Cockscomb Veterans Retreat
18th August 2011

Good morning,
My name is Roy Cunneen, I am President of the RSL Pioneer Fitzroy Highlands District and one of the ten members of the Board of RSL Queensland.
It is an honour to be invited to address a gathering of war veterans, especially since I am not a veteran myself although I did serve for eighteen years in the Army Reserve, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant (RAAMC).
Today we are here to remember the sacrifices made by all veterans and especially those 18 servicemen who lost their lives defending citizens of another country in an obscure place called Long Tan. Two years later, a further 26 soldiers were lost at Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral. We are all aware of the significance of these battles to the psyche of the Australian Defence Force.
On this day (Long Tan Day), we used to remember all those who lost their lives in Vietnam. Today, we remember those ADF members who have lost their lives in all theatres of conflict in defence of our Country.
I am sure you remember when many of our Vietnam Veterans returned from active service they were discharged on Friday and unemployed on Monday in a society where a noisy minority made adjustment to civilian life unnecessarily difficult. There was no welcome home, no thankyou’s and no acknowledgement.
In those days, the RSL generally did not offer the refuge of mates helping mates, unless you were from that older age group who fought World War 2 “the real war.”
I can assure you that those days have now long gone, in fact, the State President Terry Meehan is a Vietnam Veteran as is Rodger Bow, the Vice President. Of the ten District Presidents, eight are Vietnam Veterans, one is a serving officer (Ares) and I am the other. I might add that the Ares Officer also has some 25yrs Regular Army Service.
For my address today, I have chosen to refer to the changing face of the Returned and Services League in Queensland.
In recent years, especially since 2006, the focus of the RSL has been purposely moved from a centralist controlling body with a long list of rules almost duplicating the Army Law Manual, to place the RSL on a business footing. The reams of prescriptive Rules have been replaced with a State Constitution. State Council, consisting of an Executive and ten District Presidents has been replaced by a Board of elected Directors who focus on the business of the RSL rather than the parochial jealousies of each individual District. Sub Branches are empowered and are encouraged to develop high profiles in their communities, promoting the services they offer to veterans, whether they are members of the RSL or not.
Sub Branches are empowered to work locally to promote the Objects of the League. Let us look briefly at some of those Objects and see how they are promoted within the community by Sub Branches.
Object (a) “To assist and care for the sick, elderly and needy by providing, or assisting to provide pensions, benefits, accommodation……. and other forms of welfare”
In meeting this Object Sub Branches will typically:
• Take veterans and their spouses shopping, to medical appointments, hospital visits, provide home comforts to inpatients (toothpaste, soap etc)
• Provide trained practitioners to assist and advise on pension claims and appeals
• Townsville Sub Branch is able to provide motel style accommodation for veterans and their spouses when visiting that city for medical appointments while State Branch manages Mates Place and Zac’s Place in Cairns, Anzac House in Brisbane and Nui Dat House on the Gold Coast. This is one of the options being considered for Tobruk House in Rockhampton
• Simply operating a “stubby bar” provides a welfare service for those who wish to avail themselves of that facility
Object (c) “…to make grants to and to give assistance….to groups, associations, … and to establish scholarships..”
Sub Branches achieve this objective by:
• Providing Bursaries in schools
• Sponsoring Cadet Units and other youth groups
• Indeed, by assisting Cockscomb provide the welfare services it does so well
Object (d) “To perpetuate the close….ties of friendships created by mutual service in the Australian Defence Force….”
• By providing a meeting place for mates to talk to mates about things only they understand
Object (e) “To ensure the preservation of the memory and records of those who served, suffered and died for the Nation…and preserve in their honour, ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and other National and commemorative occasions”
RSL Sub Branches, particularly in smaller centres are the focus for Commemorative Services by:
• Planning and contributing to the organisation of Anzac Day along with other ESO’s and Local Authorities
• Organising Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and other Commemorative activities where Local Authorities are unable to do so (locally, Yeppoon and Emu Park Sub Branches organise Anzac Day , Remembrance Day and other Commemorative services in their respective towns).
• Providing members to address school assemblies prior to Anzac Day (in particular)
• When asked, by providing Eulogies and Flag Ceremonies for veterans’ funerals
• Maintaining and caring for Cenotaphs and other Memorials
Object (f) “To promote the defence of the Nation….”
Sub Branches contribute to this Object by:
• Sponsoring and encouraging the work of Cadet Units and other youth groups
• By providing free membership of the RSL for the first twelve months for serving members of the ADF
• By providing free membership for ADF members who are members of the RSL when posted overseas for the period of their posting
• By providing care packages to serving ADF members on active service
• State Branch also provides Welfare and Pension Officers on location at Enoggera and Lavarack Barracks
Object (m) “To establish Women’s and Citizen’s Auxiliaries…”
Many Sub Branches are supported by a Women’s or Citizen’s Auxiliary:
• Which are often made up of the wives of service members of the Sub Branch
• Notably, Auxiliaries can now exist without a Sub Branch, for example, in the event of a Sub Branch winding up, a Women’s or Citizen’s Auxiliary could become the focus group for carrying on the organisation of Commemorative activities in their town.
The RSL in Queensland has changed for the better, it has re-affirmed its original focus (from 1916) of “mates helping mates” and now has the financial capacity to make that happen by empowering Sub Branches and releasing them from the shackles which had held back independent thought and initiative.
I challenge you all to renew your membership of the RSL and perhaps think about the possibility of a Cockscomb Sub Branch!