Hi all, On the news today, the DROMANA Red Hill RSL in Melbourne will be forced to close after running up debts of over $800,000. Members dwindling, not enough revenue. The state branch can no longer afford to cover the RSL. Sigh. GW
Hi mate ,its a real pity. i go to our local RSL once a week ish but it to seems to be struggling .company is good ,booze is cheap ,decent meals ..pokeys.. hard to get others interested though we had a drive to get new members to join but only got 4 over about a month .People only seem to get interested on Anzac Day and then we get 300 people turn up !!!! cheers Tony
So be it. The RSL clubs have bought it upon themselves.(IMHO) The RSL clubs are a dying off. It has being an on going for decade or three (3) . Even today many refuse to become modern and act like a real club/pub etc. Often they think they are precious things just because they have RSL in their name. Some will survive (the big ones) yet most will run up debts which the State and Fed branches will and should not be expected to bail out as they are meant to be business's and a business that fails to attract customers will and should fold. Back in the day they were for vets only, public and even family's and spouses were kept away so most of the public have never had the habit of going to them the majority of people having never been in one. . I have spent some great nights in some but they were great nights due to the company not the club. Almost no matter where we were we would of had great nights. However the RSL and it's Sub branches which do all the work for Vets will continue. This is what the RSL is and allways has been all about. It's not about being a self glorified Boozer. I belong to some private military sites which are full of Vets and very very few of them care about the future of RSL clubs. The RSL will survive untill we no longer fight wars and all the vets are dead but the clubs are dying and will eventually be sold of and disappear into the history books.
I agree with what you say Cobber, but I still feel sorry for the diggers who have been going to their RSL clubs for many years You would notice most had favourite spots in the clubs where they would meet their mates and have their drinks and smokes and a good old laugh. Along comes the modern generation that now tell them they cannot smoke in their clubs anymore. Some have been members for 60 odd years but modern times have caught up to them now and they are outcasts. This has caused a fall in membership and combined with some really bad management clubs are now closing. I wonder where the diggers and their mates are now having their drinks, smokes and a good old laugh -
They will probably be partying out in the back shed mate. lol The fall in membership is due to them dying off, or getting that old they do not wanna go and talk about the war every time they want a drink. Most now just wait till ANZAC for the war memory's and i donot blame them imagine having those memories all your life. And if you go through the large news papers before ANZAC where they list what Regt/Div or whatever is meeting where, after the march not very many meet at RSL clubs any more. I have been reading these lists for over 25 years and it has been like this for that long if not longer. And seriously these 60 year long members were amongst the lot who would not let Korean, Viet Nam vets and the rest of the Regular Army/Military of the 50's, 60's, 70's onwards to become members as through sheer ignorance they said things like "They had not fought in a real war" and other such BS. My old dad suffered this and he did two tours of Korea. However like most Aussies i do have a spot for the RSL Clubs some where in me, and for them all to dissapear will be a shame but the world has moved on.
My dad never became a member of the RSL. Don't know why - Don't care that much - His choice. Although he was 6th Division, him and mum spent most of their time at the Rats of Tobruk Association dances in South Melbourne. Many 9th division chaps were in the new housing commission estate post war and were members of the local RC church, although dad was not a mick that is where he preferred to spend his time. Cheers Geoff
My uncle who was a 36 year veteran of the army and a RAT used to go their when ever it was possible. The RC church is run by Father Bob of TV fame a old scrapper who got the RC church here to change the rules as he did not want to stop working at the coal face of the poor and destitute just because he turned 70. I think he also like the digs which is impressive. The RATA Hall is about two decent drop punt kicks from my place it was sold about three years ago for $1,750,000+ and the money sent to the RCH Melbourne, the new owner whose dad was a vet decided about 5 minutes after auction to present the hall back to the ROTA. I was their and the looks on the faces of the RATs they were so fair dinkum'ly astonished as they thought they had given it up forever and that some one in this day would do such a thing. They had also decorated the hall with heaps of photo's and war trophies from Tobruk bluudy hell it was a good day. So the RATs have the hall till the last one is dead then it reverts back to owner.
