The Rockingham Red Cross Centre in Kew provided convalescence and rehabilitation for war veterans suffering nervous conditions resulting from the Second World War. The building had been given to the Australian Red Cross by the owner of the house, Mrs Syme in 1940. In the early days of the centre, patients performed plays for fellow patients and staff members. This small box of theatrical makeup, or greasepaint, would have been used at the Centre on one or more of these occasions. The donor, Rosemary Lade, worked at the Centre as an occupational therapist, 1971-2 and 1974-7. During these years, play readings were held, but performances were not staged. The Rockingham Red Cross Centre closed in 1977, and following its closure, the donor retrieved the box of greasepaints from the Occupational Therapy Department. A box of greasepaint from the Rockingham Red Cross Centre, Kew. Square wooden box, containing sticks of greasepaint used for theatrical makeup. The used sticks of greasepaint are wrapped in foiled paper, printed with information about the colour and the maker/retailer: L. Leichner (London) Ltd. Leichner House, 30/32 Acre Lane, / London, S.W.2. theatrical makeup, greasepaint, rockingham, rockingham red cross centre, syme family, rosemary lade, occupational therapy - theatre

Articles in the annual report include: death of General Manager Ian Burnet, expenditure exceeding income, need to sell Woolahra (Helen Keller hostel) property, goal of opening 20 new Day centres by the end of 1975, plans to establish Occupational Therapy Training unit, review of aging hostels and restructure workshop, growth of Mitchell Street Theatre, increase of children with more than sight loss at nursery, decision to establish reading competition in memorial to Barbara Rutherford, launching of a literary workshop by Max Nisbett, official opening of a blind bowling green at Enfield, and awarding of Churchill Fellowship to Joan Ledermann for a review of Braille production units overseas.1 volume of text and imagesroyal blind society of new south wales, corporation records, ian burnet, helen keller hostel, mitchell street theatre, alexis albert, a.e. stephen, h wakeham, roy kippax, sir roden cutler, sandy chapman, victor maxwell kindergarten, sandy robertson kindergarten, max martin, jack chamberlain, betty cuthbert, mary lidbury, mark spitz, suzy spitz, billy sinclair, john sinclair, max nisbett, balmain blind bowling combination