Newsletter for Members and Volunteers: ACT & SE NSW, issue 3, 2015 by Australian Red Cross

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers ISSUE 3 ▪ 2015 ▪ ACT/SE NSW

COMING

HOME Shaun and Jess break free from homelessness

BONDS THAT WON’T BE BROKEN

Reunion for a family separated by war

PREPARE FOR THE

WORST

Are you ready for emergencies?

In FOCUS A message from the President and CEO What an eventful few months it’s been—we have so much news to share with you. We recently introduced Strategy 2020: Humanity in Action, the roadmap for the next five years at Australian Red Cross. It’s a positive and ambitious guide to how we can make a difference, and we strongly encourage volunteers and members to take a look at our five big goals as we move forward. You can check it out at redcross.org.au/strategy2020. We were proud to launch our second Reconciliation Action Plan, a wide-ranging blueprint for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to 2018. We’re aspiring to raise our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff level to 9% (from the current 6.3%), and taking positive action such as cultural competency training for all staff. The plan continues our commitment to support people and communities as they drive their own solutions for a prosperous and healthy future by working collaboratively, not in competition, with Indigenous organisations. This year has flown by and another summer is upon us. We hope it’ll be a time of relaxation and celebration for you and your families, but we also know how important it is to prepare for the disaster season.

Please take some time to put together an emergency plan and kit for your household by using our resources at redcross.org.au/prepare. You can read more about preparing for emergencies on page 5. Also in this issue, we introduce two new Ambassadors (page 4), share some findings from our first national survey of volunteers (page 5), and meet two young people who have come a long way to volunteer at Red Cross (page 7). All our best wishes for a safe and happy festive season. We look forward to continuing our work together next year!

Michael Legge President Australian Red Cross

Jennifer Williams CEO Australian Red Cross

A warm farewell

Australian Red Cross/Anna Warr

After more than a decade as our CEO, Robert Tickner recently said farewell to Australian Red Cross.

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"It’s been a deeply rewarding experience, but it's time to move on and take up some new life opportunities," Robert said. Robert supported our voluntary service and membership programs to become bigger and better, and helped transform Australian Red Cross into the united national organisation that we know today. We have every confidence that he’ll go on to do great things, including in Geneva, where he is currently in a temporary role with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. We are joined by Australian Red Cross Blood Service CEO, Jennifer Williams, while we conduct a rigorous search for our next chief executive. Stay tuned!

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Around ACT/SE NSW A message from the Chair and Executive Director While we may have felt every day of Canberra’s coldest winter in 15 years, we were pleased to see it couldn’t dent the Red Cross spirit! We are now well into a sunny spring and hard at work as always. We are proud to have been selected by the ACT Government to run a new family advocacy and support program. The program works with birth families of children and young people who have entered the child protection system or are at risk of becoming involved. With the expertise of our highly-trained staff and volunteers, we know the program will make a valuable contribution. Thank you to everyone who attended the NAIDOC Family Day. This year it was particularly important with the launch of ‘Bright Futures’, our 2015-2018 Reconciliation Action Plan. We are dedicated to the vision that First Peoples share a prosperous, safe and healthy future with all other Australians, as we know you are too. A huge thanks also to those who attended the Hiroshima Day candlelight vigil at the Nara Park to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. This event highlighted the importance of our

Make Nuclear Weapons the Target campaign, which you can find out more about on our website: redcross.org. au/targetnuclearweapons. We recently formed a Promotion and Engagement Committee, which will lead the charge in promoting the work of Red Cross in the ACT. The committee will help us reach out to fellow humanitarians in our community. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Genevieve Morley, Executive Support Manager at gmorley@redcross.org.au. Here in the ACT and south-east NSW, we are inspired by the call to build a diverse and active humanitarian movement. The Red Cross Movement is based on the voluntary service of both volunteers and members, so your feedback (good, bad or otherwise!) is always welcome.

Sam Wong ACT Divisional Advisory Board Chair

Wenda Donaldson Executive Director ACT/SE NSW

This document may contain the names and/or images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.

Introducing our future roadmap We recently set out on a new path for our future, Strategy 2020: Humanity in Action, which will guide us through our next five years of humanitarian service. As we move towards the year 2020, we will focus on supporting and empowering people and communities in times of vulnerability. Our purpose is to reduce suffering across Australia and internationally through mobilising the power of humanity—and you’re a big part of that! Visit redcross.org.au/strategy2020 to see our five goals for the next five years and see how you fit in. By the end of 2020, we will be a stronger, more culturally diverse movement, underpinned by the voluntary service of our indispensable volunteers and members. Thanks for being part of humanity in action!

