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157-458: It is sufficient to know that we are all doing something to give pleasure and comfort to the brave soldiers who are going from Australia to fight for King and Empire; and that we hope to receive them on their return in this Cheer-up Hut of theirs – for it belongs to the soldiers and not to the members of the Cheer-up Society – where they will enjoy the comforts and rest of home. Nothing we can do

314-639: A gorge after Cudlee Creek . It flows through the gorge to Athelstone , passing over the Eden Fault Zone of the Adelaide Hills face and associated escarpment. After the scarp it flows over sedimentary rocks of varying resistance to erosion , which has led to interspersed narrows and broad basins. From the base of the Adelaide Hills to the Adelaide central business district it runs in a shallow valley with

471-532: A 1-in-200-year flood. When the O-Bahn Busway was opened, the bridges were designed to cope with this scale of flood, although the two bridges in St Peters would likely be awash. The 470 ML (17 million cu ft) Torrens Lake was created in 1881 with the construction of a weir, landscaping of Elder Park and modification of the river's bank and surrounds into an English formal park. The lake forms

628-617: A captain of the Dutch Army , became the first independent and neutral delegates to work under the symbol of the Red Cross in an armed conflict. The Ottoman government ratified this treaty on 5 July 1865. The Turkish Red Crescent organization was founded in the Ottoman Empire in 1868, partly in response to the experience of the Crimean War (1853–1856), in which disease overshadowed battle as

785-407: A centrepiece of many Adelaide events and postcard scenes. Elder Park with its iron rotunda was opened on 28 November 1882. The Rotunda is a largely Glasgow built 9-metre-high (30 ft) iron bandstand which was funded by Sir Thomas Elder , the park being named after him. In 1867, prison labour from nearby Adelaide Gaol was used to build a wooden dam near the site of the current weir. The dam

942-501: A choir in Popeye 4 . Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser officially launched three new fibreglass models named Popeyes I , II and III in 1982 as the wooden boats' replacements. In the early days of Adelaide, the Torrens was used for bathing, stock watering, rubbish disposal, water supply and as a de facto sewer and drainage sump. This led to a range of health issues until finally, in 1839, when

1099-525: A documentary entitled A Visitor from the Living . On 12 March 1945, ICRC president Jacob Burckhardt received a message from SS General Ernst Kaltenbrunner allowing ICRC delegates to visit the concentration camps. This agreement was bound by the condition that these delegates would have to stay in the camps until the end of the war. Ten delegates, among them Louis Haefliger ( Mauthausen-Gusen ), Paul Dunant ( Theresienstadt ), and Victor Maurer ( Dachau ) accepted

1256-551: A draft proposal for an additional convention for the protection of the civil population in occupied territories during an armed conflict was adopted by the International Red Cross Conference. Unfortunately, most governments had little interest in implementing this convention, and it was thus prevented from entering into force before the beginning of World War II . The Red Cross' response to the Holocaust has been

1413-507: A dysentery outbreak killed five children in one day, Governor Gawler forbade bathing, clothes washing and the disposal of animal carcases in the Torrens within 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) of town. The quality of the river's water was not helped by water supply methods. Carters used to drive water carts into the Torrens to refill. To prevent this the State Government in 1852 built a facility with steam powered pumps and water storage, from which

1570-627: A field surgeon; Appia's friend and colleague Théodore Maunoir , from the Geneva Hygiene and Health Commission; and Guillaume-Henri Dufour , a Swiss army general of great renown. Eight days later, the five men decided to rename the committee to the "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded". From 26 to 29 October 1863, the international conference organized by the committee was held in Geneva to develop possible measures to improve medical services on

1727-722: A mark in the history of the committee as its longest-serving president ever. In 1906, the 1864 Geneva Convention was revised for the first time. One year later, the Hague Convention X , adopted at the Second International Peace Conference in The Hague , extended the scope of the Geneva Convention to naval warfare. Shortly before the beginning of the First World War in 1914, 50 years after the foundation of

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1884-413: A multitude of sources, from donations and "button day" collections (Cheer-up and Violet days), events like "Egyptian Fair" and " Dickens Fair " and travelling concerts organised by Louis W. Yemm. The books and accounts of the society were scrutinized by two auditors, and half yearly balance sheets and full financial statements submitted to the executive committee and to the annual general meeting. The Society

2041-638: A neutral, independent and exclusively humanitarian mandate during such escalations of violence in the Middle East and urged all parties to protect the lives of civilians, to reduce their suffering and protect their dignity. During the violent conflict, the ICRC and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) provided hospitals in the Gaza strip with support through large humanitarian convoys from Egypt , and

2198-503: A possible rivalry between the two organizations. The foundation of the League was seen as an attempt to undermine the leadership position of the ICRC within the movement and to gradually transfer most of its tasks and competencies to a multilateral institution. In addition to that, all founding members of the League were national societies from countries of the Entente or from associated partners of

2355-850: A private thoroughfare serving the Railway Station, which passed the Cheer-up Hut before emerging at King William Road. Built at a cost of £1,000, construction of the Arch began in October 1918, and was officially opened 29 January 1919. Believed to be the first such structure erected in Australia in recognition of the Anzac forces, it was demolished June 1925 after Railways Department declared it unsafe. During its few years of existence many tens of thousands of servicemen passed through its portal. A Returned Soldiers Association

2512-475: A subsequent General Meeting protested the lack of women on the Board of Management. If there were no ladies in the movement, he said, there would be no Cheer-up Society, and he was prepared to join in a revolution next year to have a few of those energetic workers on the board. No revolution occurred and the board elected in 1917 had four extra, male, members. After completion of the Cheer-up Hut (see below), Mrs. Seager

2669-541: A terraced floor, then down the slope of its own alluvial fan . The structure of this fan shows that the river formerly entered Gulf St Vincent via the Port River . Over time the Torrens deposited sediment , choking its own outflow; becoming locked behind coastal sand dunes and forming the swampy areas of the Cowandilla Plains and The Reedbeds . The Torrens is fed by numerous seasonal creeks, which are dry for most of

2826-622: A traditional minute's silence at 11 am (local time). The floral emblem of Armistice Day, also of Anzac Day , is the Flanders poppy . Notes on some workers, for many of whom no Misplaced Pages article exists: A large honour roll, designed by Miss Blanche Francis in Australian blackwood , on which the names of all the women workers were inscribed, hung in the Cheer-up Hut. Red Cross Green: The Red Crescent Blue: The Red Star of David (The Red Crystal outside of Israel) Maroon: Red Cross Society that

2983-411: A vast but shallow freshwater wetlands . These wetlands, known as The Reedbeds after the dominant vegetation, occupied a large area of the western Adelaide Plains and were also fed by other waterways. The river only flowed to the sea through the Port River , Barker Inlet , and Patawalonga River following heavy rain. The river's catchment area of approximately 500 km (193 sq mi)

