By NATALIE GALLENTI
CAROLINE Springs will soon be home to a new RSL Sub-Branch, thanks to the work of a couple of dedicated veterans and a supportive community.
In what can only be described as a great achievement for the area, the official opening of the newest RSL Sub-Branch is likely to take place in the coming months and will be welcomed by residents in the eastern corridor of the City of Melton.
Speaking to Star, Vietnam veterans Peter Burquest and Murray Lewis, said the idea to open a sub-branch arose after a memorial created in Caroline Springs in 2010 received an incredible response from the community.
Hundreds of people attended the first dawn service, and it was that, that set the wheels in motion.
“This is the first opening of an RSL in a long time,” Mr Lewis said.
“Usually, they are closing down or amalgamating.”
Mr Lewis said most veterans and their families in the region had to travel to Sunshine, Melton or East Keilor to attend the nearest RSL, so the new sub-branch would be a welcome addition to the community.
“In 2004, 2005 we had a maximum of about 100 veterans in the area, now we have somewhere around 300 to 500 families.”
Mr Burquest said one of the priorities of the new sub-branch would be to offer assistance to some of the area’s younger service men and women who had fought in recent conflicts like Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor and Solomon Islands.
“We’re hoping we can attract younger soldiers … there’s a lot of younger people feeling the effects of war,” he told Star.
“These poor blokes are coming back and are expected to do a normal job, but the transition period is really difficult.”
He said many retired service people were so used to military life that it took a long time to adjust to day-to-day living, back home.
“Your own families try to help, but in most cases don’t know the effects war has on an individual, so their help sometimes is just the opposite.”
Mr Burquest, who conducts presentations for schools on the Vietnam War, representing the Vietnam Veterans Education Team, said some of the city’s younger residents had a keen interest in learning about Australia’s war history and the importance of the RSL within the community.
He said the new sub-branch would welcome not only ex-service/service people and their families but also members of the police, ambulance and CFA, as well as the general public in the form of social memberships.
“We’re pretty excited about the prospect of assisting younger veterans … hopefully they will use the facilities to their betterment, if they’re looking for welfare we’re there for them.
“They need to know they’re not on their own.”
The new sub-branch will be located at The Club in Caroline Springs, and anyone wishing to become a member can contact Doug Austin on 0421 605 976 or Bryan Ross on 0418 272 915 or bryan.ross@spotless.com.au
