Spring 2011 Issue 5

and volunteersmembers

Newsletterfor

P4 Make nuclear weapons the target

P6 Australian wins highest nursing award

P9 First impressions on the field

P10 Big Cake Bake

VIC edition

PAGE 2 AROUND AUSTRALIA

Message from the President and CEOThe year began with floods, fires and cyclones across the nation. During this challenging time, Australian Red Cross members, volunteers and staff showed the world what the power of humanity can achieve.

Every day, since the summer of disasters, your commitment to helping vulnerable people has not wavered.

Along with many Australians, many of you gave generously to our appeals to provide relief to affected communities. These major appeals have now closed:

Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011 Victorian Floods Appeal 2011 New Zealand Earthquake Appeal 2011.

For donating to various appeals, holding fundraising events, or volunteering for any one of our services - thank you.

Wed like to take this opportunity to highlight the value of our Red Cross members, an integral part of the future of Red Cross. If you volunteer for Red Cross, and would like to become more involved, consider becoming a Red Cross member. As a member, you join the worlds largest humanitarian movement and can help shape our future. Contact your state or territory office (details on page 12) or go to www.redcross.org.au to find out how.

In other news, we have launched an innovative new campaign to reignite the push to ban the use of nuclear weapons. The campaign draws attention to the horrific humanitarian and environmental effects of nuclear

Robert Tickner Chief Executive Officer Australian Red Cross

Greg Vickery President Australian Red Cross

weapons, and calls on the international community to do more to ensure nuclear weapons no longer pose a threat to our future.

You can help. Head to www.targetnuclearweapons.org.au and vote yes to ban the use of nuclear weapons. Enter your name and email address to receive further information about the campaign and the forthcoming social explosion. With this campaign, we are using the power of social media to talk to people about critical humanitarian issues. While youre online, join the Red Cross network on Facebook and Twitter for news, stories and videos.

Were facing another critical humanitarian issue: the devastating drought and famine in East Africa. The United Nations reports more than 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the region. Red Cross is running the East Africa Drought Appeal 2011 to provide drought-affected communities in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia with emergency relief including food, water and health assistance. You can help too by donating to the appeal. Visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700 to donate today.

The commitment and dedication of Australian Red Cross aid workers is well known and greatly respected, not only by those within the Movement, but by the thousands of people they help. Australian Red Cross nurse and aid worker Noela Davies has been awarded the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal in recognition of her outstanding work in many areas of

Cover photo: Australian Red Cross

conflict around the world. We congratulate Noela on receiving this award she is an inspiration to us all.

Once again, thank you to all members and volunteers for your tireless efforts this year. As we approach the end of 2011, we look back on a year that all of us can be proud of.

Keep up the wonderful work.

PAGE 3

Newsletter for members and volunteers

Launch of Members Action KitRed Cross is delighted to announce the arrival of the Members Action Kit, which has been developed in conjunction with members to provide improved resources to support the work of members in branches/units/clubs.

The Kit brings together information about Red Cross, its proud history and vision, and some suggestions

about ways the organisation and its members can work towards building a strong future together. The content was developed in consultation with members, staff and volunteers, and draws on their experience and knowledge.

The Kits have been funded by the national office and production costs

were offset with the generous assistance of designers and printers. Hard copies of the Kit are being distributed to branches/units/clubs around the country.

For ideas about how you can best use the Members Action Kit, please contact the Membership Coordinator in your State/Territory for support.

During the last few months it has been a privilege to travel across the state to regional conferences and other gatherings to meet with our dedicated members and volunteers.

This newsletter showcases the tremendous work that Red Cross continues to undertake as we work together to improve the lives of vulnerable people.

This is the 10th anniversary of the Year of the Volunteer. Volunteering is of course one of our Fundamental Principles. Without volunteers, our work in the community, and the assistance we provide to people in need, would not be possible. This work is appreciated and applauded.

This edition details the wonderful achievements of some of our Red Cross people who were recognised at an awards ceremony held at Government House with our new Patron, Mrs Elizabeth Chernov. We also profile some of the work Red Cross is undertaking in the Community Detention program, as well as the lunch share day, Tasting Africa: Ugali,

which was capably organised by members of the Victorian Youth Advisory Committee.