3140-439: A violet in a buttonhole or under a brooch, and businesses to have some kind of display in purple and white. Cheer-Up Society volunteers would throng the city, meeting every tram, bus and train, offering for sale bunches of the flower and souvenir badges. Always held on a Friday, Adelaide's traditional "Button Day", Violet Days were held on 2 July 1915, 25 August 1916, 29 June 1917, 21 June 1918, 20 June 1919 and 9 July 1920. From 1921

3297-437: A weir on the river at Gumeracha , its elevation allows gravity supply of water to Adelaide's eastern suburbs. Due to the river's path through the centre of Adelaide, transport necessitated the construction of many bridges. Prior to the bridges all crossings had been via fords which proved a dangerous practice in winter and spring. The first bridge was one of timber built in 1839 approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) west of

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3454-458: A year with 785.6 millimetres (30.93 in) of rain compared to the Adelaide average of 530 millimetres (21 in). The river flooded market gardens and farms throughout its hills course causing extensive damage. Norwood was inundated to The Parade , Adelaide to Pirie and Rundle Streets, and many areas west of the city were left in a shallow lake. The river ran 9 feet (2.7 m) deep over

3611-725: Is an open canal shortly before it joins the Torrens. It was once called Hallet's Rivulet. Stonyfell Creek , arising on the eastern boundary of Stonyfell , flows through Kensington Gardens , including an open stretch in the Reserve before again being piped underground under West Terrace, passing under Kensington Park and Beulah Park . It joins Second Creek near the junction of Magill and Portrush Roads . First and Second Creeks come within about 46 metres (50 yd) of each other in Marryatville, with formerly only flat land between them. Third Creek arises near Norton Summit and flows through

3768-473: Is not part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 16   million volunteers , members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering . Until

3925-470: Is now the official name of Fourth Creek. This name has been adapted to Morialta, which is now the name of an electoral district , school and the park through which the creek flows. Fifth Creek arises within the Morialta Conservation Park, runs alongside Montacute Road for some way and discharges into the Torrens at Athelstone . The largest catchment of the Torrens is Sixth Creek in

4082-551: Is the largest of any waterway within the Adelaide region. The upper reaches are used to create a potable water supply for metropolitan Adelaide with the river supplying three of Adelaide's eight reservoirs. The upper catchment has an average annual rainfall of between 575 millimetres (22.6 in) at its eastern end to 1,025 millimetres (40.4 in) near Uraidla . The Torrens has a very variable flow leaving early settlers to use trial and error in determining bridge heights, with many bridges consequently being washed away. Due to

4239-528: Is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains . It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide , capital of South Australia . It flows 85 kilometres (53 mi) from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant , across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach . The upper stretches of

4396-571: Is too good for these heroic soldiers of ours. The sphere of work of the society is kept within definite and specific limits, which do not overlap in the slightest the splendid patriotic work which is being carried out successfully by the S.A. Soldiers' Fund, the Red Cross , the Wattle Day League , the Y.M.C.A. , the S.O.S., the Belgian Fund, and other like organizations. The desire of the members of

4553-452: The 2023 Israel–Hamas war Israeli authorities required Palestinian ambulances to undergo thorough searches when passing through checkpoints, saying the policy was driven by Palestinian organizations using ambulances to transport terrorists and armaments. The Israeli Ministry of Health said that: "The Red Crescent closely cooperated with the MDA ( Magen David Adom ) until April 2002. At that time,

4710-600: The Adelaide Botanic Garden to create the First Creek Wetland , a scheme set up to ensure water security and to encourage diversity of flora and fauna in the area, thus helping to maintain healthy urban environments. Botanic Creek runs through the eastern Adelaide parklands from south to north, into the Adelaide Botanic Garden before joining First Creek. Second Creek arises in the Summertown area of

4867-513: The Adelaide Hills , north of First Creek, and flows through Greenhill , through Slape Gully, entering the more populated suburbs as it flows through the Michael Perry Reserve in Stonyfell and onwards through the eastern suburbs of Erindale , Marryatville , Kensington (open at Borthwick Park ) and Norwood , much of it canalised underground as far as St Peters . The St Peters section

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5024-590: The Adelaide Zoo . The first boat was launched on the Torrens Lake by Gordon Watts in 1935. It was a 25-foot (7.6 m) boat, built on the banks of the Torrens to hold up to 20 passengers and named Popeye 1 . Watts purchased a former Glenelg cruise boat in 1948 and placed it in service as Popeye 2 . Over the next two years three new jarrah hulled boats were built at Port Adelaide ; carrying 40 passengers each they were numbered Popeye 3 through Popeye 5 . Trips on

5181-482: The American Red Cross was founded through the efforts of Clara Barton . More and more countries signed the Geneva Convention and began to respect it in practice during armed conflicts. In a rather short period of time, the Red Cross gained huge momentum as an internationally respected movement, and the national societies became increasingly popular as a venue for volunteer work. When the first Nobel Peace Prize

5338-565: The Geneva Conventions of the 1907 revision and forwarded complaints about violations to the respective country. When chemical weapons were used in this war for the first time in history, the ICRC mounted a vigorous protest against their use. Even without having a mandate from the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC tried to ameliorate the suffering of civil populations. In territories that were officially designated as "occupied territories",

5495-500: The International Committee of the Red Cross adopted a change in its policy regarding the selection of new members. Until then, only citizens from the city of Geneva could serve in the committee. This limitation was expanded to include all Swiss citizens. As a direct consequence of World War I, a treaty was adopted in 1925 which outlawed the use of suffocating or poisonous gases and biological agents as weapons. Four years later,

5652-460: The Kaurna language , which formed the basis of the 21st-century language revival of the language. The "native location" and school moved from the southern side of the river (now Bonython Park ) to the northern side several times. During early years of colonisation, the surrounding trees were cut down and the river's gravel used in road making and construction of buildings. As the natural environment

5809-425: The O-Bahn Busway . It passes between the city centre and North Adelaide , forming the Torrens Lake between the Adelaide Zoo and a weir opposite Adelaide Gaol . The river then continues the remaining eight kilometres to the sea at Henley Beach South, emptying into Gulf St Vincent via a constructed outlet. Hope Valley , Millbrook and Kangaroo Creek Reservoirs, which provide water storage for Adelaide, capture

5966-660: The Oriental Republic of Uruguay , the United States of Venezuela ), Asia (the Republic of China , the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Siam ), and Africa ( Union of South Africa ). With the outbreak of World War I , the ICRC found itself confronted with enormous challenges that it could handle only by working closely with the national Red Cross societies. Red Cross nurses from around

6123-841: The Outer Harbor ; the Alberton branch devoted itself to the camp at Cheltenham. The most active country branches were in 1916 named as Aldinga, Angaston, Ardrossan, Balaklava, Blyth, Burra, Bute, Crystal Brook, Freeling, Gawler, Jamestown, Kadina, Lameroo, Laura, McLaren Flat, Marrabel, Morgan, Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge (who provided refreshments to soldiers on trains, no matter what the hour), Narracoorte, Nuriootpa, Orroroo, Petersburg, Port Augusta, Port Elliot, Port Pirie, Robertstown, Strathalbyn, Tallunda Flat, Tanunda, Tumby Bay, Victor Harbor, Wallaroo, Willson's River (Kangaroo Island) and Willunga. Many were not affiliated with Cheer-Up Society, Incorporated, and were not under its rule. Funds were raised from

