross has helped thousands of people.
Lake Boga chairperson Sheila Potts has been a part of the group for 55 years.
Her mother was one of the founding members of the Lake Boga Red Cross which came together soon after the First World War broke out in 1914.
A meeting was called in September of that year — one month after the the Victorian Red Cross organisation started.
In attendance were 21 supporters keen to start the branch.
They each worked hard along with the support of the community and sowed clothes together for injured soldiers.
“I grew up hearing the word Red Cross and I guess I carried it on from there,” she said.
“My first memories of Red Cross are my mother sewing pyjamas for the sick and wounded soldiers in Caulfield Hospital.
“To me, the amount of work they did together during the war was amazing.
“One lady knitted 47 socks in only a few months. It was summer and there was no air-conditioning.
“They did it so willingly.”
Lake Boga Red Cross was supported by 50 people in the local community who would pay one shilling a month which would go towards materials to make the clothing.
“[The group] did so much to raise money. The amount of jam they made,” Sheila said.
“They also use to support the Swan Hill Hospital. There was Mr Green, who would have been the CEO there, he came out one day and said the hospital was really short of money. So they organised a dance to raise money for the hospital.”
This saw the group purchase six night dresses, five pillow cases and five Marcella quilts for the hospital.
Other local organisations also received donations over the years including the Swan Hill Ambulance group and the bush fire appeal.
“The money didn’t always go overseas.”
Over the years Sheila has played a number of roles with Red Cross, one of them being the coordinator and regional coordinator of the Red Cross Junior program which was run with local schools.
“We had a great relationship with the [Lake Boga Primary School], they had a very active Red Cross,” she said.
“We worked with them for a while and the students participated in many fundraisers and would do things for the specialist school.”
The local group has also seen a number of its members receive many awards, with a lot of them being long serving members.
So far, there have been three members that has provided 60 years of service.
“A lot of members have celebrated their 20th, 30th and 40th year,” Sheila said.
“They all worked very hard during these years, they weren’t there just for the time.”
Red Cross promotes seven principles including introduction, humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. To Sheila, impartiality and humanity were most important.
“They are the ones that stand out to me the most, they are all important but those two really say there shouldn’t be any discrimination made to anyone,” she said.
“I really believe in this.”
With so much history, memories, milestones and events occurring over the past century, the Lions Club has put together a permanent display cabinet at the Catalina Museum about Lake Boga Red Cross.
The display, which was organised with Sheila and Graeme Benbow shows original minute books from the meetings held, photos, badges and Junior Red Cross material.
To celebrate this anniversary, the Lake Boga committee will come together for an exclusive lunch held next week.