Finally in this, the anniversary of the Year of the Volunteer, you might like to invite a friend to volunteer for Red Cross. Information about how to become involved with Red Cross as a member and/or a volunteer is available at www.redcross.org.au.

Thank you for your continued commitment and effort every day it is greatly appreciated.

As always, please feel free to submit feedback to vicinfo@redcross.org.au.

John Hood Chair, Advisory Board Victoria

Toni Aslett Executive Director Victoria

Message from the Chair and Executive Director

How can I support Red Cross?Red Cross relies on committed volunteers and donors. You can support Red Cross by:

giving monthly, leaving a bequest in your will or making a one-off donation. Visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700 to find out how.

giving blood. Visit www.donateblood.com.au or call 13 14 95 to make an appointment.

Support us as a member of Red CrossAs a Red Cross member, you are part of one of the oldest and largest humanitarian organisations in the world. Members help us grow the Power of Humanity by showing what can be done when people care enough to come together to help others.

Renew your membership or join us now: www.redcross.org.au.

VIC NEWS

PAGE 4 AROUND AUSTRALIA

Doing it Tough Appeal success

Australian Red Cross has launched an innovative new campaign to reignite the push for a ban on the use of nuclear weapons.

Make Nuclear Weapons the Target draws attention to the horrific humanitarian and environmental effects of nuclear weapons and calls on the international community to do more to ensure nuclear weapons no longer pose a threat to our future.

Help make nuclear weapons the target

Nuclear weapons are capable of destroying the planet in a matter of hours. The world saw their devastating impact after a nuclear bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, killing tens of thousands of people and causing unimaginable suffering.

Since then there have been efforts to make the use of nuclear weapons illegal, but to this day, not enough has been done. Red Cross wants to help ensure the world never again faces a similar tragedy.

Devastation in Hiroshima, 1945. Photo: Australian Red Cross.

Hiroshima survivor Junko Morimoto, who now lives in Australia, has pledged her support for the campaign, along with a number of celebrities, including Australian media personality Ruby Rose, Masterchef contestant Marion Grasby and Hungry Beasts Dan Ilic.

The first stage of the campaign is focused on growing critical mass behind the project, ahead of a social explosion in November 2011, and we need the help of our members and volunteers!

Red Cross supports people doing it tough in Australia and around the world. We are currently active in an unprecedented number of disaster areas worldwide, while also maintaining our regular local and overseas programs. To coincide with World Red Cross Red Crescent Day on 8 May, Red Cross launched the Doing it Tough Appeal, with a national television commercial supported by BHP Billiton. The campaign allowed

us to reach the greatest number of people than ever before and encourage them to donate and support our everyday work.

The Doing it Tough Appeal raised more than one million dollars. These funds will support vulnerable people in Australia and around the world. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Watch the commercial on YouTube at www.youtube.com/redcrossaust.

It takes less than a minute to support the campaign. Simply:

1. Go to www.targetnuclearweapons.org.au

2. Vote to support a ban on the use of nuclear weapons.

3. Enter your name and email address to get updates about the coming social explosion.

4. Encourage your friends and families to vote use the Share button to post a link to your Facebook wall, post an update to your Google+ circles, send a tweet or pass on by email.

PAGE 5

The Australian Red Cross Big Cake Bake is the sweetest fundraising event of the year, allowing Australians to show off their baking skills while supporting the work of Red Cross.

During October, people of all ages are hosting events in their homes, workplaces or communities. Theyre having cake sales, baking competitions and themed dinner parties with dessert

as the focus. The aim is to raise as much money as possible so Red Cross can continue its work improving the lives of vulnerable people.

From petite cupcakes to towering sponges, all kinds of baked treats will help support the everyday work of Red Cross in Australia and around the world.

For more information about this unique fundraising opportunity and recipes from Australias favourite celebrities, visit www.bigcakebake.org.au.

Newsletter for members and volunteers

AROUND AUSTRALIA

Baking the world a better place

Learn with Red Cross College Want to pick up skills for life? Red Cross has always been known for First Aid training. A Registered Training Organisation, Red Cross College offers more than 43 courses nation-wide, equipping Australians with training to help them save lives, gain employment or further their expertise.

Red Cross College also offers employment and business services in Queensland. The services are offered to disabled or vulnerable people who have struggled to find sustainable employment opportunities.