6280-704: The Paleozoic era then further dislocated during the Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary . There is a 400-metre (1,300 ft) subsidence along the Para Fault which also affects the rivers flow. This subsidence was formed in the last two million years, after the Pliocene era. From its origin to Birdwood the river follows rolling, relatively level country before entering a hilly section that continues to Gumeracha . The river then follows sedimentary rock strata before entering

6437-532: The Russian Red Cross Society and later the society of the Soviet Union , constantly emphasizing the ICRC's neutrality. In 1928, the "International Council" was founded to coordinate cooperation between the ICRC and the League, a task which was later taken over by the "Standing Commission". In the same year, a common statute for the movement was adopted for the first time, defining the respective roles of

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6594-620: The UN General Assembly granted the ICRC observer status for its assembly sessions and sub-committee meetings, the first observer status given to a private organization. The resolution was jointly proposed by 138 member states and introduced by the Italian ambassador, in memory of the organization's origins in the Battle of Solferino. An agreement with the Swiss government signed on 19 March 1993 affirmed

6751-706: The United States , the Empire of Brazil and the Mexican Empire to attend an official diplomatic conference. Sixteen countries sent a total of 26 delegates to Geneva. On 22 August 1864, the conference adopted the first Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field". Representatives of 12 states and kingdoms signed the convention: The convention contained ten articles, establishing for

6908-580: The "Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works" recommended that an outlet for the river be created to accommodate flows of up to 370 m /s (13,000 cu ft/s), covering a 1-in-60-year flood. The work was partly financed by a Commonwealth Government grant with the State Government arranging for the balance. The State Government, western and eastern local councils and the Municipal Tramways Trust shared interest costs. The scheme

7065-521: The 1,100 soldiers who were completing their training at the Morphettville camp. This was followed by a Christmas dinner at the new Oaklands camp, and Sunday teas every week through January. The "Cheer-Up Society" emerged a few weeks later. It initially consisted of Stella M. Baker (president) and Mrs Seager (hon. secretary) and their network of volunteers, but with members of the public clamoring to join, and with money and goods beginning to arrive, it

7222-426: The 1889 flood, the weir was overwhelmed, its gates jammed, and in trying to free them the weir's designer John Langdon was crippled. The weir was rebuilt from 1928 to 1929 with its footbridge relocated and the centre section replaced. The gates can now be fully raised and the river allowed to flow unimpeded. The " Popeye " boats are privately owned recreational ferries that operate on the lake between Elder Park and

7379-469: The 1923 earthquake in Japan which killed about 200,000 people and left countless more wounded and without shelter. Due to the League's coordination, the Red Cross society of Japan received goods from its sister societies reaching a total worth of about $ 100 million. Another important new field initiated by the League was the creation of youth Red Cross organizations within the national societies. A joint mission of

7536-565: The 19th century, native forests were cleared, gravel removed for construction and many foreign species introduced. With construction of the linear parks, many species native to the river have been replanted, and introduced species have been controlled as weeds. The river and its tributaries are highly variable in flow, and together drain an area of 508 square kilometres (196 sq mi). They range from sometimes raging torrents, damaging bridges and flooding city areas, to trickles and completely dry in summer. Winter and spring flooding has prompted

7693-399: The 2,840 ML (620 million imp gal; 750 million US gal) Hope Valley Reservoir in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills was completed as a storage reservoir, supplied via an aqueduct and tunnel. Public baths were built in 1861 just north of the current Parliament House . They were supplied with reticulated water from the Torrens and progressively upgraded with

7850-440: The Adelaide Hills, which joins the Torrens at Castambul on Gorge Road . At the time of European settlement the river was a summertime chain of waterholes bounded by large gum trees . Flowing through the area where the city of Adelaide is sited the river was sometimes invisible beneath its gravel stream bed . It frequently flooded in winter and did not reach the sea, instead ending at coastal dunes where its waters created

8007-554: The Agency accumulated about 7 million records from 1914 to 1923. The card index led to the identification of about 2 million POWs and the ability to contact their families. The complete index is on loan today from the ICRC to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva. The right to access the index is still strictly restricted to the ICRC. During the entire war, the ICRC monitored warring parties' compliance with

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8164-655: The Cheer-up Society is to co-operate in the most amicable manner with all such societies. The organization was revived on a professional basis during the Second World War . Following an editorial in The Register lamenting the lack of public support for the SA members of the AIF 2nd Contingent who were about to be posted overseas, Mrs A. Seager organised a "Cheer Up Our Boys" luncheon at Montefiore Hill , staffed by women volunteers, for

8321-502: The Cheer-ups, and a mutually beneficial relationship was expected. A magazine was inaugurated around March 1916 and seven issues were published in that year, largely the work of Cheer-up volunteers, and for much of its early history edited by F. J. Mills in his spare time. Monthly circulation was over 2,000 copies in 1917, and on occasion as many as 5,000 were sold. In January 1918 Donald Kerr MM LLB succeeded Mills as editor. From August 1918

8478-560: The Entente. The original statutes of the League from May 1919 contained further regulations which gave the five founding societies a privileged status and, due to the efforts of Henry Davison, the right to permanently exclude the national Red Cross societies from the countries of the Central Powers , namely Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, and in addition to that the national Red Cross society of Russia. These rules were contrary to

8635-449: The ICRC achieved permission to send parcels to concentration camp detainees with known names and locations. Because the notices of receipt for these parcels were often signed by other inmates, the ICRC managed to register the identities of about 105,000 detainees in the concentration camps and delivered about 1.1 million parcels, primarily to the concentration camps Dachau , Buchenwald , Ravensbrück , and Sachsenhausen . Maurice Rossel

8792-430: The ICRC and the League in the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1922 marked the first time the movement was involved in an internal conflict, although still without an explicit mandate from the Geneva Conventions. The League, with support from more than 25 national societies, organized assistance missions and the distribution of food and other aid goods for civil populations affected by hunger and disease. The ICRC worked with

8949-430: The ICRC and the League within the movement. During the Abyssinian war between Ethiopia and Italy from 1935 to 1936, the League contributed aid supplies worth about 1.7 million Swiss francs. Because the Italian fascist regime under Benito Mussolini refused any cooperation with the Red Cross, these goods were delivered solely to Ethiopia. During the war, an estimated 29 people died while being under explicit protection of

9106-408: The ICRC and the adoption of the first Geneva Convention, there were already 45 national relief societies throughout the world. The movement had extended itself beyond Europe and North America to Central and South America ( Argentine Republic , the United States of Brazil , the Republic of Chile , the Republic of Cuba , the United Mexican States , the Republic of Peru , the Republic of El Salvador ,

9263-420: The ICRC could assist the civilian population on the basis of the Hague Convention 's "Laws and Customs of War on Land" of 1907. This convention was also the legal basis for the ICRC's work for prisoners of war. In addition to the work of the International Prisoner-of-War Agency as described above, this included inspection visits to POW camps. A total of 524 camps throughout Europe were visited by 41 delegates from

