M&V Newsletter : Issue 1 2016

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers ISSUE 1 ▪ 2016 ▪ ACT/SE NSW

HOLDING ON TO

HOPE A volunteer’s pledge to rebuild Syria NATIONWIDE

EMERGENCIES

Support through a relentless summer

FIJI FACES

DISASTER

The aftermath of its worst ever cyclone

In FOCUS A message from the President and CEO We are entering a new and exciting era for Australian Red Cross with Judy Slatyer starting as Chief Executive Officer.

Judy couldn’t be happier (really!) to join our volunteers and members in working hard to uphold our humanitarian principles. She’s looking forward to meeting Red Cross people at upcoming events, but until then get to know her on page 5 of this newsletter.

Unfortunately, we received some sad news at the end of last year. Our former Secretary General of Australian Red Cross, Jim Carlton AO passed away at the age of 80.

Jim was at the helm of our organisation from 1994 to 2001 and introduced great and positive changes during his time. We remember his contributions with gratitude.

Christmas and the arrival of the New Year brought challenges across Australia as fires, floods and cyclones hit communities from the Northern Territory to Tasmania. Fiji also experienced devastation as a category five cyclone struck in February, prompting us to send specialist aid workers and open the Tropical Cyclone Winston Appeal. Our thoughts are with all who lost their homes or had properties damaged. In particular we remember those communities where lives were lost.

You can read about how Red Cross helped during these emergencies in this newsletter.

It’s always a thrill to see Australians achieving success on the international stage, so we were delighted to see our own Pearl Li, former youth member on our national board, elected to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Youth Commission. Current serving board member John Dorrian was also recently elected to the IFRC Finance Commission. Congratulations to Pearl and John!

And a big thank you too to all our other volunteers and members for your ongoing work with Red Cross— your efforts are recognised and appreciated.

Michael Legge President Australian Red Cross

Judy Slatyer CEO Australian Red Cross

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

First aid for less Having a Red Cross first aid kit in your home could be priceless in an emergency, and now is the perfect time to buy one. We are offering volunteers and members a further 20% off our already discounted kits.

Check out the range of discounted kits available at redcross.org.au/firstaidkits, then call 1300 367 428 and quote your supporter ID number to receive your discount. (Hint: you can find your supporter ID number above your name on the delivery slip that came with your newsletter.)

Even better—Red Cross kits are assembled by Australians living with disability, so your purchase

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supports their ongoing employment and connection to the community.

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Around ACT/SE NSW A message from the Chair and Executive Director We are now well into 2016 and hope you are full steam ahead into yet another fantastic year with Red Cross in the ACT and south-east NSW, just as we are.

Last year ended on an absolute high. You’ve probably seen that we opened the doors to a new Red Cross Shop late last year. Now that we have a store in Canberra, Red Cross Shops have a national reach with a store in every Australian state and territory. It’s all in aid of our vital everyday work here in Australia and overseas. We also hope the shop will be an important part of the Canberra community. Please drop by to say hello, pick up a bargain or donate quality items! You can read more about our new shop on page 11.

It was wonderful to celebrate International Volunteers Day recently with so many of our valued members and volunteers. It was great to see everyone getting involved and the drumming circle was a particular highlight. We were heartened to see three generations of families and volunteers at the celebration too.

Congratulations to the Volunteer Award winners for their stellar efforts and to each and every one of you who dedicate countless hours, expertise and passion. We simply couldn’t do our work without you.

As always, with a new year we reaffirm our commitment to our principles and set our sights on what we’d like to achieve for the year ahead. We have high hopes and exciting plans for 2016 and look forward to working with you on this inspiring humanitarian journey.

Sam Wong ACT Divisional Advisory Board Chair

Wenda Donaldson Executive Director ACT/SE NSW

Read more about our work in the Australian Capital Territory on pages 10 and 11.

Red Cross called and you answered

Australian Red Cross/Rodney Dekker

A big thank you to all our volunteers and members who participated in this month’s Red Cross Calling campaign!

