2025-2026 Federal Budget Delivers Funds for DVA Veteran Services

---- When did you last visit the Hut? Visit us most Fridays after 5 pm for our Happy Hours. ---- The Australian Government handed down the 2025-26 Federal Budget on 25 March 2025. 

The 2025–26 Budget builds on previous investments that have seen the demand for the Department’s services increase. 

$47.6 million in 2025–26 has been provided to increase resourcing in key service delivery areas of the Department. This includes funding for up to 120 service delivery staff in the following areas: 

1. the Veteran Access Network
2. Veteran Support Officers
3. Complex Case Management teams
4. Information Access teams, and 
5. mental health support teams. 

 A further $11.9 million in 2025-26 has been provided to support continued access to key health and support programs for veterans and families, including:  

1. extension of the Military and Veteran Psychiatry Training Program
2. extension of the Veterans’ Chaplaincy Pilot Program
3. supporting the delivery of the Veteran Employment Program
4. extension of the Veterans – volunteer training in suicide recognition and intervention program
5. supporting Invictus Australia 
6. supporting Kookaburra Kids. 

This additional funding builds on significant investments into the Department via the 2024–25 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) process, which included $34.9 million to provide DVA with additional resourcing as well as funding to support the Department’s implementation of the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.  

To find out more about the 2025–26 Budget measures, please visit the 2025–26 Budget page on the DVA website.

Your Editor uses one of these notebooks every day!

Todays Youth Honour the Sacrifice of the Youth of Yesterday

---- Come and join us - Friday evenings from 5 pm. ---- 

New entrance - RSL Tanunda Hut

In 1946 the RSL Tanunda Hut, an old Army quarters was moved to its current position and installed at the Tanunda Recreation Park where it has sat since with several upgrades. 

Throughout the last 12 months or so we have be progressively upgrading the Hut with a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs who part-funded our internal Honour Board Wall, and Lambert Estate winery who provided a very generous donation. We also ran two successful Fashion Parades at Lambert Estate that increased our revenue.

The several Memorabilia Kiosks and Sausage Sizzles we run at Foodland Tanunda and Mitre10 Nuriootpa annually are also helpful in keeping our sub-branch going as the people in our community are very generous, even in the current era of high costs, high inflation and challenges with rent and housing. 

As a not-for-profit organisation we rely on the generosity of our community and member-volunteers to keep operating.

The latest addition today in our Hut improvement program was the presentation of an attractive mild steel, plasma-cut bench seat donated by one of our long term members, Paul (Ferdie) Fernandez OAM and his wife Elizabeth. 

As you can see in the image below, the back of the seat has the informal name of our sub-branch, the tri-service badges in order of seniority of service from left to right. The words "Lest we forget" from the RSL Ode is cut into the seat immediately below the tri-service badges and the wording on the bottom is reflected in the the title of this post.

Click to see larger image

As an aging veteran, I think these 10 words are significant. It's important for our youth to be knowledgeable about the sacrifices young men and women made in the numerous wars in which we have been involved. It's important for them to know that wars should always be a last resort when all other options have failed, that they are ugly, and that one day they could be called upon to do what their ancestors have done - lay down their lives to protect their fellow Australians, our democratic system of governance, and the values we all treasure.  

The bench seat was bolted to the ground at the entrance of our Hut and welcomes all who walk past it. No doubt many members, visitors, and perhaps dog walkers will take a rest at what will probably be known as "Ferdie's Chair" for many years to come. 

Ferdie and Liz Fernandez

Here's a photo of Ferdie and Elizabeth shortly after the installation yesterday. 

The manufacturer of the bench seat who did such an excellent job of manufacture and installation was 

Plasma Art Adelaide who have made dozens of similar products.

If you are in the area call in and have a look at this wonderful addition to our Hut. 