9420-435: The ICRC decided to remain in the country to continue its mission to assist and protect victims of conflict. Since June 2021, ICRC-supported facilities have treated more than 40,000 people wounded during armed confrontations there. Among the ten largest ICRC deployments worldwide has been the mission in Ukraine , where the organization has been active since 2014, working closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society . At first,

9577-418: The ICRC through the end of the war. Between 1916 and 1918, the ICRC published a number of postcards with scenes from the POW camps. The pictures showed the prisoners in day-to-day activities such as the distribution of letters from home. The intention of the ICRC was to provide the families of the prisoners with some hope and solace and to alleviate their uncertainties about the fate of their loved ones. After

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9734-471: The ICRC was active primarily in the disputed regions of Donbas and Donetsk , assisting persons injured by armed confrontations there. When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 , the fighting moved to more populated areas in East, North, and South Ukraine. The head of the ICRC delegation in Kyiv warned on 26 February 2022 that neighborhoods of major cities were becoming the frontline with significant consequences for their populations, including children,

9891-457: The IDF claimed that Red Crescent ambulances were being used to carry terrorists. The Red Crescent personnel involved in this violation were interrogated." In October 2023, the ICRC responded to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians. The ICRC has called the violence "abhorrent" and implored both sides to reduce the suffering of civilians. The ICRC, working closely with their Red Crescent partners, has

10048-415: The International Committee. The controversy surrounding Dunant's business dealings and the resulting negative public opinion, combined with an ongoing conflict with Gustave Moynier, led to Dunant's expulsion from his position as a member and secretary. He was charged with fraudulent bankruptcy and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Thus, he was forced to leave Geneva and never returned to his home city. In

10205-426: The Kangaroo Creek dam's level was raised, its spillway modified, the Breakout Creek channel capacity increased and some bridges reinforced. A development plan was approved in 1981 to purchase land along the length of the river, create a flood mitigating linear park and also to modify the Kangaroo Creek dam further. The sea outlet was enlarged to a capacity of 410 m /s (14,000 cu ft/s) which now covered

10362-420: The League of Nations "High Commissioner for Refugees". Nansen, who invented the Nansen passport for stateless refugees and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922, appointed two delegates from the ICRC as his deputies. A year before the end of the war, the ICRC received the 1917 Nobel Peace Prize for its outstanding wartime work. It was the only Nobel Peace Prize awarded in the period from 1914 to 1918. In 1923,

10519-472: The Minister for the Environment and Conservation. The river is a used by many for recreation, with the footpaths on the riverbanks often filled with cyclists and joggers. Rowers use the lake for training all year round, and many clubs such as the Adelaide University Boat Club , the Adelaide Rowing Club , and the boat houses of the secondary schools which participate in the annual Head of the River are located upon its banks. Several rowing regattas are held on

10676-403: The Netherlands , Kingdom of Prussia , Russian Empire , Kingdom of Saxony , Kingdom of Spain , United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway , and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Among the proposals written in the final resolutions of the conference, adopted on 29 October 1863, were: Only a year later, the Swiss government invited the governments of all European countries, as well as

10833-404: The Popeyes from Elder Park to the zoo became a treasured family outing and the boats hosted weddings and other events. In March 1962 Keith Altman, owner of riverside eatery "Jolley's Boathouse", took over the Popeyes and introduced recreational paddle boats to the river. The Popeyes had a brush with royalty in March 1977 with Popeye 5 ferrying Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip followed by

10990-436: The Red Cross principles of universality and equality among all national societies, a situation which furthered the concerns of the ICRC. The first relief assistance mission organized by the League was an aid mission for the victims of a famine and subsequent typhus epidemic in Poland. Only five years after its foundation, the League had already issued 47 donation appeals for missions in 34 countries, an impressive indication of

11147-471: The Red Cross symbol, most of them due to attacks by the Italian Army. During the civil war in Spain from 1936 to 1939 the League once again joined forces with the ICRC with the support of 41 national societies. In 1939 on the brink of the Second World War, the League relocated its headquarters from Paris to Geneva to take advantage of Swiss neutrality. Torrens Lake The River Torrens / ˈ t ɒr ən z / ( Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri )

11304-576: The Rotunda, Creswell Gardens , and North Adelaide . Much of its cost was met by country branches of the Society, notably Burra , which contributed £761, in recognition of which the main hall of the Cheer-up Hut was named "The Burra Hall". The history of the Hut henceforth takes two paths, which can only be reconciled by assuming two separate buildings: Another initiative of Mrs Seager, the Arch straddled Station Road,

11461-490: The additional protocols of 8 June 1977 were intended to make the conventions apply to internal conflicts such as civil wars. Today, the four conventions and their added protocols contain more than 600 articles, while there were only 10 articles in the first 1864 convention. In celebration of its centennial in 1963, the ICRC, together with the League of Red Cross Societies , received its third Nobel Peace Prize. On 16 October 1990,

11618-499: The already long-standing policy of full independence of the committee from any interference by Switzerland. The agreement protects the full sanctity of all ICRC property in Switzerland including its headquarters and archive, grants members and staff legal immunity, exempts the ICRC from all taxes and fees, guarantees the protected and duty-free transfer of goods, services, and money, provides the ICRC with secure communication privileges at

11775-647: The armed opposition. They regularly visit detainees under the custody of the Afghan government and the international armed forces, but have also occasionally had access since 2009 to people detained by the Taliban . They have provided basic first aid training and aid kits to both the Afghan security forces and Taliban members because, according to an ICRC spokesperson, "ICRC's constitution stipulates that all parties harmed by warfare will be treated as fairly as possible". In August 2021, when NATO -led forces retreated from Afghanistan,

11932-512: The assignment and visited the camps. Louis Haefliger prevented the forceful eviction or blasting of Mauthausen-Gusen by alerting American troops. Friedrich Born (1903–1963), an ICRC delegate in Budapest who saved the lives of about 11,000 to 15,000 Jewish people in Hungary . Marcel Junod (1904–1961), a physician from Geneva was one of the first foreigners to visit Hiroshima after the atomic bomb

12089-481: The battlefield of Solferino. He called for the development of an international treaty to guarantee the protection of medics and field hospitals for soldiers wounded on the battlefield. In 1863, Gustave Moynier , a Geneva lawyer and president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, received a copy of Dunant's book and introduced it for discussion at a meeting of that society. As a result of this initial discussion,

12246-550: The battlefield. The conference was attended by 36 individuals: eighteen official delegates from national governments, six delegates from non-governmental organizations, seven non-official foreign delegates, and the five members of the International Committee. The states and kingdoms represented by official delegates were: Austrian Empire , Grand Duchy of Baden , Kingdom of Bavaria , French Empire , Kingdom of Hanover , Grand Duchy of Hesse , Kingdom of Italy , Kingdom of

