We don’t discriminate, we are independent and neutral and don’t take sides – we will help anybody that needs our assistance

Just after the outbreak of World War One, Red Cross began its humanitarian work in Australia. A century later, Red Cross have found themselves placed in the heart and souls of most Australians. At some point, all Australians have been touched by this organisation, whether through help needed or by donating blood or clothes to the Red Cross, we all have a story to tell. And that’s where Red Cross need your help for once. To celebrate 100 years of service to Australians, they are collecting people’s personal stories to share on their Centenary Story Collection website. The largest humanitarian organisation is reaching out to hear your story and how the Red Cross has made a lasting impression on you.
Maria Drakoulas has worked for the Red Cross for nearly five years, and in her time there she’s seen so many tremendous things the organisation has done through the simple – yet powerful – act of helping people. To Maria, it’s the simple things, the little things the Red Cross does that stand out.
In 2011, Maria volunteered for the emergency services section program of Red Cross to help with the disaster caused by Cyclone Yasi in Far North Queensland. The powerful tropical cyclone caused severe damage to affected areas. Prior to this, Maria undertook the necessary training required before she was deployed to Tully – one of the hardest hit areas of the cyclone.
“I deployed as a volunteer to provide assistance during the cyclone,” she tells Neos Kosmos.
“We provided some personal support and outreach to people so we were running the evacuation and recovery centre there and we were also going around to some neighbouring communities that had been impacted by the cyclone.”
Maria and the rest of the volunteers literally went door to door to ask if people were okay. They passed on information to people to let them know where they could access help, assistance and provided them with support.
“We were a presence that people could talk to if they were feeling stressed by the situation and they wanted someone to talk to about it,” Maria says about what she believes is one of the most valuable services provided by the Red Cross – just being there.
“What struck me was there were people who had lost everything [in Cyclone Yasi] but still had a positive attitude and wanted us to know about people who weren’t coping well,” Maria says.
People who had lost everything in the cyclone were telling Maria to help their neighbours, provide them with support and check in on them.
“It seems like such a simple thing to us but we found that people were so appreciative that someone was there taking an interest in their situation and willing to lend the time so people could tell us how they were feeling about it – it’s all quite rewarding.
“Some people lost their homes, their belongings, some people had loved ones who were injured and hurt, and something as simple as asking someone if they are okay and providing them with information and letting them know where they can go for support is a really, really big deal.”
And it’s not just providing support when the disaster hits – Maria says Red Cross is there one, two years later and well into the future, ensuring those affected get the support they need.
Maria first came to the organisation in December 2008. Her role is to try and get government support for humanitarian programs through grants and government submissions. When she first mentioned the Red Cross to her Greek-born mother, she had her own tale to tell.
Maria’s mum was in Greece during the conflict in the country around 1948. She remembers that Red Cross provided her with support and assistance, and they provided meals to the disadvantaged and helped reunite family members who may have lost contact during the conflict.
“That’s a service that still exists today,” Maria says. The tracking service – if you lose contact with family members, the Red Cross will try and give you as much information and the whereabouts of that person to reconnect with your family.
The range of programs and services Red Cross provides still astound Maria today, so having a story to give them of your experience shouldn’t be too hard to come by.
“I’ve been amazed by them, by the extent and breadth and coverage of the work we do,” Maria says.
“We work with young people who might be disadvantaged and we are working more with offenders and their families as well in prisons across the country,” she says of some of the services they have.
Red Cross works in remote Aboriginal communities, helping those in need with programs such as the one that provides breakfast to students of the school in the community.
Some of the lesser known programs are the ones Maria says stand out to her. One such program is part of their social inclusion program and affects members of the ageing Greek population as well as people in the community with a disability or who are ill. The program is called Telecross.
“[Telecross] is mainly a volunteer run program and it provides a daily phone call to people who might be elderly, disabled or socially isolated to just check in with them every day and check that they are okay,” she says.
The national service has been really successful for Red Cross.
“It’s helped a lot of elderly people that might have had a fall or something in their home so if that daily call goes unanswered we have a process in place to get someone to go and check on that person.
“We have had instances where if it wasn’t for that phone call that went unanswered, they may not have been discovered for quite some time.”
Working for one of the biggest international aid organisations, and the biggest volunteer organisation in the world, Maria is truly honoured and feels blessed each day.
“It’s a fantastic organisation,” she says, “we work with some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and even though my role isn’t at the frontline of that, it’s rewarding to be contributing to that Red Cross principle to offer assistance to anybody in need.”
If there is a conflict or disaster, Red Cross is there, providing assistance and a presence and support to all Australians.
“We don’t discriminate, we are independent and neutral and don’t take sides – we will help anybody that needs our assistance,” she says.
And now, Red Cross is set to celebrate 100 years of this assistance. It’s a chance to look back over the years, from 13 August 1914, when it began helping those affected by World War One, going on to be at the forefront in helping others. With 34,000 volunteers Australia wide – and many millions all over the world – there’s no better reason to celebrate the good and hard work this organisation does.
“Being a large organisation, I think it’s a contribution of volunteers and members in Australia that have helped make the Red Cross what it is today,” says Maria on why we should get behind and celebrate this centenary milestone.
“It’s really important to acknowledge the contribution and support and to get people involved so they can share their stories about it – and to spread the word so that we can continue the good work we do as well into the future and the next 100 years.”
To share your story with the Red Cross, or the story of your loved ones, visit redcross.org.au/centenary