Today the Lismore Red Cross Tea Rooms reopened 18 months after the February 28, 2022, big flood.

There was a warm buzz of excitement as local members, volunteers, staff and community were welcomed back to the premises, and all the hard work that has been put in to get to this point was celebrated.

Apart from the locals, Kate Miranda, the State Director for Red Cross, John MacLennan, Chair of the NSW Advisory Board and Ross Pinney and the President of Red Cross Australia (all volunteer positions) were part of the celebrations.

The tearooms resumed operations this morning and will be open Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm serving their famous tea, scones, cakes and sandwiches.

For 64 years, the tearooms have serviced the local community continuously, providing affordable meals (it will only set you back $7 for a tray of sandwiches, leaf tea/coffee and sponge cake) and a warm and friendly space for people to connect.

Beautiful handmade crafts are also available for purchase. All proceeds from the tearooms go towards the work of the Red Cross, locally and nationally. Through combined fundraising and appeal efforts, Red Cross raised close to $40 million, which Ross Pinney (President of Red Cross Australia) confirmed has been distributed except for a portion retained for ongoing recovery support. 

The tea rooms are fully staffed by volunteers, many of who have been serving for decades, and all who are very happy to be back serving the community after a long wait while the premises were restored. Many were mobilised during this time for the outreach program, which Jenny Dowell, a Red Cross volunteer herself, described as being an extensive effort where the Australian Red Cross was the largest group of the Resilient Lismore Winter Well Being doorknock. The result was the program knocked on the door of every single flood-affected house in Lismore to check in with people and offer support.

Progress on the Red Cross building was delayed by insurance claims and difficulty securing tradespeople (a familiar story), but Ross Pinney felt that given the obstacles, the time frame of the renovation was reasonable. Beyond the public Tea Rooms, the building is extensive. It comprises a volunteer's room (used for craft and social gatherings for members and volunteers), a large store room, meeting rooms and an upstairs area allocated to paid staff.

Celeste Hartmann, Senior Community Programs Manager for NSW (whose family was the first on the scene to begin the cleanup post-flood), described the restoration as being much more flood aware, with concrete flooring replacing timber, brick walls being rendered for ease of cleaning and additional glass doors replacing walls throughout for ease of access and to provide natural light for cleanup efforts when power is down.

Many members expressed gratitude that meaningful memorabilia was removed from the premises before it flooded. Items of historical and sentimental value to the tearooms, along with framed photo collages of past events and volunteers, were proudly on display today and will remain up for the community to view.

Lynn, the manager of the tearooms, said that people have been knocking on the door for weeks in anticipation of a reopening. She said many people, not just the elderly, come to the tearooms regularly for a good old-fashioned feed and a friendly place to connect with the community. Traditionally the tearooms only took cash payments, but they have had to shift with the times and are now accepting card payments.

Norma Blume, the volunteer coordinator, explained that the tearooms are so much more than a place to eat. Some volunteers, who are also emergency responders, have training in psychological first aid and are available to chat with people who may need emotional support.

The staff can also connect people to different services they may need. John MacLennan, Chair of the NSW Advisory Board, echoed this sentiment when he spoke about how often Red Cross spaces are used for social connection and how they are important for addressing isolation and loneliness in the community.

Kate Miranda, the State Director for Red Cross, believes that the tearooms are very important as they represent the Red Cross and their work to Lismore and demonstrate their ongoing commitment to the community. She hopes the tearooms will be around for another 64 years or more.