12403-472: The board of Colonisation Commissioners for South Australia from 1834 to 1841 (when he was sacked). From March 1837 settlers camped in tents and makeshift huts along the west end of the River Torrens and freely used the river's resources. A Native Location was created on the north banks of the Torrens and indigenous labour was often used by the settlers for tasks such as hewing wood or delivering water. During

12560-475: The book to leading political and military figures throughout Europe, and people he thought could help him make a change. His book included vivid descriptions of his experiences in Solferino in 1859, and he explicitly advocated the formation of national voluntary relief organizations to help nurse wounded soldiers in the case of war, inspired by Christian teaching regarding social responsibility and his experience after

12717-483: The carters then filled their casks. The "Waterworks Act" of 1856 was passed to enable damming of the upstream Torrens for water supply purposes. The resulting "Water Commission" arranged the following year for foundations to be laid for a water supply weir 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Adelaide near Campbelltown . Unsuitable geology and shoddy work by contractors Frost & Watson led to it being washed away in July 1858 and

12874-485: The center of Jerusalem outside a shoe store on the busy main shopping street Jaffa Road . The explosion she caused killed her and Pinhas Tokatli (81), and injured more than 100 others. In the 2000s, the ICRC has been active in the Afghanistan conflict areas and has set up six physical rehabilitation centers to help land mine victims. Their support extends to the national and international armed forces, civilians and

13031-672: The construction of flood reduction works. A constructed sea outlet, landscaped linear parks and three holding reservoirs contain peak flow. The River Torrens runs largely westward from the Adelaide Hills, through the centre of Adelaide to the Gulf St Vincent. It originates close to the eastern fault scarp of the Mount Lofty Ranges , near Mount Pleasant , approximately 480 metres (1,575 ft) above sea level . It runs predominantly along faulted north-south ground structures, which were formed over 250 million years ago during

13188-473: The contractors and forced to resign. The water was captured at the weir, piped for storage to the Thorndon Park Reservoir then to a water tower at Kent Town. Water from Kent Town storage was distributed via a manually controlled water system, unmetered for its first six years. Within six years 20,000 citizens in Adelaide and Port Adelaide were connected to reticulated water from the Torrens. By 1872,

13345-458: The conventions. During the war, the ICRC was unable to obtain an agreement with Nazi Germany about the treatment of detainees in concentration camps , and the ICRC eventually abandoned applying pressure, saying later it did so in order to avoid disrupting its work with POWs. The ICRC was also unable to obtain a response to reliable information about the extermination camps and the mass killing of European Jews, Roma , et al. After November 1943,

13502-456: The current City bridge, but destroyed by floods in September 1844. In 1849 £6,000 was allocated to bridge the Torrens. Within four years three wooden bridges had been built and subsequently destroyed in floods. The bridges listed below are from up-river to down-river. The river was formerly a food source with yabbies , mussels and small fish, however the reduction in water quality, changing of

13659-576: The department of works favoured a cutting through sand dunes near Henley Beach allowing the river an outlet, mitigating floods and preventing silting of the Port River. He also advocated the construction of a reservoir where the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir is now, to both mitigate floods and provide summer irrigation water for market gardens. Unfortunately the bill lapsed with no action as the government and local councils were unwilling to fund

13816-434: The early years of settlement, the river acted as both the city's primary water source and main sewer , leading to outbreaks of typhoid . Since European settlement the river has been a frequently touted tourist attraction . The river's long linear parks and a constructed lake in the lower stretch are iconic of the city. The river's flora and fauna have been both deliberately and accidentally impacted since settlement . In

13973-588: The end of the war, between 1920 and 1922, the ICRC organized the return of about 500,000 prisoners to their home countries. In 1920, the task of repatriation was handed over to the newly founded League of Nations , which appointed the Norwegian diplomat and scientist Fridtjof Nansen as its "High Commissioner for Repatriation of the War Prisoners". His legal mandate was later extended to support and care for war refugees and displaced persons when his office became that of

14130-412: The end of the war, the Agency had transferred about 20 million letters and messages, 1.9 million parcels, and about 18 million Swiss francs in monetary donations to POWs of all affected countries. Furthermore, due to the intervention of the Agency, about 200,000 prisoners were exchanged between the warring parties, released from captivity and returned to their home country. The organizational card index of

14287-415: The exchange of messages regarding prisoners and missing persons. By the end of the war, 179 delegates had conducted 12,750 visits to POW camps in 41 countries. The Central Information Agency on Prisoners-of-War ( Agence centrale des prisonniers de guerre ) had a staff of 3,000, the card index tracking prisoners contained 45 million cards, and 120 million messages were exchanged by the Agency. One major obstacle

14444-459: The existing two Geneva Conventions were adopted. An additional convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea", now called the second Geneva Convention, was brought under the Geneva Convention umbrella as a successor to the 1907 Hague Convention X . The 1929 Geneva convention "relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War" may have been

14601-479: The first time legally binding rules guaranteeing neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers, field medical personnel, and specific humanitarian institutions in an armed conflict. Directly following the establishment of the Geneva Convention, the first national societies were founded in Belgium, Denmark, France, Oldenburg , Italy, Prussia, Spain, and Württemberg. Also in 1864, Louis Appia and Charles van de Velde ,

14758-421: The flooding elsewhere. Two early floods were, 18 September 1841 which resulted in two people drowning while trying to cross the river at Klemzig , and 22 September 1844, the largest recorded since settlement began, when "Shands' Brewery" was washed away after the river undermined its foundations . The 1899 flood was particularly widespread with extensive flooding of both the river and its tributaries , after

14915-490: The following years, national societies were founded in nearly every country in Europe. The project resonated well with patriotic sentiments that were on the rise in the late-nineteenth-century, and national societies were often encouraged as signifiers of national moral superiority. In 1876, the committee adopted the name "International Committee of the Red Cross" (ICRC), which is still its official designation today. Five years later,

15072-504: The forest that was seen by European discoverers. Still present are many of the original vegetation species like: Sheoak ( Casuarina stricta ), native cherry ( Exocarpos cupressiformis ), native pine ( Callitris preissii ) and Australia's floral emblem the golden wattle ( Acacia pycnantha ) From its source the river flows westwards through Birdwood and Gumeracha . It then continues down through Torrens Gorge entering suburban Adelaide at Athelstone with some of its path paralleled by

15229-428: The lake are icons of the area and frequently featured in postcard photographs of the city. Due to now-limited natural river flow and stormwater born organic material, the lower river, (particularly the lake), is often polluted with algal blooms and significant levels of E. coli bacteria in spring and summer. Numerous taskforces have been formed to improve the river's water quality , including one created in 2006 by

15386-494: The last change a 1940 remodelling including an Olympic-size swimming pool and diving tower. The baths were demolished in 1970 to make way for the Adelaide Festival Centre . The 16,500 ML (3.6 billion imp gal; 4.4 billion US gal) Millbrook Reservoir was constructed high in the Adelaide Hills from 1913 to 1918 submerging the town of Millbrook. An earth bank dam fed by mile long tunnel from