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 3

Refugees and asylum seekers: know the facts

We surveyed the public earlier this year and found that Australians are misinformed when it comes to the basic facts on refugees and asylum seekers. It’s not a crime under Australian law to arrive here by boat without a valid visa and ask for protection, but almost seven out of 10 people think it is. More than six out of 10 people also think there’s an orderly queue for people seeking asylum—not true! We think if some of these myths were dispelled we would have a stronger and more compassionate community. That’s why we’re asking you to know the people, know the facts and share our resources at redcross.org.au/refugees.

If you’d like to make a donation to help refugees, asylum seekers and their families suffering hardship and isolation, you can now donate directly to this specific purpose. Call 1800 811 700 or visit redcross.org.au.

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As the world faces the biggest migration crisis since the Second World War, it’s more important than ever to know fact from fiction when it comes to refugees.

Meet our new

Australian Red Cross/Matthew Nolan/Dilini Perera

Ambassadors We are proud to introduce two new Red Cross Ambassadors, Dr Munjed Al Muderis and Abdi Aden, who will play an important role supporting our programs for refugees and asylum seekers. Munjed had a privileged upbringing in Iraq and was living his dream of being a surgeon, until everything changed when he was ordered to mutilate defecting soldiers as a punishment under the Saddam Hussein regime. He refused and had to flee for his life. He now works as a pioneering orthopaedic surgeon here in Australia, giving amputees the ability to walk again. “I am very passionate about enlightening people about the facts of people seeking asylum in Australia and around the world, especially as this is a disaster we are going through right now,” Munjed says. “We all have to participate in the solution and I feel I have a duty to do that.” Abdi, a former Red Cross client, was separated from his family by Somalia’s vicious civil war. His search for safety took him to Kenya, Romania, Germany and finally to Australia, where he arrived in Melbourne alone at

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Munjed Al Muderis (left) and Abdi Aden (right).

the age of just 17. Abdi was penniless and homeless, but went on to put himself through university, become a youth worker, and even write his own book. “I want to support Red Cross because they do a lot of great work,” Abdi says. “They always supported me when I was a teenager, and then when my mother came. Now I want to give back to Red Cross.” We hope you’ll join us in extending a warm Red Cross welcome to Munjed and Abdi.

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Protect what’s precious to you Once again, Australians are getting prepared for bushfires, cyclones, floods and whatever else disaster season may bring. Emergencies happen, but people who prepare and make a plan for a disaster are more likely to cope and get their lives back on track with less stress. But not everyone does prepare. Even though one in three Australians will experience an emergency or the threat of an emergency in their lifetime, only one in five has an emergency plan.

Part of being prepared is planning to protect what’s precious and can never be replaced—the things that shape who you are. You’ll never get the chance to go back afterwards to reclaim the things you’ve lost. Preparing for an emergency isn’t complicated—it can be done in just four steps: 1. Get in the know 2. Get connected 3. Get organised 4. Get packing. These steps will help you understand what you may face, who you can help or who can help you, what you need to do to protect what matters most, and what you need to survive and recover. We recently refreshed our RediPlan guide, which offers helpful tips, strategies and suggestions on how to create a personalised emergency plan. Visit redcross.org. au/prepare to get your free RediPlan—and don’t forget to share it with family and friends.

You had your say —here’s what you told us

Earlier this year we ran our first ever national volunteer engagement survey. 5,722 volunteers responded and we want to extend a big ‘thank you!’ to those who shared their views. We’re committed to understanding what you’ve told us, sharing the results and acting to improve your volunteer experience. A planning group of volunteers, the Chief Executive Officer, and Red Cross leaders will meet in the coming months to look at next steps. In the meantime, we’d like to share key insights we have gained. Watch this space for more information, and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with your Volunteer Coordinator or the HR Workforce Advisory Team on 1800 776 125. While this survey focused on volunteer engagement, it is one of many ways that we collect feedback from our members and volunteers. Plans are currently being developed for a consultation process specifically with members. Stay tuned!