A New Veterans' and Families Hub for Elizabeth

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome, you don't need to be a member. ---- 

A new Veterans’ and Families’ Hub will be established within the Playford Health and Wellbeing Precinct in Elizabeth Vale, enhancing access to support services for more than 11,000 South Australian veterans and families. 

This Hub’s location will enable seamless integration with existing health services and facilitate comprehensive support for veterans, closer to home. 

The new Northern Adelaide Hub will also be conveniently near the Edinburgh Defence Precinct, a ‘super base’ with more than 3,500 Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Army personnel. 

Hubs provide a welcoming space where veterans and families can receive integrated, holistic, wrap-around support – this can include mental and physical health services, wellbeing support, advocacy, employment and housing advice, and social connection.

 All current and former serving ADF members, including reservists, and families can access support at any Veterans’ and Families’ Hub. 

In January 2024, the Australian Government awarded a $5 million grant for Lives Well Lived to lead the development of a new Hub in Northern Adelaide. Lives Well Lived is working closely with the veteran community, ex-service organisations and veteran service providers to design a Hub and service model that meets the needs of the local community. 

Eight Hubs are already operating across the country in Adelaide, Burnie, Caboolture, Darwin, Nowra, Perth, Townsville and Wodonga. The Northern Adelaide Hub is part of the Australian Government’s $46.7 million commitment to establish eight new Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs across the country, to ensure even more veterans and families can access supports closer to home. 

Hubs are also being established in Tasmania, Queanbeyan and the Hawkesbury, Hunter and Tweed/North Coast regions (NSW), Ipswich (QLD), Surf Coast/Geelong (VIC), and Southwest Perth (WA). All new Hubs are expected to be operational by mid-2026, with services to veterans and families likely to start before then. 

Learn more at the Veterans’ and Families’ Hub page.

Saluting their Service Display at Tanunda

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome, you don't need to be a member. ---- Anyone who has been a member for a few years will recall the joint venture we ran with "The Emu Tree's" Christian Teusner. The venture was funded by the Department of Veteran's Affairs for two years during 2021-22 under its "Saluting their Service" program.

We successfully applied for successive year grants totalling almost $80,000 and this was for Christian to obtain oral histories from veterans and their families. It also included obtaining written stories and photographs and displaying same across South Australia.

Display at Ayres House, Adelaide
 during SALA Week 2021

Christian did an excellent job and ran numerous displays across the state including at Tanunda and Adelaide as can be seen in the photo at left.

Most importantly, Christian obtained dozens of oral stories from WWII veterans whose lives were approaching their end and some have passed away since. These oral records are invaluable.

A link to listen to them appears under Links in our right hand column.

Our sub-branch didn't continue with the program because of the administrative load but mainly to give some other sub-branches an opportunity.

Christian took up the opportunity with, from memory, RSL Waikerie Sub-Branch, and continued with the work which he is still doing several years later. By now the collection must be huge.

The good news is, Christian will be displaying his collection at the Tanunda Football Club, Tanunda Recreation Park during the forthcoming Barossa Vintage Festival.

Mark it in your diary and make sure you don't miss what is an interesting and informative display with photographs of many people from our regions.

You can read more by going to the bottom of this site and entering "Saluting their Service" in the Search dialogue box which will list all previous posts about it. 

Have you bought your ANZAC Day Memorabilia?

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome, you don't need to be a member. ---- ANZAC Day is fast approaching - only 9 weeks away.

Our partner, the Militaryshop has a cornucopia of militaria waiting for you to purchase. There are many, new exciting, popular products like the Poppy Impressions range:

Many of these products eg, sturdy shopping bags, mugs, and umbrella are big sellers at our kiosk outside Foodland Tanunda.

Pens sell well - everyone needs a collection of pens. (I have enough to open a stationery shop having had a pen fetish for decades!).

Then there are dozens of different badges covering every one of our wars commencing with World War II.

Afghan Service is well catered for also with Operation Slipper.