Red Cross College is always looking for competent and qualified trainers to deliver new and existing courses in every state. If you are a qualified trainer, and want to make a difference to peoples lives please visit www.redcross.edu.au and contact the College office in your state.

For available courses and details about how to enrol, please visit www.redcross.edu.au.

Tonight, nearly one in every 200 people in Australia will spend the night homeless. This means around 105,000 men, women and children will be without a safe, secure and affordable home. For Homeless Persons Week in August, we spoke to three people who have been helped by Red Cross programs including the Red Cross Night Cafe in Brisbane.

Hear their stories and more at www.youtube.com/redcrossaust.

Big Cake Bake Ambassador Megan Gale. Photo: Australian Red Cross.

Homeless Persons Week

PAGE 6 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Melissa Bencik has just arrived in Solomon Islands as an Australian volunteer supported by Australian Red Cross. She will spend the next 12 months helping increase youth engagement with Solomon Islands Red Cross, especially as blood donors. Melissa took the time to write about her new surroundings: coconuts, postcard-perfect beaches and reggae.

I expected intense heat to hit me in the face when I disembarked the plane, but it wasnt as bad as I thought. The 2am arrival may have had something to do with it, although even at that hour the air smelled damp and moist and my jeans clung to my legs, feeling three times their weight.

Two weeks on, I cant say Ive fully acclimatised to the hot weather of Solomon Islands, but it trumps a Melbourne winter.

The city of Honiara consists of one main road which can be walked in about 30 minutes. Rubbish covers the streets and fills rivers. Footpaths must be navigated carefully, as people chew and spit betel-nut everywhere. But take a short drive out of Honiara and the scenery changes into luscious greenery and beautiful clean beaches, dotted with shipwrecks from World War II to snorkel and dive around.

The local buses, considered mini-vans by Australian standards, pump out island reggae music that makes me smile. Coconuts are readily available for drinking (living the Pacific clich) and the bush lime is tasty and refreshing. You can buy coconut bread at the bakery and fresh fish and produce at the local market. Im yet to learn local recipes for all this local food.

A new life in Solomon Islands

Australian Volunteer Melissa Bencik with staff from Australian and Solomon Islands Red Cross Societies. Photo: Julian Troth.

Im finding my colleagues at Solomon Islands Red Cross to be very friendly and helpful, and are dedicated to their work. I already feel like Ive known them for far longer than I actually have.

My role to help engage young people as blood donors comes with its own challenges. Generally, awareness of the need for blood donation is quite basic and the majority of donations come from people whose families are sick and in hospital. Given that a large percentage of the population is under 25, theres a clear need to engage this audience, and so my work is cut out for me.

I look forward to embracing this opportunity with open arms over the coming year, hopefully with many more coconuts and reggae-filled bus rides along the way.

Australian Volunteers for International Development is a new program from the Australian Government, managed by AusAID and implemented by Australian Red Cross.

There are many opportunities for Australians to volunteer in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The program covers airfares, accommodation, living allowances, insurance and other costs.

Visit www.ausaid.gov.au/volunteer and search for Red Cross assignments, or call us on (03) 9345 1834.

PAGE 7

Medal in 2011. The awards also recognise exemplary service or a pioneering spirit in areas of public health or nursing education. Recipients were nominated by their local national Red Cross or Red Crescent Society and selected by a commission comprised of the ICRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.

Newsletter for members and volunteers

INTERNATIONAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australian nurse and Red Cross aid worker Noela Davies has received a prestigious humanitarian medal, the highest international honour for her profession. The Florence Nightingale Medal is awarded by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and recognises exceptional courage and devotion to victims of armed conflict or natural disaster.

Can you imagine a woman who does not read or write, not even the Koran, having to learn how to recognise and treat signs of anaemia? says Noela as she recalls one of her most rewarding missions, furthering basic medical skills among women in Ethiopias Gode region. The main illnesses identified in that area were malaria, diarrhoea, eye infections, and wounds, she says. The women were great they were interested and committed and they picked up information quickly.

This is one example of the ten challenging Red Cross missions that Noela has completed. She has worked

Noela Davies. Photo: Louise Cooper.

Red Cross aid worker wins international award

in war-torn Kenya and South Sudan performing triage and treating the wounded. She established a primary health care facility in Kenyas flood-affected coastal towns. In Australia, she has worked to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. For Noela, there is still work to be done and she will continue to volunteer for overseas missions.