Strengths

94% of participants believe in our goals and objectives and the seven Fundamental Principles 93% of participants are proud to be part of Red Cross and would recommend it to others 84% of participants feel connected to clients and communities through volunteering, though they’re looking to connect more with other volunteers

Opportunities

62% of participants would like more opportunities to learn new skills, both for their current and future volunteering roles 70% of participants would like to continue with Red Cross, with the opportunity to take on different roles 65% of participants are keen to be involved in developing new ways of working

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 5

In the remote Queensland Aboriginal community of Woorabinda we run a centre for women and children. Known as Gumbi Gunya, it’s long been a safe place for women and their children to meet up and support one another. Young mothers can also join a mums and bubs group at the centre. Women like Pamela, Cindy, Bronwyn (pictured with her baby son) and Janelle (left to right) join in on painting, storytelling and learning more about culture from their mothers and grandmothers —sharing problems and supporting each other in resolving them. The result is safe and healthy relationships in the community.

Australian Red Cross/Chloe Brant

A supportive space for mums and bubs

A war-torn family reunited For most of her life, she had no idea where her dad’s family lived or how to find them. “I kept saying in the late 1990s, ‘There have got to be cousins somewhere?’ Mum said, ‘Yes…but I have no idea where you’d look’.” Lesley and her mum, Dorothy, were separated from Clarrie in the early 1940s when they moved from their home in Hong Kong to Singapore. The Japanese were threatening to invade and Clarrie stayed behind to help defend the island. A couple of years later when Japan invaded Singapore, Lesley and Dorothy had to flee again—this time on board a Red Cross hospital ship bound for Indonesia. Then from

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Indonesia the pair travelled by sea to Australia. Eventually the war ended, and with it came news of Clarrie’s death. The years and the decades passed. Then one day, almost 60 years after their escape from Singapore, Dorothy got a phone call from Red Cross. Robin, the son of her late husband’s brother, was searching for her from the UK. And just like that, a family was reunited again. Lesley is grateful to Red Cross for restoring a long-lost family bond. “I think (they) do a wonderful job.” After never really having the chance to know her father, she can now build a relationship with her relatives.

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Lesley Bishop can’t remember her dad, Clarrie Farmer, who was killed in World War Two when she was a toddler.

Lesley and Clarrie during happier days in Hong Kong.

Australian Red Cross is celebrating 100 years of our tracing service, with an exhibition opening in Adelaide in January 2016. Visit redcross.org.au/ tracingcentenary to find out more.

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Shaun and Jess:

from homeless to belonging

Australian Red Cross/Susan Cullinan

Young couple Shaun and Jess know what it’s like to hit rock bottom. They’ve both been homeless, living on the streets and addicted to drugs. But now they’re on track, in stable accommodation and volunteering at Red Cross’ Jeays Street Community Centre in inner-city Brisbane. They’ve been clean of drugs for several years and life is full of hope. Jess says after a childhood of abuse, she was kicked out of home on her 16th birthday. Addicted to methamphetamine between the ages of 14 and 17, she was homeless in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley with no money, nowhere to go and only a few clothes to her name. “It was pretty difficult being young and homeless. I was staying with a lady who was also a meth addict so I wanted to get out of there. Shaun found me in the Valley, in the strip, and gave me a home, and he helped me get clean,” Jess says. Jess first came to Jeays Street when Shaun took her to a centre barbeque. She now spends two days a week volunteering as a receptionist and says coming to the centre has changed her life.

Shaun says after a two to three-year struggle with drug addiction he lost his connection to his family. Finding employment proved the catalyst for kicking the drugs, but then when his job suddenly ended he found himself homeless and on the streets. Shaun’s now enjoyed a stable life for more than four years, thanks to finding local housing and getting involved at the community centre. He says the best part is finding a community again. “Being here for so many years I know a lot of the people around here. So it’s nice they come in and see we’re helping here and we’re able to help them, and even afterwards we help them after hours because they’re also our neighbours.” Looking back on where she used to be, Jess says she wouldn’t recognise herself. “I would have thought that’s not me! Red Cross made me see I’m not the only one that’s had a bad life.”

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 7

Accolades

Tommy Trenchard/WHO Weekly

for our aid workers

Queensland-based nurse Amanda McClelland was responsible for establishing two specialist treatment centres in Sierra Leone for people affected by Ebola.