Operation Slipper is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the war in Afghanistan. In November 2001 Australian SAS troops joined the war in Afghanistan. C-130 Hercules aircraft provided logistic support to the SAS, while F/A-18 Hornets contributed to air defence at the American Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia. From March to September 2002, two RAAF Boeing 707 refuelling aircraft of 84 Wing were based at Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan in central Asia.

The initial ADF commitment in Afghanistan concluded in December 2002 when the Special Air Service Task Group was withdrawn.

An Australian Special Forces Task Group was re-deployed to Afghanistan in August or September 2005.

The Australian Special Forces Task Group was withdrawn from Afghanistan in September 2006.

A Reconstruction Taskforce began arriving in Oruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan in early September 2006. (Source: Virtual Museum)

If you decide to visit the Military Shop using our link here, our sub-branch will receive a small commission.

Thanks Barossans!

---- As a not-for-profit organisation we rely on public support to keep operating. ----

Our volunteer team: Lex, Denise, Alistair, David,
and an unknown but gorgeous photo bomber.

Management Committee Meeting Feedback

---- We have 49 financial members of a membership of 74 ---- 

The Management Committee met on Tuesday, 4 February 25 for the first time this year.

ANZAC DAY 25

Most of our meeting time was spent discussing the new ANZAC Day arrangements now that we cannot access the Soldiers' Memorial Hall for an 11 am commemorative service.

We've included the 11 am service for many years, however, the Soldiers' Memorial Hall is being upgraded and while the upgrade is in progress, all public activities have been suspended.

The Committee decided on a new program, the details of which are:

6:30 am - DAWN SERVICE at the Garden of Remembrance, Murray Street followed by a Gunfire Breakfast that may include Two-Up this year

10:45 am - MUSTER FOR THE MARCH in Basedow Road at the intersection with Murray Street.

11:00 am - STEPOFF and march down Bilyara Road to the Hut.

12:00 pm - LUNCH at the Hut.

Arrangements with stakeholders and third-party players who need early advice have either been completed or are underway so that by 25 April 25 everything will fall into place as expected.

As this is a significant change, please advise as many of your friends and colleagues as possible.

Advocacy

Dr Jack Urlwin has completed his advocacy training and is now available to assist people with DVA applications and appeals. You can read more under the Advocacy tab above.

Maintenance and Improvements

We discussed the numerous changes that have been made to the Hut during the past year and specifically over the Christmas-New Year break with thanks to Tony Boyle, David Babbage, and others who worked to update the Hut's appearance.

If you haven't visited for a while, you should be pleasantly surprised at the gardening, new paint job, static soldiers near the flag pole, modified front doors, and some internal additions. You won't see the new glasswasher installed in the bar. You won't know that the kitchen stove is unserviceable and is being replaced.

You may be wondering where the money came from to afford all these upgrades. Most of it was made possible by the inordinately generous donation of Lamberts Wine Estate's Jim Lambert who donated two pallets of wine to us. This followed two successive years when we ran Fashion Shows in conjunction with the then Barossa-based Dressed for Success at Lamberts Estate.

At left is a view of one of the Fashion Shows. As this only represents about two thirds of the room, you can imagine that it was a large crowd. Many came from Adelaide suburbs.

Our members were involved in getting these shows set up and a couple of our ladies actually did some modelling as they wove their way through the tables.

Many of the attendees also purchased memorabilia that we had on display within the venue, so we did very well financially.

Club Wine

Last year your Committee decided to purchase a quantity of wine from Gomersal Wines and this purchase is well underway thanks to the dynamic members of our team who organised it.

Ultra Labels & Flexpack designed the label that appears below and did so at no cost to the sub-branch, which is wonderful. We were all impressed with the design, the background of which is a better blue than that shown in this graphic. 

Between the words, "2021 SHIRAZ" and "The Hut" is a line that divides the bottle front label from the rear label that has a short history of our Hut.

How good is that?

