Family … Rebecca Radovic has painted the exterior of the Newport RSL. 47061 Picture: Sarah Matray
By Nicole Precel
NEWPORT’S Rebecca Radovic may not have grandparents, but she’s become a granddaughter to the Newport RSL veterans.
The 18-year-old first visited the RSL with her mother when she was 15 and since then has been heavily involved, cleaning, painting and providing support to the veterans almost every night.
She’s in the process of painting the entire RSL on her own.
“I wanted to give the whole front a makeover before Anzac Day. The veterans were so touched, that place has never ever changed since it’s been there,” she said.
When she first began painting the back of the RSL, the president would let her in, or she’d jump the fence.
“It was a disgusting colour, I picked a colour and started painting,” she said.
“They’re just appreciating it so much. It makes me feel so much better about myself that I can help them.”
Rebecca’s now become part of the family.
“I never met my grandparents so the older guys are basically my grandparents,” she said.
She even wears one of the veteran’s miniature medals on Anzac Day.
“Kevin does think of me as his granddaughter, the one who I wear his medals, he loves me,” she said.
She said she was honoured to be wearing his medals and has been doing so for a few years.
“It was a big deal for me, you see how much pride he takes in his medals,” she said.
“He had to fight for them. He’s so proud of them and I felt pretty proud to wear something that he’s so over the moon about.”
She’s also very close with one of the oldest members.
“I’ve got my little old friend, Stan, who is 93, I adore him,” she said.
Rebecca spends almost every night at the RSL and said she “bawled her eyes out” at her 18th birthday which she said she had at the RSL, because she was with her family.
“We are a family, we fight and we do everything, we are just one big family,” she said.