We’re proud to share with you that four Australian Red Cross workers have been awarded nursing’s highest honour. Amanda McClelland, Elizabeth Bowell, Nola Henry and Kerry Page are among the recipients of the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal. They were presented with their awards by our Patron, the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove at a ceremony he hosted at Government House last month. It’s the first time the medal has been given to four

Australians in one year since its inauguration in 1912. Amanda and Elizabeth were honoured for their efforts in dealing with the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, while Nola and Kerry received their awards for their work in South Sudan conflict zones. They join health professionals from 18 countries being recognised for exemplary service in nursing and public health during 2015.

Lucy’s legacy

From a young age, Lucy Adams was in the habit of helping people. She first found out about Red Cross at university in 1973 when stretchers were set up in the main hall and Lucy gave her first blood donation. Her involvement and passion for the work of Red Cross grew over the years as she began volunteering with us. More than 30 years later, Lucy remains a loyal Red Cross supporter. She has raised a family of three children, worked as the first professional female soil conservationist in NSW, and committed fully to the work of Red Cross with ongoing financial donations, 90 (and counting) blood donations and a lasting gift in her Will that will support people in need, well into the future. “If you think of any disaster around the world, Red Cross is always going to be there,” Lucy says. “The way

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Australian Red Cross/Dilini Perera

“When I was a kid I lived near a very quiet cross road that became very busy. There were a lot of accidents there, so I would get a blanket from my mother, and I would go up and help people until someone came.”

they have grown as a family around the world, this humanitarian, neutral family, a family that takes no sides in any conflicts—I think it’s amazing.” Leaving a gift in your Will is a way to positively impact the future without taking away from today. Red Cross can help you make or update your Will at a reduced rate of $75 through our national network of solicitors. Visit redcross.org.au/bequests to find out more.

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They are iconic symbols, meant to safeguard humanitarian workers as they carry out their work in some of the world’s worst conflict zones. But over the past several years disregard for the red cross and red crescent emblems has been increasing, with tragic results. Under international humanitarian law, the emblems have a basic message of ‘don’t shoot—we are not part of the fight, but are providing humanitarian assistance’. Yet within the past year alone, four aid workers bearing these emblems have been killed in Yemen, while the Syrian conflict has seen more than 50 aid workers killed. "Once, the lines of a conflict were quite clear," says Christoph Hensch, who has worked in Afghanistan and Chechnya, and now recruits and sends Australian Red Cross aid workers to missions around the world. "Nowadays, wars have become a much more complex context to work in, with multiple international players and different rebel groups with continually changing alliances." Listen to Christoph and colleague Vicki Mau talk about the tasks—and the dangers—facing humanitarian actors in our How Aid Works podcast. Subscribe with iTunes, Stitcher or TuneIn or listen to episodes at redcross.org.au.

in Nepal

Shelter is an ongoing priority in Nepal as thousands of people like Prabati Budathoki, her husband and eight-year-old son live under tarpaulins and other emergency shelters.

IFRC/ Mithila Jariwala

be an aid worker

Picking up the pieces

The people of Nepal are rebuilding their homes and lives, seven months after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake claimed more than 8,800 lives and reduced entire towns and villages to rubble. Since the earthquake, Red Cross has provided health care and temporary shelter, including tarpaulins and tools, to more than 100,000 people. Close to four million litres of safe drinking water have been distributed and more than 33,000 cash grants have been provided to some of the hardest hit families, helping them to rebuild and get small businesses going again. Generous donations to the Australian Red Cross Nepal Region Earthquake Appeal raised more than $13 million. The Nepalese community in Australia was especially active, holding candlelight vigils, auctions for restaurant meals, festivals, and hundreds of community fundraising events. In Nepal, local Red Cross volunteers are still racing relief supplies to some of the most devastated and remote communities in the country as the monsoon rains turn to snow and a harsh winter. Learn more about our recovery work in Nepal at redcross.org.au/ nepal-earthquake-2015.

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki

Dangerous times to

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 9

big things grow Neville grows vegetables ranging from broccoli to beets to broad beans.

