Helen Norris is a third generation Red Cross member and gets very emotional when she talks about her devoted years as a volunteer which stretch back to her childhood days.
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"When we were in Richmond in the floods in the 1940s, we helped families there. It was a terrible time for folks between 1946 and 1952 and when the war was going on especially," Mrs Norris said.
"I was a junior Red Cross member helping my aunt and mother," she said.
"My aunt and mum made things and put them in a willow tin to send to war zones and marked some for my father, an ex serviceman and sent them via the Red Cross," she said.
"We also knitted socks in khaki for our soldiers.
"Red Cross is always there for those in disaster and we are there to comfort them."
Mrs Norris will be attending the 100-year celebration of Red Cross at Hermitage Hill on Saturday August 23.
She has been a member in Richmond, Griffith, Murwillumbah and Wellington. The memories of her years run deep.
"When the fires went through the Blue Mountains in the 1960s people were fleeing through the streets. In some towns in the mountains all that was left was the chimneys of their homes," she said.
"My auntie Elsie Dawson went missing and we went looking for her. All she left her home with was her handbag."
Red Cross was handling placements in the Springwood Hall I went looking for Elsie there and a woman yelled out for my auntie and we found her.
"All Elsie had was her handbag, inside it was Lloyds Insurance papers. She was very smart. I said to her don't worry about your house, thank god you're okay."
Overseas disasters, floods in Queensland, fires in the Blue Mountains Mrs Norris says the Red Cross is not just a champion of war times but also is part of everyday life in Australia.
"Red Cross is and will be always there for us when a crisis happens. I am so proud to be member," she said.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of Red Cross in Australia is being celebrated this week with the cutting of an official Red Cross Centenary Cake at Government House in Melbourne.
The Centenary Cake was chosen from dozens of recipes submitted by this year's Red Cross Big Cake Bake Ambassadors Kate Ritchie, Maggie Beer, Adrian Richardson, Pamela Clark, Alvin Quah, Poh Ling Yeow and Chris Bath.
Each ambassador submitted at least one mouth-watering cake recipe to help celebrate the Red Cross Centenary.
The cake that was chosen for today's afternoon tea at Government House to mark the very day the wife of the Victorian Governor established Red Cross in Australia 100 years ago, was Adrian Richardson's seven layer Chocolate Cake.
"This is a fantastic cake to both make and eat" says Adrian.
"The cake is soft and moist, and the frosting is rich and sweet.
"I find it always tastes just that little bit better when you eat the cake on the same day you made it.
"If you have only one 20cm cake tin you will need to halve this recipe and make it twice.
For more information about the Red Cross Big Cake Bake or to register online to bigcakebake.org.au, email bigcakebake@redcross.org.au, call 1800 652 635 or join the Big Cake Bake online community at facebook.com/BigCakeBake.
