Noreen Minogue AM

She took up a staff appointment as personal assistant to the head of Red Cross Youth and Publicity while continuing to study Law part-time at the University of Melbourne.

In 1963, Noreen was appointed to the national position of Deputy Secretary-General which she held until her retirement in 1986. During that time, she acted as Secretary-General for periods of up to a year and was seconded to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation in Geneva for special relief and development assignments. Between 1972 and 1974, Noreen played a key role as a member of the Australian Government delegation to the Diplomatic Conference for the development of Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions (Protocols 1 & 2). As the foundation Executive Officer of the National International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Advisory Committee for Australian Red Cross, Noreen was instrumental in developing an IHL profile in all States and was a member of that Committee until 1994.

Following her retirement, Noreen was invited to Geneva by the ICRC in 1998 to assist with the preparation of international celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Red Cross movement. Between 1988 and 1994, she worked as the national Research and Advisory Assistant on HIV Litigation for Australian Red Cross. In 1994, Noreen served as Acting Deputy Secretary-General prior to the appointment of a new Secretary General.

Within the Victorian Division of Australian Red Cross, Noreen took up the position of Chair, IHL Advisory Committee in 1992 and continued in this role until October 1998. This was a period of significant development for IHL in Victoria through the establishment of the Australian Red Cross Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the University of Melbourne, the highly acclaimed 1997 Conference on International Humanitarian Law and the growth of the IHL Department and activities. Noreen also contributed to the successful work of Australian Red Cross in Victoria (ARCV) through her membership of the ARCV Executive and Council until October 2000.

For her tireless efforts and commitment to Australian Red Cross over the decades, Noreen was awarded the AM and the following Australian Red Cross awards, Distinguished Service Award (1996), Medal for Meritorious Service (1972) and Honorary Life Membership (1978).