15543-474: The magazine was subtitled "Official organ of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia, South Australian Branch". Most copies of volumes 3 and 4 (1918 and 1919) of the magazine may be viewed here . Another innovation by Mrs. Seager, Violet Days were intended as an opportunity to remember the war dead, and as a fund-raising mechanism for the Cheer-up Hut. Citizens were encouraged to wear

15700-706: The main cause of death and suffering among Turkish soldiers. It was the first Red Crescent society of its kind and one of the most important charity organizations in the Muslim world. In 1867, the first International Conference of National Aid Societies for the Nursing of the War Wounded was convened. Also in 1867, Jean-Henri Dunant was forced to declare bankruptcy due to business failures in Algeria , partly because he had neglected his business interests during his tireless activities for

15857-509: The middle of the nineteenth century, there were no organized or well-established army nursing systems for casualties, nor safe or protected institutions, to accommodate and treat those who were wounded on the battlefield. A devout Calvinist , the Swiss businessman Jean-Henri Dunant traveled to Italy to meet then-French emperor Napoleon III in June 1859 with the intention of discussing difficulties in conducting business in Algeria , which at that time

16014-498: The more than 100 species seen. The number of exotic waterfowl species such as mallards has reduced in recent years. In places the steep banks of the river are an ideal habitat for long-necked tortoises . The river, and its tributaries, had a population of water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster) and Australian swamp rats ( Rattus lutreolus ). Water rats remain in reduced numbers, but the introduced black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) have largely supplanted

16171-409: The natives. The house mouse ( Mus musculus ) is now the most common mammal of the Torrens environ. Widely found native reeds , sedges and rushes along the upper river are bulrush , knobby club rush, spike rush, common reed, sea rush and pale rush . River red gum ( Eucalyptus camaldulensis ) and blue gum ( Eucalyptus leucoxylon ) trees are found along the riverbanks, although sparser than

16328-548: The need for this type of Red Cross work. The total sum raised by these appeals reached 685 million Swiss francs, which were used to bring emergency supplies to the victims of famines in Russia, Germany, and Albania; earthquakes in Chile, Persia , Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Turkey; and refugee flows in Greece and Turkey. The first large-scale disaster mission of the League came after

16485-400: The only international rallying point that still remained. Isolated, like stormy petrels , came the first inquiries for missing relatives; then these inquiries themselves became a storm. The letters arrived in sackfuls. Nothing had been prepared for dealing with such an inundation of misery. The Red Cross had no space, no organization, no system, and above all no helpers. However, by the end of

16642-746: The organisation of the occasion was shared by a large number of patriotic organisations and renamed "Violet Memory Day". W. J. Sowden was elected president of the new organisation and F. J. Mills hon. secretary, so the Cheer-up team remained to the fore. The sale of flowers and buttons was dropped in favour of memorial services variously held at the Jubilee Exhibition Building or the Adelaide Town Hall . Violet Memory Day has long since been dropped as an act of remembrance in favour of Armistice Day , observed throughout Australia on 11 November, with

16799-489: The original Convention was revised and the second Geneva Convention "relative to the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea" was established. The events of World War I and the respective activities of the ICRC significantly increased the reputation and authority of the Committee among the international community and led to an extension of its competencies. As early as in 1934,

16956-461: The original intent of his trip and for several days he devoted himself to helping with the treatment and care of the wounded. He took part in organizing an overwhelming level of relief assistance with the local villagers to aid without discrimination. Back at his home in Geneva , he decided to write a book entitled A Memory of Solferino , which he published using his own money in 1862. He sent copies of

17113-638: The original vegetation has disappeared from the creeks, particularly those closest to the city. Introduced species including olives , bamboo , boxthorn , watsonia and blackberries have displaced native flora. There is some risk of flooding from all of these eastern suburbs creeks, as shown by the Floodplain Study, which includes plans and maps drawn up by the City of Burnside and neighbouring councils. First Creek begins in Cleland Wildlife Park on

17270-521: The railway buildings and close to the City Baths at nominal rent as long as the land wasn't needed for railway business. The design, by H. J. Henderson, was little more than a model, but on that basis Henry Slade and his team finished the job under budget and in time for the Official Opening on 4 November 1915, the first anniversary of the society. The site was ideal, with an outlook over Torrens Lake ,

17427-546: The reed beds, and Yertala everywhere when in flood, which has survived as Yatala in the naming of various places in Adelaide. Pirltawardli , now within Park 1/Pitawardli, a location next to the river near the weir, on the western side of North Adelaide , is an area of great historical significance, as the location of a Kaurna camp and later the first Christian mission and school in South Australia. The missionaries documented

17584-574: The remaining hostages. In 1919, representatives from the national Red Cross societies of Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the US came together in Paris to found the "League of Red Cross Societies" (IFRC). The original idea came from Henry Davison , who was then president of the American Red Cross . This move, led by the American Red Cross, expanded the international activities of the Red Cross movement beyond

17741-401: The rest numbered consecutively northward. They were once named Greenhill, Hallett, Todd, Anstey and Ormsby rivulets respectively, and had Kaurna names before European settlement. First, Second and Third Creeks have been particularly heavily modified. Some sections have been converted to concrete channels; others run through landscaped private gardens and some run in underground pipes. Much of

17898-411: The river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply . The river is also known by the native Kaurna name for the river—Karrawirra Parri or Karrawirraparri ( karra meaning redgum , wirra meaning forest and parri meaning river), having been officially dual-named in 2001. Another Kaurna name for the river was Tarndaparri (Kangaroo river). The river

18055-476: The river has been dually known by the indigenous Kaurna people's name of Karra wirra-parri (meaning river of the Red Gum forest), referring to the dense eucalyptus forest that lined its banks prior to clearing by early settlers. This name, alternatively Karra-weera , only referred to the lake section of the river, between Adelaide and North Adelaide. It was known as Karrundo-ingga at Hindmarsh , Witoingga near

18212-443: The river's alluvial fan. As development of Adelaide progressed the amount of rainfall required for flooding decreased and consequent damage increased. Increased stormwater runoff, modification of the river's banks and other changes all served to exacerbate the problem. Work done by various groups to minimise flooding was often counter productive with the creation of levees , moving and widening channels and other works simply shifting

18369-469: The river's flow. These reservoirs form part of the Adelaide Hills catchment, which supplies 60% of Adelaide's water needs in an average year. Adelaide City Council uses water from the lower river to irrigate the city's surrounding parklands . Rubbish accumulation in the lower river is controlled with numerous collection racks, and sediments and other pollutants are filtered through constructed wetlands . The earliest linear river park in Australia bounds

18526-505: The river's habitat, and introduction of European fish species has led to a reduction in fauna quantity and diversity. Exotic pest species such as the European carp , redfin perch and trout have greatly reduced native fish populations like the big headed gudgeon ( Philypnodon grandiceps ) but native waterfowl are common along the river with Pacific black ducks , Australian wood ducks , black swans , ibis , egrets and herons amongst