The wine will be available for sale around mid-March and as we spoke about how we looked forward to it, most of us said we had hoped not to wait. But time is going faster this year, don't you think?

AFL Sausage Sizzle

President David has been discussing our members running a sausage sizzle on behalf of the AFL located at the footbridge that leads to the Adelaide Oval. Everything would be provided and we would simply need to provide feet on the ground to run it for a donation to the sub-branch.

Given that we are experts at sausage sizzles, this would be a breeze.

We'll keep you posted about this project.

The Hut Open Day

Your Committee is interested in expanding our engagement with the communities that surround us. 

One plan being mooted is to hold an Open Day in which we invite the community to come visit us perhaps between 10 am and 3 pm to look at our memorabilia (and hopefully to buy some) and while with us discuss membership or just have a coffee, tea or other beverage.

Well, as they said in one of the old cartoons on TV, "That's it Folks".

Don't be afraid to leave a comment below and tell us what you think of our plans?

PS: Don't forget you can subscribe at the top right corner of this page to get immediate updates when posts are made. 

Our First Happy Hours for 2025!

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Visitors are welcome ---- Will you join us for our first Happy Hours of 2025 on Friday, 7 February?

The phrase "Happy Hour" being singular is really a misnomer. 

We have several hours in which we are happy, surrounded by our fellow members and occasional visitors. Visitors are always welcome.

Sometimes we have a major meal to which members are asked to RSVP. These are usually once per month and are very popular.

Other evenings we have a small offering of finger foods that often include sausage rolls, small pies and, ... well, you get the idea.

If you need somewhere to go on Friday, 7 February, come to The Hut for several happy hours. We'll look forward to seeing you.

In the meantime, why not click on the link below and see what new badges or other memorabilia you could add to your collection.

Militaria Available

Outstanding Australia Day Event

---- Will you be our next new member? Check out the Membership tab above  ---- 

Australia Day fell on a Sunday this year and the Committee decided to hold an Australia Day Sausage Sizzle with some traditional Australian lamb thrown in. After all, what's Australia Day without some lamb?

It was an excellent day commencing around midday with around 45 people at The Hut. Most were members and we had the benefit of meeting some new people, a couple from Norway, and some other visitors. 

Members and those who have attended previously would have noticed the upgrade to the front entrance with a new, bright, and welcoming paint job and re-engineered front doors. The propellor has been painted and the year 1946 appears just behind the prop signalling The Hut's establishment date. 

Thanks to a handful of volunteers who have spent hours upgrading our beloved Hut, it's now looking like the place to be, not just on Friday evenings - more about that later.

The habitual and invariable volunteer shown at left who will remain nameless, but whose initials are TB swore that he had painted "1946" with a one-inch paintbrush but our bullsh*t detectors told us otherwise and the editor took this photo as evidence. You can see him peeling back the figure covers.

Everyone present at the event seemed to enjoy the food and good company and of course the refreshments are always in high demand. We also managed to have a few good laughs during the afternoon as our "door" prize winner was announced. 

It was the first draw of the day and while everyone waited with baited breath and the room fell silent President Dave called out the ticket number and our member Robert K was delighted to be the winner. The rest of us sighed with disappointment and took another sip of our wine.

David stepped outside The Hut for a few seconds and when he came back with the door prize, everyone had a hearty laugh. We'll never know what Robert K thought. Maybe the photo of Robert (left) and David answers that question as Robert was the lucky recipient of a screen door surplus to requirements.

Well, no, he was handed a lovely bottle of red wine and the door returned to the shed. Thanks for the laugh guys.

The laughs didn't stop there.

The next lucky winner was Ian T who won a subsequent raffle ticket and finished up with a new, shiny emergency helmet in RSL blue with a flag that is self-explanatory. It kills the rumour that Ian never drinks water as you can see the bottle on the helmet. Whether he actually drinks Hahn beer is a complete unknown.