Our annual March fundraising drive has been running for more than 65 years and is still going strong. Thanks to volunteer fundraisers and generous donors, Red Cross is equipped to prepare and respond in times of disaster, provide clean drinking water to remote villages, and help people to overcome personal hardship and disadvantage all year round.

Thank you for helping us to continue to be there for people who need us most.

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Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 3

Introducing our new CEO Born and bred in Australia, Judy is an international leader with a distinguished career spanning roles in the not-for-profit, private and government sectors. Like so many of our members and volunteers, she has a passion for humanitarian and environmental advocacy.

Before joining us last month, Judy was Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) International for seven years. Based in Switzerland, she oversaw one of the world's largest conservation organisations, with 6,500 staff working in more than 100 countries.

Her career also encompasses more than five years as CEO of Lonely Planet based in Melbourne and 10 years with Telstra, where her most senior role was Chief of Consumer Sales for Telstra retail.

Australian Red Cross President Michael Legge says Judy has an outstanding track record and is ideally suited for her challenging new role.

"Judy is the ideal person to lead us as we continue to respond to rapidly changing humanitarian needs in our second century of service to the Australian community and beyond,” he says.

Judy looks forward to working closely with volunteers and members as she settles into her new role.

Watch our video introducing Judy at redcross.org.au/newsletter.

Supplied

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Judy Slatyer as our new Chief Executive Officer.

A healthy partnership

That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a new partnership between Red Cross and ALDI. The partnership will help us reach more families through our life-changing food education workshops. We want to ensure everyone, young and old, has access to healthy food on a daily basis.

ALDI has generously committed significant funding over a minimum of two years. This will allow us to train more program facilitators and help more people who have ongoing difficulty accessing affordable, healthy food. We plan to get volunteers involved in the initiative, so watch this space!

We celebrated the new partnership with ALDI as they opened their first stores in South Australia last month.

The occasion was marked with a BBQ and fundraising drive for Red Cross.

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Australian Red Cross

One in ten Australians can’t afford to buy enough food.

Volunteers pitch in at a sausage sizzle fundraiser at last month’s ALDI store opening.

Barb Moritz, a Red Cross member of 35 years, was on hand to help.

“I can’t believe the amount of people here,” she said of the line winding its way out the door of the Parafield Gardens store into the street.

“I think it’s great that ALDI has partnered with Red Cross. It’s really going to make a difference.”

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A notice to all members To ensure membership can remain sustainable, we have had a look at how we currently run our membership program and ways it can be improved.

As a result, from 1 July we will increase our membership fees. These increases are necessary to strengthen our membership program and offset costs required to run it, ensuring that other funds go to our services where they are needed most.

The fee for a standard individual membership will rise to $30 from $20, while Branch, Concession and Youth members will pay $10 instead of $5.

In addition, we will no longer be offering free membership to volunteers and donors. Instead, they will be offered membership at the concessional discounted rate of $10.

We are excited to announce a new membership for families. For $50 a family can sign up to learn together about humanitarian work—take action together!

Australian Red Cross/Greg Goebel

Members are vital to Red Cross. You ensure we can deliver our services effectively and we rely on your support, governance and voice to champion us in your community.

We are confident these changes will set our membership program on the path for a bright, sustainable future. We hope you will continue to be a member and champion humanity.

Australian Red Cross

160 kms in a kayak for Red Cross Andrew Johnson has completed several endurance events in the past but nothing as huge as his latest 160-kilometre kayaking effort in support of Red Cross.

In January the 38-year-old and 21-year Australian Air Force veteran set off to “paddle the bay in a day” —a humble way to describe his gruelling journey from Werribee South across Corio Bay to Portarlington, up the Mornington Peninsula coast to Port Melbourne, then back to Werribee South in 24 hours.

By the end of his trip Andrew had hoped to raise $3,000 for Red Cross. In fact, by rallying his family and friends Andrew doubled his fundraising target and was able to contribute more than $6,000 to the vital work of Red Cross. Thank you Andrew!

“Through my work in the Air Force I’ve seen a lot of the good Australian Red Cross does,” Andrew said in an interview with the Caulfield Glen Eira Leader.