18683-449: The river's natural beauty, and developing it for recreational uses. The "River Torrens Acquisition Act 1970–72" was passed, authorising the purchase of land, in some cases 60 metres (200 ft) back from the top of the river's banks. By 1980, further development along the riverbanks and removal of levées had reduced the outlet's capacity to a 1-in-35-year flood. A study showed that a 1-in-200-year flood would inundate 13,000 properties; so

18840-478: The river's use for potable water this has greatly reduced the overall flow especially in the lower river. A flood mitigation bill was passed in 1917 to not only combat the damage caused by floods but also the public health risk due to the lack of mains sewerage in the western suburbs. Popular opinion favoured diverting the flood waters into their "natural" outlets of the Port and Patawalonga Rivers. The chief engineer of

18997-477: The same level as foreign embassies, and simplifies Committee travel in and out of Switzerland. At the end of the Cold War , the ICRC's work became more dangerous. In the 1990s, more delegates died than at any point in its history, especially when working in local and internal armed conflicts. These incidents often demonstrated a lack of respect for the rules of the Geneva Conventions and their protection symbols. Among

19154-685: The second Geneva Convention from a historical point of view (because it was actually formulated in Geneva), but after 1949 it came to be called the third Convention because it came later chronologically than the Hague Convention. Reacting to the experience of World War II, the Fourth Geneva Convention , a new Convention "relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War", was established. Also,

19311-402: The sick, and elderly. The ICRC urgently called on all parties to the conflict not to forget their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of the civilian population and infrastructure, and respect the dignity of refugees and prisoners of war . In response to events in the conflict, the organisation issued rule of engagement for civilian hackers . Prior to

19468-453: The site abandoned. Engineer Hamilton was replaced by John England . Government then created a Waterworks Department, which started construction of a weir 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the city and reservoir at Thorndon Park in 1859. The weir was completed on 4 June 1860 and the reservoir began supplying piped water in December. Engineer England was found by a Select Committee to have overpaid

19625-514: The site for the suburb of West Lakes . Based on recommendations in a 1925 report on flood mitigation, work began in the 1960s on the building of the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir, opened in 1969 with a capacity of 24.4 megalitres (860,000 cu ft). It remains the only reservoir damming the river rather than being fed from weirs. The "River Torrens Committee" was formed in 1964 to advise the minister of works on preserving and enhancing

19782-473: The situation at the Geneva headquarters of the ICRC: Hardly had the first blows been struck when cries of anguish from all lands began to be heard in Switzerland. Thousands who were without news of fathers, husbands, and sons in the battlefields, stretched despairing arms into the void. By hundreds, by thousands, by tens of thousands, letters and telegrams poured into the little House of the Red Cross in Geneva,

19939-465: The slain delegates were: On 27 January 2002, Palestinian Red Crescent volunteer paramedic and suicide bomber Wafa Idris was transported to Jerusalem, Israel, by a Red Crescent ambulance, whose driver was part of the plot, and killed herself while committing the Jaffa Street bombing . Idris, wearing a Red Crescent uniform, detonated a 22-pound (10 kilogram) bomb made up of TNT packed into pipes, in

20096-446: The society established an investigatory commission to examine the feasibility of Dunant's suggestions and eventually to organize an international conference about their possible implementation. The members of this committee, which has subsequently been referred to as the "Committee of the Five", aside from Dunant and Moynier were physician Louis Appia , who had significant experience working as

20253-469: The strict mission of the ICRC to include relief assistance in response to emergency situations which were not caused by war (such as man-made or natural disasters). The ARC already had great disaster relief mission experience extending back to its foundation. The formation of the League, as an additional international Red Cross organization alongside the ICRC, was not without controversy for a number of reasons. The ICRC had, to some extent, valid concerns about

20410-426: The subject of significant controversy and criticism. As early as May 1944, the ICRC was criticized for its indifference to Jewish suffering and death—criticism that intensified after the end of the war, when the full extent of the Holocaust became undeniable. One defense to these allegations is that the Red Cross was trying to preserve its reputation as a neutral and impartial organization by not interfering with what

20567-437: The suburban end of the river. The park is 35 km long with numerous playgrounds walkways and bicycle tracks. On the south bank of the lake, adjacent to the Adelaide Festival Centre , Elder Park is used for the annual Tasting Australia festival, mass singing of christmas carols at the annual "Carols by Candlelight", and other public events throughout the year. The Popeye tourist boats, small paddle boats and Black Swans of

20724-499: The suburbs of Magill , Tranmere , Trinity Gardens and Payneham , much of the way underground, before discharging into the Torrens at Felixstow . Fourth Creek , or Morialta Creek , arises on the other side of Norton Summit, with various tributaries flowing into it from Marble Hill and Lobethal . It is most well known for its falls in Morialta Conservation Park . "Moriatta", a Kaurna word meaning "ever flowing",

20881-423: The swamp the summer filth of Adelaide we cannot guess; but the Torrens at other times is not a river at all, but merely a chain of fresh water pools. At the present moment, its running water may be spanned with the hand and sounded with the forefinger Since settlement it has repeatedly flooded, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Adelaide's western suburbs were especially prone to flooding due to their location on

21038-618: The team of the ICRC started a multi-day operation to facilitate the release and transfer of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank. In early December, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that the Red Cross delegation must have access to the remaining hostages. The ICRC is not a negotiating power but the ICRC chief had direct talks with senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar in November, demanding direct access to

21195-439: The variability of Adelaide's climate , flow rates can change from a trickle to flood conditions quickly. On 5 June 1889, prior to major flooding, the flow rate before it entered the suburbs was 0.7 cubic metres per second (25  cu ft/s ), rising to 129.1 m /s (4,560 cu ft/s), eight days later. What the River Torrens may be capable of performing for a week or two of the rainy season beyond sweeping down to

21352-721: The weir near Thorndon Park Reservoir, 3 feet (0.9 m) over the Torrens Lake Weir and 1 foot (0.3 m) over the Morphett Street Bridge. The Underdale (or Holbrooks) Bridge was destroyed, the Torrens Lake weir's bridge damaged, and the Felixstow Bridge over the Fourth Creek washed away. The first European sighting of the river was in November 1836 by an exploration party comprising Lieutenant W.G. Field , John Morphett and George Strickland Kingston . The river

21509-466: The western side of Mount Lofty and Crafers , flows north-west through the south-eastern suburbs, past a drop at the Waterfall Gully falls, through Hazelwood and Tusmore Parks , and Marryatville High School , before discharging into the Torrens near Adelaide Zoo . Much of its course through the suburbs has been canalised , some underground. About 7.5% of its flow is diverted as it flows through

21666-415: The works. The Millbrook Reservoir opened in 1918 as a summer water source, and flood mitigator if required. A bill was passed in 1923 to enact the earlier plan of cutting through the dunes and adding an upstream regulating weir. Again the bill lapsed due to a lack of commitment from parties on payment. A major flood in 1931 and another in 1933 led to the latest in a series of government enquiries. In 1934

21823-527: The world, including the United States and Japan, came to support the medical services of the armed forces of the European countries involved in the war. On 15 August 1914, immediately after the start of the war, the ICRC set up its International Prisoners-of-War Agency (IPWA) to trace POWs and to re-establish communications with their respective families. The Austrian writer and pacifist Stefan Zweig described