The remainder of the raffle draws were much less humourous affairs when a few lucky people received bottles of wine and someone was heard to comment, "That's another five dollars I'll never see again" as they threw their raffle tickets into the bin.

Life is full of winners and losers, but it's all good fun at The Hut.

Talking of fun, the Management Committee has decided that we will open The Hut on ad hoc occasions and not just on Friday evenings. This Australia Day opening was a trial event to see whether it would be worthwhile and the outstanding conclusion is that it was. There will be more occasions during which we open throughout the year as well as those commemorative military days during which we always open. 

We hope to have at least one, perhaps two Open Days when we invite the Barossa Valley public and any tourists to come visit us, view our interesting display of military memorabilia, have a refreshment, discuss what we do and why we do it.

RSL Sub-Branches across Australia are not only for serving ADF personnel and veterans, anyone is welcome to visit or join and Affiliate membership is available for those who haven't experienced military service, but who support the Objects of the RSL. You can read all about them in the About tab above.

PS: Subscribe to this blog above if you wish to be advised of new posts. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose or shared.

Remembrance Day - Coming Soon

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----

  
 

Veterans Health Week Crabbing Event

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----For the third year in a row, Trevor and Charmane Klose have offered to hold a crabbing event at their premises at Port Parham for Veterans' Health Week on 18 October 24. 

 
Veterans' Health Week is held annually, usually in October, promoted and funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This year the theme is Keep Connected.

Anyone who has attended one of these events at Port Parham gets a chance to catch, cook and eat crabs as well as some other healthy foods.

They also have the opportunity to learn about such health topics as diet, exercise, mindfulness and the importance of Keeping Connected with their communities.

The details of this event are:

Location: 8 The Esplanade, Port Parham, SA (a private premises)

Date and Time: 18 October 24, 0900 - 1400 hours

RSVP: Places are limited, so an RSVP will be appreciated to Trevor Klose, 0418 632 508

Lunch: Will be provided and non-alcoholic refreshments will be available before 1400 hours. 

What to bring: Clothing for entry to the water including good shoes to protect your feet - the crabs nip! Some crabbing equipment will be available, but if you have some, please bring it and don't forget your hat, sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, and any other personal items you think you may need.

If you've never been crabbing before, don't worry, there will be some experts on hand to help you.

Leon, Robin (back), Trevor, and Heath

Here's the evidence: Some of the team with their catch that later turned into lunch and crab meat with sweet chilli sauce.
 

The Hut Closed Friday 20 September 24

---- We will NOT be open on Friday, 20 September but will open on Thursday, 19 September Instead ---- Because the Tanunda Recreation Park will be closed to the public on Friday, 20 September as preparations are made for a football event on the following Saturday, our Hut will not open.

Instead of opening on Friday, we will open on Thursday, 19 September 24 for Happy Hour from 5 pm.

We go All Out for our Members

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----Recently Esther, one of our members had her 99th birthday, a special occasion in anyone's diary. Esther is a World War II Army veteran known to every other member and highly regarded.

Sadly, I couldn't be present as much as I would have liked to have been but feedback from those who were was that it was a spectacular birthday party enjoyed by many members and Esther's family. It's not every day one turns 99!

Esther was picked up by a member in a vintage vehicle and driven to The Hut like a Queen. As she entered, this was the scene she saw:

Several of our members spent hours (literally) pulling streamers through the ceiling and preparing everything the day before which is when I took these photos. 

No doubt someone had to dismantle the streamers and other things after the event. We are forever grateful to those members.

Apparently, the birthday veteran did a bit of dancing and was so impressed with the singer that she asked if she could book him for her 100th. I'm sure he agreed.

Now, that's what I call planning!

When she attends The Hut on Friday evenings, she always has a nip of brandy and I noticed last night that she now has a beautiful inscribed, personal brandy glass that will be waiting for her when she arrives.