“Whenever there is some sort of disaster—whether it’s a fire or a flood—they’re there helping people out, so this is just something I can do to help them out.”

If you’d like to take on your own fitness challenge and push your limits for a great cause, jump onto redcrossfundraising.org.au to get inspired.

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Andrew plucks up his courage and picks up his paddle for Red Cross.

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 5

Fiji Red Cross Society

Fun run paints the desert Natoia and her son enjoy the colour run.

Relief supplies for 2,200 families were distributed within a few days of the category five cyclone. Inset: Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery experienced the disaster first-hand.

Last month Fiji was devastated by the strongest recorded cyclone in its history.

Cyclone Winston left a trail of destruction, taking multiple lives and hundreds of homes. Up to 90 per cent of homes in some villages were damaged or destroyed and more than 8,000 people sought refuge in evacuation centres.

Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery remembers the cyclone vividly. “It was six hours of massive winds with huge gusts,” she says.

“The coconut trees outside our window were bending so much we were certain the tops would snap clean off—and we were on the very edge of the storm. The middle, I just cannot imagine it.”

After racing to help devastated communities after the cyclone hit, Red Cross remains on the ground to distribute relief items, provide access to basic sanitation facilities and hygiene kits, organise emergency shelter and prevent the spread of disease.

Australians have generously reached out to our Fijian neighbours through our Tropical Cyclone Winston Appeal. Visit redcross.org.au/ cyclonewinstonappeal.aspx to find out more.

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There was no pot of gold but plenty of laughter at the end of the rainbow when Tennant Creek held its inaugural colour fun run.

The event was the brainchild of the local youth leadership group, run by Red Cross. The group has been meeting for about a year to address issues faced by young people in Tennant Creek. The remote Northern Territory town of roughly 3,500 people is situated a long way from a major city. Darwin is 1,000 kilometres to the north and Alice Springs 500 kilometres south.

The colour fun run was a great way for the community to come together, with several organisations and some 30 volunteers pitching in, thanks to a grant from the NT Government. More than 130 young people were showered in every colour of the rainbow as they ran the obstacle course set up at the local footy oval.

Red Cross employs three staff members in Tennant Creek who focus on listening to the community and partnering with them to address local issues. Apart from our work with young people, we’re involved in helping people to grow their own food and planting trees to provide shade in the desert town.

Local staff member Emma Newman puts it simply: “We’re generally trying to help raise the happiness level of people. And we do that by working with people and collaborating closely with other workers in other organisations, not on our own.”

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Australian Red Cross

Aid arrives in ravaged Fiji

Australian Red Cross/Dilini Perera

Support through a stressful summer

Above: Volunteer Kerrie takes a rest after checking residents of the Hunter Valley are OK following recent flooding. Inset: Volunteers visit communities affected by disasters to offer emotional support, information and referrals to recovery services.

Summer was a trying time of fires and floods for many communities around the country.

As always, our volunteers were ready to spring into action, joining our staff on the ground to provide support.

Severe fires struck in and around Pinery, South Australia; Esperance and Waroona, Western Australia; the Surf Coast in Victoria; and in regional areas of Tasmania.

Smaller fires also broke out in these states and other parts of the country. Thousands of hectares of land were devastated, hundreds of homes destroyed and tragically, lives were lost.

Red Cross volunteers and staff worked tirelessly to help those most affected: providing emotional and practical support in evacuation and relief centres; reconnecting separated loved ones through the Register.Find.Reunite. service; and visiting communities to make sure people had the help they needed.

In the Northern Territory, Red Cross workers cared for hundreds of people in Darwin’s Foskey Pavilion evacuation centre, after serious flooding forced a mass evacuation from the Naiyu (Daly River) region

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at Christmas. We were also there to support people in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, who experienced their second serious flood within a year; and we helped people battling through heatwaves.

Even after the fires go out and the floods dry up, the effects of disasters continue to be felt by communities.

Red Cross will be there for the months and years ahead to help people recover. As we emerge from a difficult summer, we are working closely with local, regional and state partners to assist with relief and recovery planning.

