West End aged care icon BlueCare turns 70.

BlueCare, proudly part of the West End Uniting Care family, will celebrate its 70th anniversary on 24 August.

SPECIAL SERVICE
In honour of this milestone, on Sunday, 20 August, at 9.30am, the West End Uniting Church will open its doors to the community to enable people to gather and celebrate BlueCare, now one of Queensland’s biggest and most trusted aged care and retirement living providers.

Special guests at the service will include:

• Cr Trina Massey, Councillor for The Gabba Ward.
• Adele Dingle, the daughter of Rev. Arthur Preston (who was one of the founders of the Blue Nursing Service.
• Joy Van de Meene, OAM, former Blue Nurse and friend/colleague of Olive Smith – the first Blue Nurse)
• UnitingCare Queensland and Uniting Church senior leadership representatives will also attend, including Craig Barke, CEO of UnitingCare Queensland; Cathy Thomas, Group Executive BlueCare; Rev Dr Peter Armstrong, Director of Mission; Rev. Andrew Gunton, Moderator Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod Office.

Originally called the Blue Nursing Service, BlueCare was an initiative of the West End Methodist Mission [of the West End Methodist Church] in South Brisbane, which was led by the pioneering Reverend Arthur Preston. In 1977, with the formation of the Uniting Church, it became part of the Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod.

Originally called the Blue Nursing Service, BlueCare was an initiative of the West End Methodist Mission [of the West End Methodist Church] in South Brisbane, which was led by the pioneering Reverend Arthur Preston. In 1977, with the formation of the Uniting Church, it became part of the Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod.

“Rev. Preston was motivated by his and his family’s experience of the Depression, his deep Christian faith and his commitment to serving the community,” explains Rev. Andrew Gunton, Moderator Uniting Church Queensland Synod Office.”

“So, the Blue Nursing Service was established to offer care for the most vulnerable people in a post war era when public health services were very basic.”

“It was the first service of its kind in Queensland to offer people medical assistance and pastoral care in their own homes. It was free and non-denominational.”

It all began with just one nurse, Sister Olive Crombie, in 1953, who often had to travel by tram with her medical kit to visit people at home.

Humble beginnings, yes, but by 1997 the service was renamed BlueCare to reflect its much more comprehensive service offering, which now includes residential aged care and retirement living alongside community care.

The not-for-profit organisation continues to grow and remains a valuable part of communities throughout Queensland, from as far south as Coolangatta to the Cape and Thursday Island in the north.

 

“BlueCare is not only Queensland’s second biggest employer, but it has been voted one of the state’s most trusted home-care brands too,” says Cathy Thomas, Group Executive BlueCare.

“Now there are over 8500 staff and more than 500 volunteers throughout Queensland who are dedicated to providing the kind of compassionate care BlueCare has been renowned for during the last seven decades,” Ms Thomas added.

Joy Van de Meene, OAM, a former Blue Nurse and friend and colleague of Olive Smith, said:

“There was no such thing as paying for someone to help you like there is these days. We did a lot of showering, and injections of insulin and dressings and treatments, but a lot of our work was basically hygiene.”

“We didn’t tend to say no to anything. We started each day with a prayer and a Bible reading because it was created by the Methodist Church, and most of us in those days were Christian, and its part of our Christianity to help others.”

“We might go out at night in our own time because someone we knew needed an injection. We weren’t doing any shift work then, but we’ve just toddle off and give someone an injection and go back to our home and we thought nothing of it. I don’t know anyone I worked with that wasn’t dedicated to caring for people”.

Joy said the nurses initially worked from the Panorama Motel in West End and would travel by tram before the service could afford cars.

Funds were raised through an annual door-knock appeal organised by local churches.

“We sometimes helped with that,” Joy said. “I remember going and knocking on all the doors in Torbreck one year seeking donations. That was something we did in our own time.”

Joy speaks highly of Olive Smith and says the celebrations are about her. She remembers Mrs Smith carrying her bath board on the tram to tend to those in her care.

“I got to know her very well until she died in 2008.”

“We were a great core of young ladies in an area of nursing that wasn’t popular. It wasn’t exciting. It was aged care and a lot of it was helping people with chronic conditions and long-term pain and suffering.”

“It wasn’t exciting work, but it was great to know that you were helping people and making them comfortable.”

West End Pastor Erin Mawhinney said the West End Uniting Church congregation is proud of its BlueCare heritage.

“West End Methodist Mission saw a need in the community and because of their faith, they felt that it was important to meet the needs of people in the community, not only by providing health care, but also providing a connection and sense being part of the community.”

“It’s so wonderful to have this history and to have members of our congregation who are second and sometimes third generation West Enders and members of the United Church. The beginnings of the Blue Care nursing service from West End United Church had the spirit of innovation about it, they saw that there was a need, and they went and gave it a try. That’s inspiring.”

More information about the history of BlueCare can be found at: www.bluecare.org.au/70years

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All images supplied. Feature Image, Blue Nurses in the 1950s looking at a map of the areas they visit in Brisbane.