By Abbey Cannan
Almost a century ago, the Tewantin Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA) was formed on August 20, 1920 by the late Harry Buchanan M.M and bar, Assistant State Secretary.
The RSSILA was founded by returning soldiers from the First World War with the aim of continuing to provide the camaraderie, concern, and mateship shown among Australian troops while they were at war.
The foundation officers of the Tewantin Noosa Sub Branch were President: W.J.Ross, Vice President: H.J Johns, Secretary: W.Fielding and Treasurer: H.J Fielding.
The Tewantin School of Arts was built in 1920 and was later expanded to become the Tewantin Noosa RSL Hall and School of Arts.
The floor was replaced in 1940 with timber from the Tewantin Noosa RSL Avenue and in 1967 the Memorial Hall was destroyed by fire, losing all records and memorabilia.
It was a costly occasion, with damage from the fire being estimated at $40,000.
The Sub Branch was rebuilt in 1970 on the fiftieth anniversary and has gone from strength to strength as it continues to grow today.
In 1990, the name was changed to the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). This last name change reflects the fact that membership of the RSL is now open to all ex-service personnel regardless of active service status.
For a hundred years the RSL has ensured that adequate care, advocacy and financial assistance is provided to past and present members of the Australian Defence Force, and remains as relevant today as it was in 1916.
A local veteran who has watched the Tewantin Noosa Sub Branch grow enormously during this time is the fifty-fourth member, Walter Torrens.
Mr Torrens said he loved every bit of being involved with the sub branch while watching it develop.
“Back in those days we had to sell chook raffles to make some money for the club,“ he said.
“We had dances on Friday or Saturday nights doing ball-room dancing.
“I liked the club from the beginning, it was always really homely with the old diggers. They dug the dungeon underneath by hand to put memorabilia in.”
Mr Torrens, who now runs the local Men’s Shed, said he made many of friends through the club over the years.
“I still enjoy it and I still make friends,” he said.
“The organisation looked after us like anything.
“I’m glad to be able to be here to see the sub branch reach 100 years.”
The Tewantin Noosa RSL Sub Branch will be celebrating this remarkable milestone through the unveiling of a mural painted by local artist Christine de Stoop who was commissioned by the RSL Sub Branch.
The unveiling will take place on Thursday 20 August at 11am outside the RSL Club entrance where the mural is located.
Both the Federal and State MPs and Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart have been invited, as well as the National President and officials of the RSL will be in attendance.
Tewantin Noosa RSL Sub Branch president Adel Amin said he was proud to be president during such a historical year.
“I’m excited to be in the chair for that significant event because I very strongly believe in the RSL and what they do for veterans,” he said.
“I’d like to see it grow and let the younger veterans know that we are here to support them.
“We need to continue the running of the league and the only way we can do that is by the modern solider giving the sub branches a fair go.”
Mr Amin said he wanted to quash the misconception of the sub branch being all about poker machines.
“I think the idea of the league starting after WWI was to maintain that comradeship with the Australia digger,” he said.
“Coming back from the field and working so closely together, they needed to continue that sort of closeness. Hence the league commenced in Australia and this particular branch started in 1920, which was an incredible thing to have in a community. Apart from the ex-service men and women having a place to go to and share their mateship with, I think it also really gave the community at large somewhere to be involved. It was a tool to bring both together. As the time evolved and increased numbers, we had the involvement of different organisations within the community helping. It became an entity.”
Mr Amin said in recent times they’ve seen the RSL numbers dropping and then eventually picking back up.
“It had the flows of an organisation that was either in trend or wasn’t in trend,” he said.
“At the moment we are suffering a little bit of a downer because people think of the RSL club, not the sub branch, but the club as a pokies establishment.
“There is a distinction between the citizens club and the sub branch.
“The long-term success comes from the relationship between the two.
“The Tewantin Noosa branch have struck a great balance in terms of having a separate quiet area with the eating area and diggers bar.”
Mr Amin said they were looking at making the club a bit more accommodating for the modern return service men and women.
“What we’re doing is making sure that this remains an area that is it accommodating for the veterans to come down and have a chat, have a coffee, and share life’s experiences.“
Being a welfare officer prior to becoming president, Mr Amin said it was all about creating a safe and secure place for veterans, particularly those suffering from PTSD.
“They want to be somewhere where they feel safe,” he said.
“I know myself suffering from PTSD, there are triggers out there that actually affect my condition.
“Everyone who has got PTSD is different because what they suffered is different. But to know that I’m walking into a safe environment where I can sit down and share my feelings or thoughts, I believe that helps me and it helps a lot of others as well.”
Mr Amin said the sub branch still had 26 surviving members from World War II.
“It’s an incredible feat. The eldest being 101,” he said.
“We shouldn’t wait until Anzac Day or Remembrance Day to speak with those veterans, we should take every opportunity we can.
“If we meet somebody who served, each one of us should speak with them and learn from them.
“I’m not young by any measure, I did 38 years in the Army and I’ve been to two Theatres, but if it wasn’t for the people that served before us and established that pathway to allow us to have good training, good ideology and humanity to believe in doing the right thing, we wouldn’t be where we are now.“