We send a huge ‘thank you!’ to each and every Red Cross hero who helped over these past few months. If you or someone you know has been affected by fires or floods we have a range of resources to help you recover from a disaster—just visit redcross.org.au/recover.

Make sure you and your family get prepared and make an emergency plan, available at redcross.org.au/prepare.

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 7

Australian Red Cross/Conor Ashleigh

Volunteers drive lasting change

Wah Wah Aung re-enacts how she created a tourniquet and applied pressure after being bitten by a snake. Inset: Wah Wah Aung, 19, proudly wears her Red Cross vest and uniform.

Wah Wah Aung never even saw the viper.

She simply felt its fangs drive into her foot and collapsed in pain.

Snakes bring terror to anyone who works in the fields in Myanmar’s Bago region. Home to more than 40 species of venomous serpents, Myanmar’s snakebite mortality rate is twice as high as the world’s average.

“I cried because I thought I was going to die,” Wah Wah Aung admits.

Snake bites are just one of many health crises facing isolated villages. Malaria is rampant in the dry zone, while diarrhoea from unsafe drinking water is a major cause of child mortality. Two years ago, Yin Ywar village began a partnership with Myanmar Red Cross to address these issues and build a healthier, safer place to live.

Together, the local community and Red Cross developed a plan. As with other Red Cross projects across the world, volunteers were the backbone of the work.

Newly-trained local Red Cross volunteers went door to door across the village, assessing each household’s situation and offering information on hygiene, sanitation and first aid. The next step was to implement practical

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solutions: building tanks and taps to provide safe water, constructing household toilets, developing emergency procedures and drills.

Wah Wah Aung was one of the volunteers trained by Red Cross. So when she was bitten, she knew better than to try to suck out the poison, an act that would almost certainly have killed her.

Instead she tied a tourniquet around her leg to restrict the venom’s flow. This bought her enough time to call her friends, fellow Red Cross volunteers, who quickly constructed a stretcher and took her to the nearest hospital where she received antivenom.

“I’m so happy I learned to do these things, and I got to the hospital in time,” she says.

Australian Red Cross is supporting improvements in villages like Yin Ywar through a partnership with Myanmar Red Cross.

“I feel very confident this work will be sustained,” says Australian Red Cross aid worker Samadhi Marr.

“We have the village volunteers. They live here and they will continue to respond as needed. And then we have the village committees. They know the issues of their village and they know what it means to come together to solve their problems.”

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Refugees help to rebuild

Australian Red Cross/ Anita Dullard

Zaher Barazi/Syrian Arab Red Crescent

Humanitarian laws must be respected in Syria

Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles carrying relief items line up outside Damascus to begin the journey to Madaya.

Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope, Director of International Humanitarian Law and Movement Relations at Australian Red Cross recently published the following call to action through Australian media.

Death by starvation is slow, painful, silent and unthinkably cruel. The images we've seen in the past few months of emaciated, desperate children in besieged Syrian towns have brought on an almost visceral desire to help—after their release, weekly donations to our Syria Crisis Appeal doubled.

The rules of war are unequivocal: starvation as a means of warfare is a recognised war crime under international humanitarian law. This body of law, grounded in the Geneva Conventions, obliges all parties to a conflict to allow neutral humanitarian aid to reach civilian populations. So why is the world watching more than 400,000 Syrians starve to death?

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have been negotiating for months to access besieged areas of Syria. Without the agreement of all parties it is simply too dangerous to try: some 53 Red Cross Red Crescent people have already been killed while delivering aid in Syria.

Compliance with international humanitarian law means civilians would not be deliberately targeted.

Humanitarian agencies would have access to provide food and medical assistance to those who need it most.

People in Syria's besieged towns would not be relying on soup made from grass and leaves to survive.

We will continue to call for unimpeded access to provide aid in Syria.

Read Phoebe’s complete article at redcross.org.au/ syria-ihl.

