By Callum Ludwig
Members and friends of the Warburton RSL gathered at the Warburton Bowls Club on Friday 14 October for the first President’s Dinner since 2019.
47 men from the Warburton area never returned from their service in WW1 and the RSL is an important community homage to those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Victorian President of RSL Australia and Vietnam veteran Dr Robert Webster OAM was the special guest speaker at the event and said although many sub-branches are under pressure as memberships decline, they continue to fulfill the RSL Victoria mission to help the wounded and maimed, to their members and their communities.
“This still resonates today,” he said.
“I am astounded by the number of sub-branches that have cared for their members during Covid.”
He also cited the help extended by sub-branches during the bushfires and the floods.
There are currently 270 RSL sub-branches in Victoria and they continue to provide pastoral care to their members and communities.
A key point of discussion that Dr Webster acknowledged was the difficulties many returned service personnel, both young and old, are having accessing support from the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Victorian RSL is actively lobbying for change for example RSL Active, which represents young veterans, says the most sought-after help is ‘how to fill in forms for government’.
Warburton resident Liam Barnard also performed a touching rendition of ‘I Was Only 19’ for attendees.
