RSL

sub-Branch
Laurieton RSL sub-Branch

History

The Returned and Services League (RSL) of Australia was established on 6 June 1916 by wounded and disabled servicemen who had returned from the Gallipoli campaign. The founding fathers of the League set out to fight for benefits, treatment, and welfare of veterans, ex-service and serving members of the Defence Force, and to preserve the health, well-being, and security of Australia and the Australian way of life.

Who We Are and What We Do

RSL NSW is a member-based charity with a network of over 320 sub-Branches and chapters across the State. Our sub-Branches are operated by veteran volunteers from all conflicts and stand ready to support their mates.

Veterans and their families can connect with the their ADF community by contacting or joining their local RSL sub-Branch to access the services and support that they need together with camaraderie, mateship, and recreational activities.

RSL NSW and its sub-Branches coordinate commemorations, such as ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, and welcome new members and volunteers to assist with coordinating events to remember our veterans’ service and sacrifice for our country. RSL NSW and its sub-Branches do not own or operate clubs or benefit from the proceeds of the sale of alcohol or gambling. RSL NSW sub-Branches work closely with clubs in their communities to support veterans.

As an organisation, the sub-Branch exists for the following reasons:
Commemoration - Our sub-Branch organises and delivers the major commemorative events to honour the service and sacrifice of Australian Servicemen and women. Through these commemorative activities, we remember and respect those who have served and sacrificed for Australia.

Camaraderie - For more than 100 years the Returned and Services League has provided a continuation of the unique camaraderie and mateship that people find during service in the Australian Defence Force. Through our network of more than 320 sub-Branches and chapters we bring together over 24,000 members who have served from a variety of backgrounds and contexts in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. This mateship among ex-Defence personnel is at the heart of what RSL NSW is and is highly valued by our members and the veteran community.

Support - Meeting the needs of veterans and their families has been central to the RSL’s mission since its inception. Today we provide support through our network of sub-Branches, as well as through our partner charity RSL LifeCare. As the local presence of services and support in New South Wales communities, sub-Branches exist to be of service to veterans and their families. In addition to the face-to-face support and mateship they can offer, sub-Branches can inform and connect veterans and families to the range of services available to them.
RSL LifeCare Veteran Services claims and advocacy team assists veterans and their families to navigate the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) compensation and rehabilitation services.
They work with veterans to compile evidence and submit claims and also support them by leading all interactions with the DVA, to ensure that every claimant receives all of the entitlements that they are legally entitled to. They also represent veterans whose claims have been unsuccessful in appeals at the Veterans’ Review Board.

Advocacy - RSL NSW stands for the interests of veterans and their families, advocating on their behalf with government to maximise veteran wellness, support and suicide prevention.
RSL NSW has established a Royal Commission Office to support all veterans throughout the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Contact Details

President: Allan (Buster) Beatty 0467 602 770
Honourable Secretary: Graeme Steinmetz 0473 216 166
Treasurer: Ian Chamberlain 0419 228 030

Office hours: 0900 - 1200 Thursdays (02) 6559 9110

Social Club: 0900 - 1200 Thursdays in the Anzac Room at the LUSC Call in for a brew and a chat

Monthly Meetings: 10:00 am Fourth Sunday of each month in the Anzac Room at the LUSC Location: 2 Seymour Street Laurieton NSW 2443 at the LUSC

Postal Address: PO Box 70 Laurieton NSW 2443

Email: laurietonsb@rslnsw.org.au

History of the RSL Auxiliaries

The Australian Imperial Service of Women’s Auxiliary was formed in Phillip Street, Sydney by mothers, wives, widows, sisters, daughters and aunts of men who served in the Australian Imperial Forces in the First World War (1914-1918).

The auxiliaries grew from this beginning to raise money for the welfare of men and women who served and their widows and families. Today, the RSL NSW Auxiliary volunteers have overcome society biases and comprise of men and women who work to raise funds for the wellbeing of current and ex-serving members of the ADF and their families.

Auxiliary volunteers visit veterans in the hospital, in aged care facilities, assist with sub-Branch commemoration activities, and cater for sub-Branch events.
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