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“Syrians and Jordanians have the same culture and traditions, so working together we can find solutions that work because we understand each other,” says Taharni (right), pictured with Jordanian colleague Rasha.

When Syrians like Taharni first started fleeing to Jordan, many local families opened their homes to their frightened neighbours.

But five years into the crisis, as the number of refugees grows day by day, many Jordanian families are struggling to cope with the overwhelming need.

Taharni, 21, fled Syria three years ago with her family. She now works in a pharmacy in Jordan and volunteers with Jordan Red Crescent, supporting their community work which ranges from combatting rising diabetes rates among Syrian refugees to addressing gender-based violence.

Some of this work is supported by Australian Red Cross donors.

Taharni says volunteering is one way she can help Syrians to help themselves.

“I want to help build a strong community, so that if we’re able to go back, we will be able to rebuild Syria,” she says.

Taharni has a bright outlook on the future, and hopes to one day see her country return to peace.

“I would like to complete my university degree and then open a pharmacy. If I stay in Jordan I will do it here, but if I can go back to Syria I will do it there.”

Please help us spread the word about our Syria Crisis Appeal, which is supporting people in need in Syria and neighbouring countries. Visit redcross. org.au/syriacrisis.

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 9

Culture Under Attack

Azaz, Syria, 2013: Boys look at a destroyed tank near a damaged mosque while fetching water.

A new exhibition presented by Red Cross highlights the damage caused to communities by the destruction of cultural heritage.

Every society expresses its cultural identity and history through objects like art, places of worship and museums.

Deliberate destruction of cultural heritage shows a grave disrespect for the history and values of others.

“Preservation of cultural property is vital for the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of people affected by war, as well as their recovery,” says Tara Gutman, Deputy National Manager International Humanitarian Law. “Sometimes destruction of cultural property is

accidental, but in many cases it is deliberate and may be considered a war crime under international humanitarian law.”

These crimes can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The court has just began hearing its first cultural property case about the destruction of mosques and historic artefacts in Timbuktu, Mali.

All Red Cross societies have a mandate to disseminate international humanitarian law, or IHL, the body of law which protects people who aren’t involved in fighting during conflict. We believe that the more people know about IHL, the more effective it can be.

Culture Under Attack is on display at the High Court of Australia, Canberra until 15 April, featuring images taken during and after conflicts in various countries from 1917 to 2015. The exhibition is supported by the Federal Attorney-General’s Department.

Australian Red Cross

Working as one for resilience

Our efforts were commended along with the ACT Emergency Services Agency and Southside Community Services for our joint work to help build emergency preparedness in the Oaks Estate community in the ACT, near the NSW border. The area is vulnerable to fires and floods because it is surrounded by grasslands, a railway line and rivers. It sits on the very edge of two jurisdictions.

The emergency services agencies discussed how community members can prepare to respond to hazards, We were honoured to be while Red Cross emphasised the recognised for our efforts to keep communities safe from emergencies importance of preparing psychologically for emergencies. Being in the Resilient Australia Awards, psychologically prepared goes hand announced late last year.

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in hand with taking practical steps to get ready for emergency situations.

It also helps people to make good decisions and deal with extreme emotions when times get tough. We remind households and communities to have a plan in place and to think about what precious items should be taken in an evacuation.

“This project is an example of how government agencies, non-government organisations and local community services can work together to engage with the community to improve their resilience,” the Resilient Australia Awards committee wrote when commending the three organisations.

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AP Photo/Ben Hubbard

Did you know cultural artefacts like monuments and artworks are protected under the laws of war?

School holiday fun

The Wallaga Lake community faces several kinds of disadvantage, including a lack of transport options and employment opportunities. Life can be tough for local young people, so our activities program gives them something fun and positive to do while building healthy relationships with other locals and organisations.

We work respectfully with the community and local organisations like the Police Citizens Youth Club, Merrimans Local Land Council, AIME Mentoring and Katangul Aboriginal Medical Services to deliver the school holiday program.

