Home > About
us > An overview > Our history
Our history
Blue Care began life as the Blue Nursing Service, as an outreach initiative of the members of the congregation of the Methodist Mission at West End in inner Brisbane.
The Service began through the vision and urgings of its founder, the Reverend Arthur Preston. The first house call by a "Blue Nurse" - so named because of the colour of her uniform - was logged on August 24, 1953 when Sister Olive Crombie travelled by tram to tend to a patient.
There was no doubting the degree of demand within the community for what Blue Nursing was able to offer and so the organisation rapidly expanded and diversified its capabilities to meet those needs. As community needs grew so did the Service and it rapidly expanded across the State.
In 1977, with the union of the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, Blue Nursing came under the banner of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod.
In 1999 the organisation adopted a new name - "Blue Care" - to better reflect the many services now provided. We are best known within the community for the services of Blue Nursing and the name ‘Blue Care’ was chosen to retain some of that identity but also to reflect the diversity of compassionate caring services offered by the organisation.
Blue Care provides management support for a number of Uniting Church outreaches. The best known of these are the community health and aged care services offered through Wesley Mission. Brisbane and Ipswich
Blue Care is committed to the development of the community as well as to the provision of services across communities irrespective of class, colour or creed.