Neville Jackson started volunteering with Red Cross back in 2012 because he admired the support services we provide for asylum seekers. A few years later, he’s at the head of a whole new program helping migrants new to the Canberra community. As convenor of the Kambah community garden, Neville realised that getting our clients involved in growing their own food could not only help them get fresh and healthy produce, but introduce them to people in the local community. Neville approached Red Cross and we got right on board, providing financial support for a small group of Tamil clients to join the garden. Neville says the benefits go both ways. “It’s been very good for the garden community to be just helping out and

being connected to these guys in a low-key way,” he says. The local gardeners are also learning about Tamil food and culture. In another display of support for Red Cross, the community garden recently held an open day, selling plants and food to raise money for our programs. “Red Cross just has such a solid reputation and it’s so well equipped,” Neville says. “And you never know where it will lead when you start volunteering!”

New friends, new faces

Australian Red Cross

As we work with so many older people in search of more social outlets, we thought: why not bring them together?

Our Canberra-based client engagement team Samantha Betts and Cheryl Slater are doing just that, working on forming social groups where our clients and others can make new friends and connect. They’re also helping people who start accessing

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Red Cross services to navigate the new government ‘My Aged Care’ system. We hope to get volunteers involved in the new social groups soon, to help with transporting clients to meeting places and being a friendly face for older people in our community. To express your interest in joining this new initiative, get in touch with the team at socialinclusionact@redcross.org.au.

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From little things

Strengthening family ties

Families involved in the out-of-home care system often face disadvantage on several fronts and the impact can be felt across generations. We are helping these families to better understand their rights and responsibilities and to access a wider range of support services. “Families involved in the out-of-home care system are often doing it tough in a number of ways,” says Wenda Donaldson, ACT/SE NSW Executive Director at Red Cross. “Our new support service aims to equip people with the skills and knowledge to advocate for themselves—to be able to engage productively with service providers and feel heard.”

unsplash/ Shlomit Wolf

We are pleased to have been awarded a government tender to provide a new service for families dealing with child and youth protection services.

As a neutral and trusted organisation with plenty of experience working together with people from various backgrounds, Red Cross is well placed to provide this service, helping families to be part of decision-making when it comes to their children.

Vigil for peace We gathered with 50 people for a candlelight vigil, held at sunset in the Nara Peace Park on the edge of Lennox Gardens. Speakers from Australian Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross and community organisations spoke about why the day means so much, including stories about learning the importance of paper cranes as a peace symbol while studying Japanese in primary school, and visiting Hiroshima as a teenager. The vigil highlighted that although 70 years have gone by, the global community is still struggling to realise a world free of nuclear weapons. Moving towards a treaty on the elimination of nuclear weapons is an important goal for Red Cross. To find out more about our work relating to international humanitarian law, sign up to the ‘Laws, Wars and Humanity’ e-newsletter at redcross.org.au/ subscribe-wlh.aspx or email actihl@redcross.org.au.

Candles and cranes symbolised peace and hope at the vigil.

Creative Commons

On 6 August we marked 70 years since the ‘Little Boy’ atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, killing more than 100,000 people in an instant.

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 11

Gifts

of hope Safety first this summer

Book yourself into a Red Cross first aid course Download our First Aid App so you can find the answers at the touch of a button Keep a first aid kit in the car or caravan Visit redcross.org.au/firstaid to take the first step. Read more newsletter stories from each state and territory at redcross.org.au/newsletter.

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When the weather warms up we love getting active in the great outdoors. Summer brings its fair share of accidents and injuries, so it’s important to know what to do if an emergency arises. First aid needs to be our first response—from minor sprains and strains to serious sporting injuries or road accidents. To ensure your family, friends or neighbours receive the right kind of emergency treatment and support this summer, get first aid ready with Red Cross:

Making someone smile at Christmas—through a gesture or a gift —is probably one of the best things about the festive season. We’re very lucky at Red Cross Shops to be able to make two people smile whenever you purchase a gift, either online or in-store. You can pick up a new or pre-loved treasure to give to someone you care about, and feel twice as good knowing that you are also making a gesture of hope for someone in need this Christmas. The proceeds from every gift purchased at a Red Cross Shop fund our vital everyday work, supporting people in crisis and isolation around Australia and our region. Start your Christmas shopping at shop.redcross.org.au or at your local Red Cross Shop.

Contact your local Red Cross office for more information: National Office 155 Pelham Street Carlton VIC 3053 T 1800 811 700 F 1800 855 240 redcross.org.au

ACT / SE NSW 3 Dann Close Garran ACT 2605 T +61 2 6234 7600 F +61 2 6234 7650 E actinfo@redcross.org.au

Cover Image: Australian Red Cross/Susan Cullinan Young Brisbane couple Shaun and Jess.

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