Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch marks 80 years of service and community

THE Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch will celebrate a significant milestone this year, marking 80 years of service to veterans and the wider community.

An RSL (Returned and Services League) sub-Branch is a local community organisation that supports serving and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families.

These volunteer-led branches represent the grassroots of the RSL, with a focus on welfare, camaraderie, and community-based commemoration.

To commemorate the anniversary, the Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch has engaged noted published author and social historian Carrolline Rhodes to research and write a comprehensive history of the organisation.

What began as a straightforward historical project soon evolved into a deeper exploration of both the sub-Branch and the community it has served.

Detailed records, including minutes from monthly meetings dating back to the 1940s, provided a rich foundation for the research.

These records documented key events, committee members and offered valuable insight into life in the Nambucca Valley across different periods over the past 80 years.

Carrolline’s work also highlights the personal impact of war on individuals, including the experiences of Vietnam veterans who, after facing the horrors of conflict, were often poorly treated upon their return to Australia.

It also underscores the vital role the sub-Branch has played in providing support, understanding and camaraderie to veterans from all conflicts.

“One of the most significant findings in my research was discovering just how much veterans have enriched this community over the years,” Carrolline told News Of The Area.

“This became glaringly obvious, with numerous examples, from the hundreds of thousands of dollars veterans have raised for the local aged care sector over the years, to the countless individual veterans who have played a central role in achieving great outcomes within our community.”

The research also uncovered fascinating stories from the early days of the sub-Branch, when members devised creative ways to raise funds to support veteran welfare.

In the 1940s, fundraising activities included the establishment of a racing club, with horse races held in the area known as Newville, along with boxing matches and community balls.

In an era before television and the internet, these events were major social occasions, drawing large crowds and bringing the community together.

“The research has allowed me to capture the very essence of Nambucca Heads through the events and individuals that make up such a large part of our rich local history,” said Carrolline.

“For younger generations the book will open up layers of their history that they will not have been aware of.”

To celebrate the milestone, the Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch will host an 80th Anniversary Dinner on Saturday 6 June.

“There are so many people in our broader community, not just veterans and their families, who have had a connection with the sub-Branch over the years and we would like them to consider joining us at the dinner,” President Denis Lane told NOTA.

“I point out that numbers are limited so please call the Nambucca Heads RSL Club and purchase a ticket as soon as you can.”

During the dinner a film made by a Coffs Harbour filmmaker depicting a young man’s service during WWI will be screened and the Wyz Wimmin & Friends Theatre Company will be performing a monologue based on an Australian airman’s letters home from England where he was attached to bomber command during WWII.

A part of the celebrations on the evening will be the official launch of Carrolline Rhodes’ book marking the 80th Anniversary of the sub-Branch, aptly titled “We’ve Got Your Back”.

The book will be launched by the district’s most celebrated local military historian and veteran, Trevor Lynch.

By Mick BIRTLES