Australian Red Cross Head of International Programs Donna McSkimming said, Noela is a credit to Australian nursing an ordinary Australian who has made an extraordinary contribution.

Noela humbly accepted the award in front of fellow delegates and Australian Red Cross staff in June. I accept this award on behalf of delegates, past and present, from International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid organisations. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Australian Red Cross CEO Robert Tickner described the Medal as, the mother of all awards. It embodies the wonderful values that we all work for here at Red Cross.

Noela is one of 39 recipients from 19 countries of the Florence Nightingale

Humanitarian crisis in East Africa More than a million displaced people in Somalia are searching for shelter and food, and people living in the Eastern Horn of Africa are facing the worst drought conditions in 60 years. Red Cross is there to help.

Red Cross is setting up feeding programs for malnourished children and providing safe drinking water. In Somalia, Red Cross has distributed more than 300 tonnes of assorted seeds along with farm tools like

shovels, hoes and rakes to enable farmers to cultivate crops.

How you can help More than 12 million people in East Africa are in need of urgent humanitarian aid according to the United Nations. You can help by donating to the East Africa Drought Appeal 2011 through visiting www.redcross.org.au or calling 1800 811 700.

PAGE 8 AROUND AUSTRALIA

The Centenary and Member Engagement Committee is gearing up to celebrate 100 years of Red Cross in Australia in 2014 and we want to hear from you! The Committee is calling for expressions of interest, ideas and initiatives to mark this significant milestone.

We invite you to look to our history and to our future, inside the organisation and out, as together we reach out to potential new members, supporters of all ages and backgrounds, and vulnerable people in our community. You can focus on one or more of the goals endorsed by the Red Cross Board to:

Centenary Year of Red Cross in Australia 2014 get involved!

celebrate the achievements and contributions of 100 years of Red Cross in Australia

energise the Australian community to support the work of Red Cross

strengthen Red Cross for the future to reduce vulnerability and improve lives.

More information about these goals as well as the guiding principles that underpin them can also be found via the website at www.redcross.org.au/heritage. In order to consider ideas from as many Red Cross people as possible, the Centenary and Member Engagement Committee asks you to complete and submit an expression of

interest form no later than 31 January 2012. Download the form at www.redcross.org.au/heritage.

The Committee will ensure that no matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how you contribute to Red Cross, you can play a role in celebrating the Centenary of Red Cross in Australia in 2014. Some of the best ideas, including those that take into account many of the goals and guiding principles, may also be invited to develop more substantial proposals. If you are unable to access the internet, call your state/territorys Membership Coordinator through the contact details on page 12 of this newsletter.

Trusts and foundations at Red Cross Following this years unprecedented summer of natural disasters, Red Cross engaged philanthropic organisations to support our emergency services work. As a result, philanthropic partners offered the national recovery program significant support. The Community Enterprise Foundation, Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation and Collier Charitable

Fund are to be commended for their unique and collaborative funding approach, supporting a suite of recovery programs in flood-affected communities across Queensland.

Red Cross has established strong relationships with trusts and foundations within Australia and overseas. The trusts and foundations team at the Red Cross national office manages all philanthropic

funding opportunities for national, state and locally based programs for each of the service areas.

Local networks can strengthen this area of work and Red Cross members are invited to share local funding opportunities with the National Trusts and Foundations Manager. Contact philanthropy@redcross.org.au or call (03) 9341 7523.

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Newsletter for members and volunteers

AROUND AUSTRALIA

You may have seen them in shopping centres, on city street corners or outside your local cafe, talking with people about the work of Red Cross. They are the fundraisers who connect Red Cross with the Australian public. They work to secure donors who give on a regular basis our valuable regular givers.

Regular giving is one of the most effective methods of raising much-needed donations, so that we can continue helping vulnerable people.

Our ongoing work is not possible without regular donations from the Australian public, which is why Red Cross has worked in partnership with cause-driven fundraising agency Cornucopia for ten years. Cornucopia has a team of fundraisers who specialise in engaging the public in conversation to raise awareness of non profit organisations and to recruit ongoing, regular donors.

Face-to-face: the best way to fundraise

Regular giving is one of the most effective fundraising methods. Photo: Louise Cooper.