Editor

PS: You don't have to be a 99-year-old veteran to join us on Friday evenings. If you're 18 or older and support the objects of the RSL, we'd love to have you join our happy family. See the Membership tab above for details.

Life Membership Awarded at Dinner Night

---- Interested in the RSL - Want to become a member? Contact us. ----

At our dinner night on 19 July 24 we enjoyed an excellent lasagne dinner and witnessed our member Neville Jaeschke receive an RSL Life Member award from the RSL SA President, David Petersen. 

Neville joins a list of members recognised for their service and dedication to the objects of the RSL and their local sub-branch over a lengthy period. To be considered for a Life Member award, one must have been a continuous service member for 15 years and have displayed 10 years of outstanding service.

Neville is well qualified to meet these criteria.

Neville served with the Australian Army after call-up as a National Serviceman during the Vietnam War era. 

Before accepting the award, Neville gave members a short talk about dahlias a flower close to his heart. Further details about Neville, his RSL membership, and his life-long love of dahlias have been advised to members separately via a private link.

Neville is the second member we have at present who is a Life Member. Our Past President, Trevor Klose was also awarded Life Membership at the 2023 Annual General Meeting. Both still continue their contribution to our sub-branch for which members are most grateful.

The Lasagne Dinner

Our sub-branch meets most Friday evenings from 5 pm and once per month we have a dinner evening. These evenings are very popular with our members who enjoy the food, the beverages, and of course the good fellowship.

Thirty-eight diners attended this dinner night and the following photos show some of the action:

 Our wonderful catering team prepared and served the meals and cleaned up afterwards. Here are photos of Charmane, Christina and Dawn Nuttall. Not shown are Dawn Klose and Sue Riebke who also helped on the night. The catering team members share the cooking role and do an excellent job.

Presentations for ANZAC Day Support - Tanunda Community

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----Every ANZAC Day we are privileged to have the support of a variety of agents and people who help us make our commemorative activities special.

The key players on the day are:

1. The Tanunda Town Band
2. The Liedertafl Choir
3. Barossa and District Pipe Band
4. Faith Lutheran College
5. Mr Steve Kaisler, Barossa Gallery and Soldiers' Memorial (Barossa Council)

The first three organisations, as would be expected, provide spectacular music support. Faith Lutheran College provides a group of students who assist our team to install and uninstall 300 small wooden crosses on the lawn adjacent to Tanunda Memorial Park where our Dawn Service is held.

Mr Kaisler sets up and manages the Gallery and Soldiers' Memorial Hall where we hold an 11 am commemorative service for those who couldn't attend the Dawn Service at 6 am.  As an employee of Barossa Council we are not permitted to provide a monetary donation, but provide him with a small personal gift.

On Friday, 12 July 24 we presented representatives of the first four organisations with donation cheques for $150 in appreciation of their ongoing support. Here are some of the photos of recipients receiving their cheques. Unfortunately, due to school holidays, Faith Luthern College couldn't provide a recipient, so our member, Mr Neville Jaeschke who oversees the wooden cross project received it on their behalf and will forward it to them when they return to school.

Tanunda Town Band

Vice President Patsy Biscoe presented Mr Gordon Alderslade from the Tanunda Town Band with their cheque.

Formed in 1857, the internationally acclaimed Tanunda Town Band is recognised as the oldest continual brass band in the Southern Hemisphere, and has been entertaining audiences locally, nationally, and internationally for the last 160 years!

Tanunda Town Band is an ‘A Grade’  band which excels in traditional brass band and classical music and regularly takes part in community events, public concerts and corporate engagements.  During its long history, Tanunda Town Band has successfully competed  at local, state, national and international competitions.

The Tanunda Liedertafl Choir

Mr David West from the Liedertafl Choir received their cheque.

The Tanunda Liedertafel is a 45-member male choir. Drawing its four-part singing material from traditional popular German culture. The group's origins date back to 1850.

