Sixty years of giving back

Family, friends and fellow Red Cross volunteers gathered at RetireAustralia’s Murray Gardens Retirement Village in Albury for an afternoon tea and presentation, where Mrs Ross was awarded with the coveted Gilt Rosette to signify an impressive 60 years with the organisation.

Mrs Ross first joined the Red Cross while she was living on a farm in the small rural town of Brocklesby, 25 kilometres north of Albury.

With a population of less than 300 people, “there was not very much going on there”, so Mrs Ross decided to make use of her spare time and give back to the community.

“I wanted to join either the Red Cross or The Country Women’s Association and my husband said that I could do one or the other, not both,” Mrs Ross says.

She chose the Red Cross and spent the next six decades catering events, knitting rugs and beanies and participating in various fundraising endeavours to raise money for those in need. “I did all sorts of things,” she says.

When Mrs Ross and her husband moved to Albury in the late 1980s, she continued her volunteer work at a different branch and remains involved with the group to this day.

Olive Shearer, president of the nearby Bungowannah Red Cross branch, organised the award ceremony at Murray Gardens to honour Mrs Ross’ achievement and even invited the volunteers from the old Brocklesby branch along to help her celebrate.

“Over the past 60 years, Eve has raised a phenomenal amount of money and helped so many people in need,” Ms Shearer says.

“This recognition is very much deserved.”

For the ever-humble Mrs Ross, however, the work has been its own reward over the past 60 years.

“It’s a very worthwhile organisation and I’ve enjoyed my time there immensely.”