Volunteers get involved to help prepare healthy food and facilitate activities like arts and crafts, skateboarding and water fights. We also provide

Australian Red Cross

Each school holidays we run an activities program for young people in Wallaga Lake, a small Aboriginal community near Narooma.

educational activities like basic first aid training and nutrition workshops. During the January holidays we worked with young people from four to 17 years old.

We welcome volunteers to get involved next school holidays! Get in touch with Ally McQueen, our local Youth and Community Development Worker— amcqueen@redcross.org.au.

Welcome Red Cross to Woden

Australian Red Cross/Bruce Wardley

Our retail network now has a truly national reach with stores in each state and territory, since the opening of a new Red Cross Shop in Canberra.

Aaron and Alex declare the new store open for business! Alex wore a stunning Sass & Bide outfit for the opening, straight off the racks at Woden.

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Fashion stylist Alex van Os and four of our parliamentary friends came out to celebrate the opening of the Woden store, in Bradley Street.

Alex, an ambassador for our shops, and Red Cross volunteer and former Youth Advisory Committee member, Aaron Zee cut a red ribbon to mark the grand opening.

ACT Senators Katy Gallagher and Zed Seselja along with Canberra MPs Gai Brodtmann and Andrew Leigh celebrated the occasion by urging everyone to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’.

The bright and breezy new store is the latest in our network of 148 shops across Australia. Our shops stock recycled items donated by the community, as well as new items purchased from retailers at a fraction of the usual price.

The best part is proceeds go towards our everyday work—saving lives and providing vital support to people in need.

We’re thrilled to have new volunteers on board and extend this welcome to anyone who lives locally and would to symbolised be part ofpeace our and team. chat in-store Candles andlike cranes hopeHave at theavigil. or visit redcross.org.au/shopvolunteer.

Newsletter for Members and Volunteers 11

Australian Red Cross

Embracing future giving

Every year workers from our neighbouring islands of Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa and Timor-Leste venture to Australia to provide seasonal labour. Many migrants work for agricultural and accommodation businesses that can’t meet their labour needs with local job-seekers alone.

We were proud to provide basic English classes and first aid training to 658 migrant workers around Australia last year, in partnership with the Australian Government’s Seasonal Worker Program. Not only does the training make it easier for participants to work and live in Australia but many people are enthusiastic to take their new skills home and share with their families and communities.

“My students love CPR and are fascinated by the defibrillator,” first aid trainer Amanda Wilkins told us.

“However these guys are generally over 6 feet tall and I don't think some of my mannequins will ever be the same again!”

Red Cross remains committed to spreading first aid skills far and wide.

Remember, you can keep up to speed with first aid techniques by downloading our First Aid App. To find out more about first aid visit redcross.org.au/firstaid.

Australian Red Cross

First aid beyond borders Beverley and Raechel are researching the best ways to raise money for our services.

Volunteer and member Beverley O’Brien is something of an expert on fundraising after participating in a research trip last year to the UK and the Netherlands.

Beverley says she was “thrilled and honoured” to be selected alongside staff member Raechel Gleeson for the $25,000 Greg Vickery Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded every year to Red Cross people with bright ideas on how to improve our work. The two women are on a mission to get members more engaged in a different aspect of fundraising for Red Cross through increasing awareness of our bequests program.

While encouraging members to talk about bequests with their communities is a relatively new idea, Beverley sees it as important and valuable. It can be awkward to discuss leaving a gift in your Will but there’s no denying how much of a difference these gifts make – in fact, bequests are one of our biggest sources of income, helping us to provide many of our services.

Members can play a powerful role in spreading the word about opportunities like Red Cross Wills Days. The days put our supporters in touch with solicitors to make or update a simple Will from just $75.

“It’s important that members and volunteers are advocates for Red Cross, so that the word is out there in the right way,” Beverley says.

To find out more about leaving a gift for Red Cross in your Will, visit redcross.org.au/bequests.

Read more newsletter stories from each state and territory at redcross.org.au/newsletter

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/Anita Dullard Taharni has volunteered with Jordan Red Crescent since fleeing Syria.

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Editorial: Alyssa Robinson Graphic Design: Timothy Hartridge, Keisha Jayaratne