21980-403: The year in their lower reaches, but prone to occasional flooding during the winter and spring. There are five main creeks that join it from the southern side as it crosses the Adelaide Plains east of Adelaide, and at least five more in its path through the Adelaide Hills. The plains tributaries, known as First to Fifth Creeks, lie to the east of the city, with First being the most southerly and

22137-713: The year, the Agency already had some 1,200 volunteers who worked in the Musée Rath of Geneva, amongst them the French writer and pacifist Romain Rolland . When he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1915, he donated half of the prize money to the Agency. Most of the staff were women, some of whom – like Marguerite van Berchem , Marguerite Cramer and Suzanne Ferrière  – served in high positions as pioneers of gender equality in an organisation dominated by men. By

22294-504: Was appointed a salaried officer of the society, as manager of the Cheer-up Hut, in addition to the office of Organizer, so that her undivided attention could be given to the affairs of the society. The Cheer-up Hut became the office of the society. By December 1915, there were over 300 members in Adelaide and over 10,000 members in 86 branches in the country and suburbs (Glenelg and Semaphore being prominent). Semaphore branch (the only branch composed solely of women) welcomed troops arriving at

22451-585: Was awarded in 1901, the Norwegian Nobel Committee opted to give it jointly to Jean-Henri Dunant and Frédéric Passy , a leading international pacifist . More significant than the honor of the prize itself, this prize marked the overdue rehabilitation of Jean-Henri Dunant and represented a tribute to his key role in the formation of the Red Cross. Dunant died nine years later in the small Swiss health resort of Heiden . Only two months earlier his long-standing adversary Gustave Moynier had also died, leaving

22608-586: Was dropped. In 1944, the ICRC received its second Nobel Peace Prize. As in World War I, it received the only Peace Prize awarded during the main period of war, 1939 to 1945. At the end of the war, the ICRC worked with national Red Cross societies to organize relief assistance to those countries most severely affected. In 1948, the Committee published a report reviewing its war-era activities from 1 September 1939 to 30 June 1947. The ICRC opened its archives from World War II in 1996. On 12 August 1949, further revisions to

22765-461: Was enacted in 1935 with the construction of the Breakout Creek (also sometimes Breakout Channel ) to take the Torrens westwards to the sea, completed in 1937. The scheme involved diversion of the river at Lockleys (near Adelaide Airport ), with the original channel blocked and a new channel created to the sea. The reedbeds and swamps were subsequently drained and some of their area is now

22922-528: Was formed in 1909 for the benefit of veterans of the Boer War . The organization, later titled S.A.R.S.A., had little public support and vanished. In October 1915 at the instance of W. J. Sowden a new organization of the same name was founded to serve the interests of servicemen returning from Europe and the Near East. The President and two Vice-Presidents (Sowden, Seager and McEwin) were well known for their work with

23079-472: Was incorporated around August 1915. Other activities include The first "hut", erected around April 1915, was a borrowed tent behind the City Baths, with the permission of its lessee/manager, Charles Bastard. They then moved to rented premises in Bentham Street, but soon found that it was too small, and a purpose-built structure was the only way forward. The Railways department offered a plot of land behind

23236-670: Was named "The Yatala" by the party but later renamed by Surveyor General Colonel William Light after Robert Torrens , chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission . On 29 December 1836 Light announced the location of the new city of Adelaide, 6 miles (9.7 km) inland on the river's banks. The first Europeans to explore the Torrens Gorge to the headwaters and sources of the river were Dr George Imlay and John Hill in January 1838. In recent years

23393-445: Was necessary to put the organization on a firm footing. In February Mrs Baker resigned as president and William John Sowden , editor of The Register and a man well known as a charity organiser, was elected to the post. Mrs. George Aldridge and Misses E. S. Abbott and Winifred Scott have been named as early executives. Sometime shortly after, Sowden appointed an (effectively all-male) interim committee (see table). Sir John Gordon , at

23550-562: Was occupied by France . He arrived in the small town of Solferino on the evening of 24 June after the Battle of Solferino , an engagement in the Austro-Sardinian War . In a single day, about 40,000 soldiers on both sides died or were left wounded on the field. Dunant was shocked by the terrible aftermath of the battle, the suffering of the wounded soldiers, and the near-total lack of medical attendance and basic care. He completely abandoned

23707-414: Was poorly constructed and almost immediately the Torrens washed it away. Construction of a permanent concrete weir was begun in November 1880 and completed, at a cost of £7,000, in 1881. The sluice gates were closed to begin filling the 12-hectare (30-acre) Torrens Lake on 1 July 1881. At the lake's official opening on 21 July 1881 an estimated 40,000, almost the entire population of Adelaide, attended. During

23864-479: Was removed, the banks were eroded and the riverbed gradually levelled as waterholes filled. By 1878 the river was noted to be a malodorous, black sewer rather than the sylvan stream of the 1830s. ...anything in the guise of a river more ugly than the Torrens would be impossible to either see or describe... Much of the river's catchment area consists of cleared farmland with run-off captured in private dams to sustain farming over Adelaide's dry summer. Combined with

24021-661: Was sent to Berlin as a delegate of the International Red Cross; he visited Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1944. The choice of the inexperienced Rossel for this mission has been interpreted as indicative of his organization's indifference to the "Jewish problem", while his report has been described as "emblematic of the failure of the ICRC" to advocate for Jews during the Holocaust. Rossel's report was noted for its uncritical acceptance of Nazi propaganda . He erroneously stated that Jews were not deported from Theresienstadt. Claude Lanzmann recorded his experiences in 1979, producing

24178-474: Was seriously affected by numerous aerial attacks on medical facilities and ambulances. The ICRC said in November that civilians have "overwhelmingly borne the brunt" civilians the fighting in the Palestinian enclave and Israel so far. Israeli forces have killed over 25,000 people, including civilians, Israeli nationals, and Hamas members in a devastating bombing campaign and ground offensive. In late November,

24335-456: Was that the Nazi -controlled German Red Cross refused to cooperate with the Geneva statutes, including blatant violations such as the deportation of Jews from Germany, and the mass murders conducted in the Nazi concentration camps . Two other main parties to the conflict, the Soviet Union and Japan, were not party to the 1929 Geneva Conventions and were not legally required to follow the rules of

24492-545: Was thought to be a reflection of the Milky Way ("wodliparri"), and was the heartland of the Kaurna people , who lived along its length and around the tributary creeks. At its 1836 exploration by William Light , an inland bend was chosen as the site of the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide . The river was first named the Yatala by the initial exploration party, but later renamed to honour Robert Torrens senior, chairman of

24649-526: Was viewed as a German internal matter. The Red Cross also considered its primary focus to be prisoners of war whose countries had signed the Geneva Convention . The Geneva Conventions in their 1929 revision formed the legal basis of the work of the ICRC during World War II. The activities of the committee were similar to those during World War I: visiting and monitoring POW camps , organizing relief assistance for civilian populations , and administering

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