Were raising awaremess of the many services Red Cross provides, says Liz Atkinson. Photo: Louise Cooper

Liz Atkinson has made a career out of regular giving fundraising. She started work as a fundraiser when she was backpacking in Australia from the UK. She loved the work so much she stuck around, and now, eight years later, Liz is training and managing fundraising teams. Liz feels its so important that charities like Red Cross are conducting this method of fundraising. Every single day we have people out there on the street, we secure a certain number of regular donors for Red Cross, she says. But, apart from that, were raising awareness of the many services Red Cross provides to the thousands of people who pass us every day. So were helping to educate the public, too.

Regular Giving Manager Mike Nixon was once a street fundraiser before joining Red Cross in Sydney. We cant always rely on people going to the website and making donations, he says. Its important we directly reach out to people. The number of people who know about our emergency services work, but dont know about our other services, is remarkable.

Many of the regular giving fundraisers are young people, so its an effective way to reach out to other young people who are unaware of the many services Red Cross offers.

Cornucopia recently gave Liz the opportunity to see first-hand how water and sanitation programs improve lives in Cambodia. It really changed my life. Theres a very big difference between understanding the work of Red Cross, and then seeing for yourself how that work makes a difference to the lives of people living in remote communities, she says. I use that experience when I train our fundraisers. They can see the emotion behind my experience and that makes a massive difference to the way they communicate with people on the street. We make sure that everyone working for Red Cross has a real emotional attachment to the work we do. Liz explains that many of the regular giving fundraisers are donors themselves.

Next time you see a Red Cross regular giving fundraiser in your community, stop and say hello. To find out how you can become a regular giver visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700.

PAGE 10 VIC NEWS

Victoria celebrates NAIDOC Week

Saving mates at music festivals since 1999

To launch NAIDOC Week celebrations, a Welcome to Country ceremony was conducted by a Wurrundjeri Elder. He explained the significance and connection to the land, and each audience member was invited to take

For more than ten years, Red Cross has helped reduce harm associated with substance abuse among young people through the save-a-mate program. Recently at Good Vibrations and Future Music Festival in Victoria, save-a-mate crews roamed the grounds, helping people in need, and welcoming patrons into the Chill Out Space where water and information about safe partying was offered.

Sarahs* storyTwo save-a-mate rovers came across Sarah and her boyfriend near the toilets at Good Vibrations festival. Sarah was looking sick, disoriented, pale and semi-conscious. Security officers were with Sarah and her boyfriend and attempted to eject her from the festival. Save-a-mate rovers negotiated with the security officers to take her to the Chill Out Space. Sarah and her boyfriend were able to walk to the Chill Out Space where Sarah took

a gum leaf from the branch used in the ceremony as a link to the land and country. Speakers from Stolen Generation Link-Up Victoria and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency talked about the work of their agencies. The morning concluded with the recollection of an Elder from Broadmeadows Koori Courts regarding her own experiences as a member of the stolen generation.

On the following day, staff and students from Fitzroys charitable restaurant Charcoal Lane presented cooking demonstrations and taste tests. Charcoal Lane offers Certificate training in hospitality to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and focuses on using

a few sips of water and received First Aid. Save-a-mate volunteers found and assisted Sarah, when she may

have otherwise not received proper medical care. *Name has been changed to protect privacy.

traditional ingredients as an influence in modern Australian cuisine.

To wrap-up the week, we held a lunchtime viewing of For our People, For our Future. This DVD follows the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) through the challenging, and rewarding, trek along the Kokoda track by a group of young Indigenous people and their mentors. The viewing was hosted by one of the Victorian Kokoda mentors and Aileen Traynor, Manager Youth and Family Services for Red Cross in Victoria, who acted as a facilitator for IYLP.

Throughout Australia, Red Cross celebrated the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples.

Save-a-mate offers safe partying help. Photo: Lisa Fitzgerald

Photo: Australian Red Cross

PAGE 11

Newsletter for members and volunteers

VIC NEWS

In 2010 the Australian Government announced that community detention options would be expanded to enable significant numbers of vulnerable families and unaccompanied minors to be moved from immigration detention facilities into communities. Red Cross agreed to act as the lead agency in care arrangements for these groups. One year on, with support from partner organisations, we have been helping improve the lives of asylum seekers across Australia.

