The Power of Humanity

Book excerpt: Written by leading historian Melanie Oppenheimer, and fully illustrated with a wealth of photographs and other records from the archives of the Australian Red Cross Society, this riveting history marks 100 years of the Red Cross in Australia. This is the story of everyday Australians. It is a history of people helping people across 'generations, united by a common passion and commitment to humanitarian action.' Born at the outbreak of World War I, the Australian Red Cross celebrates its centenary in August 2014, making it one of the oldest and most respected voluntary organisations in Australia. With the help of volunteers across Australia, the Red Cross played a critical role in supporting the men fighting overseas and the families at home during WWI and its aftermath, and later during WWII. Post-WWII it continued to build on this foundation, developing humanitarian services both nationally and internationally. This celebratory book focuses not only on the past but also on the present and future of the Australian Red Cross, showing how the organisation has changed and developed over the last hundred years, from an organisation formed in war to one dealing with the varied demands of the twenty-first century - from social welfare to responding to disasters within Australia such as Cyclone Tracy, the Victorian bushfires and Queensland floods, as well as international crises such as the 2004 tsunami. Fully illustrated with a wealth of photographs and other material from the archives of the Australian Red Cross Society, this is an important record of an Australian icon