Hanna Kopel is a Red Cross caseworker in the Community Detention program. She looks after more than 15 clients, from different backgrounds, and various needs in the community. There are people who have experienced torture and trauma. Thats the basis of their refugee application and why theyve come to Australia, Hanna says. Then there are clients who want to learn everything overnight. Theyre eager to learn English, how to get around on public transport, how to get to the beach and become familiar with their environment. They want to be independent.

Red Cross has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable people in society. There is little doubt that asylum seekers who have often fled persecution and threats of death, and who have little or no family support in Australia are among those most in need. Through the program, housing and health services are provided and children are enrolled in school. Red Cross also helps asylum seekers gain access to community language classes, emergency services, social networks and other agencies. Caseworkers like Hanna see firsthand

Critical humanitarian work

Hanna Kopel. Photo: Australian Red Cross.

How you can help

Red Cross relies on committed volunteers. You can support people in the Community Detention program by volunteering to help them better engage with their new community. Visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700 to get involved.

how their clients quality of life has improved after being placed in community detention. Our clients have a sense of excitement about their new environment.

Hannas clients face day-to-day challenges, too. People often find the first few days overwhelming, she says. There is a transition between being placed in a detention centre to living in a community. While people placed in community detention are waiting for the outcome of their visa application, Red Cross caseworkers like Hanna are there to help. The families and children in our program are incredibly resilient, but it is difficult for them to start the recovery process while they are waiting for their immigration status to be resolved. As more clients are being placed in community detention, Red Cross is sending more volunteers and caseworkers to help them become familiar with the areas they are living in.

The Community Detention program is fully funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, which is responsible for the implementation and expansion of community detention. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship personally decides who can live in community detention.

PAGE 12 VIC NEWS

Victoria 23-47 Villiers Street North Melbourne VIC 3051GPO Box 9949 Melbourne VIC 3001 Telephone: (03) 8327 7700 Facsimile: (03) 8327 7711Email: vicinfo@redcross.org.au

National Office155 Pelham Street Carlton South VIC 3053PO Box 196 Carlton South VIC 3053Telephone: (03) 9345 1800 Facsimile: (03) 9348 2513Email: natinfo@redcross.org.au

Tasting Africa: Ugali Lunch Share Day

Red Cross people recognised

To raise awareness about the devastating drought affecting Kenya, and the work of the Kenya Red Cross School Lunch Program, members of the Victorian Youth Advisory Committee held the Ugali Lunch Share at Monash Universitys Clayton campus.

The Kenya Red Cross School Lunch Program addresses both food security and education needs. Without the program, children in these drought-stricken areas would be unable make the gruelling daily trip, sometimes of up to ten kilometres, to attend school.

With the goal of raising awareness and inspiring others to host their own fundraising events, South African-born Valanga Khoza entertained the crowd with singing, guitar, kalimba and traditional flute. Mwingi-born Kevin Kalonzo shared his knowledge of food security issues in Kenya.

Kenyan Ugali and coconut and sweet potato pudding samples were sold for $1.20 on the day this amount of

At a special event held at Government House, Melbourne, in June, Red Cross members and volunteers were recognised for their passion for Red Cross.

This year two Red Cross members received Honorary Life Membership awards: Kath Lancaster and Margaret Mahon have given to Red Cross over an

money gives one child one months worth of Unimix (a lunchtime porridge-type meal) through the Kenya Red Cross School Lunch Program.

To raise funds, an array of incredible prizes worth more than $3,000 were raffled. Popular prizes included ostrich egg candle tea light holders, Kenyan hand drums, handmade table linen from Zambia, an African carving and a

extended period of time in a broad range of supporter and volunteer activities.

Four laurel wreath medals were also bestowed; each one to recognise 50 years of service to Red Cross.

The awards are usually presented to coincide with World Red Cross Day by our Patron, the spouse of the Governor. This year, however, due to

painting by an internationally awarded wildlife artist.

Overall, the Ugali Lunch Share Day event raised $1,050 which will be directly committed to the East Africa Drought Appeal 2011.

To donate to the East Africa Drought Appeal 2011 visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700.

the appointment of a new Governor in Victoria the reception was postponed until June when Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, our new Patron, presided over the morning reception.

The efforts of our Red Cross people are essential to providing services within the community. Thank you to all Victorian members and volunteers for your many years excellent work.

Lynette Phuong and Valanga Khoza at the Ugali Lunch Share Day. Photo: Australian Red Cross.