The members were also instrumental in the formation of a "German Club" in Tanunda in 1855, proving the continuous nature of the choir from 1850 to World War I.

The choir was re-organized in 1920 and, aside from an interruption caused by World War II has been active ever since, primarily in Tanunda and Adelaide. Along with third and fourth-generation German-Australians, the group includes singers with Dutch, British, Polish and, Irish backgrounds. 

Given the nationalities of the members, nearly 50 percent of the material is sung in English or Latin (where tradition dictates).

Barossa and District Pipe Band

Sub-branch member and Pipe Master, Mr Alistair McCallum received the cheque on behalf of the Barossa and District Pipe Band.

The Barossa & District Pipe Band is a Scottish Pipe Band based in the Barossa Valley of South Australia.

The band was established in February 2012 by then Pipe Major, Peter Whitehead. The band started from scratch with beginners and learners coming from surrounding areas. From an initial group of six interested people the band has grown over the years to approximately 20 members at its strongest.

The band is currently led by Pipe Major, Alistair MacCallum who took over the role in October 2022 after the resignation of Peter Whitehead.

Faith Lutheran College

Our member Mr Neville Jaeschke accepted the cheque on behalf of Faith Lutheran College.

Amongst church spires and vineyards, the passion for quality education has been instilled in the hearts and minds of generations before us. In fact, we've been trailblazing since 1845 when the first Barossa Lutheran education facility opened in Tanunda.

Langmeil School, as Tanunda Lutheran School was known then, was the first step in our unending pursuit of an education that brings something extra to the ordinary.

As the Barossa celebrated 140 years of Lutheran education, courage and faith guided the opening of Faith Lutheran Secondary School in 1985.

Passionate educators and a supportive community enabled the school to thrive and quickly grow from the inaugural class of 26 students to over 600. 

Note: If you are a Barossa Valley resident, you can read more about these presentations in The Leader of 17 July 24.

Conserving Letters from the Front

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----Our sub-branch has a large quantity of letters that were sent from the front by a soldier to a friend in Angaston during WWII.

A few of these were sent on "Letter Cards" that anyone old enough will recall were also available from the Postmaster General's Offices (now Australia Post). 

You would pay a standard price for a letter card that opened to a full Quarto size. You'd write your letter, fold it up to look like the letter card at left, lick and stick a tab at the back and post it. They were very convenient and I recall sending some to my parents when I was at boarding school in Charters Towers and my home was at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory that seemed so far, far away.

The letter card at left is one from our collection of Letters from the Front of which we have possibly a couple of hundred in varying states of legibility.

We want to find an efficient way to store them and make them available for our members and anyone else who would like to read them. With that in mind, I contacted the History Unit of the Barossa Council Library and gained some valuable insight from a very helpful staff member, Allison.

Allison advised me about several ways the letters could best be preserved while stored and how they could be made available for perusal. Probably the preferred option is to digitize the legible letters and make them available online or on a screen reader. Digitized versions will be easier to read and may be zoomed to the size specific readers require. 

This is still a work in progress and once President David and I have decided which option to implement, we intend to apply for a Department of Veterans Affairs grant to have the work done.

Editor

PS: If you have expertise in a field that might help us with the task above, please comment below.

Dinner at Eudunda RSL

---- We have 58 male and female members both ex-service and affiliates - consider joining us ----Our sub-branch was fortunate enough to be invited to attend Eudunda RSL's Annual Dinner.

Fifteen of us bussed to Eudunda where we met the RSL SA/NT State President, enjoyed an excellent roast lamb meal, and had a couple of hours to chat with RSL Eudunda and RSL Gawler members, the latter also having been invited.

It's always interesting to visit different sub-branches because although we share a lot in common, we also manage to have a large number of different artifacts and memorabilia in a range of inventive display methodologies. You can see some of the artifacts inside the RSL rooms below.

 

Management Committee Feedback

---- Our email system is now back to normal and attended to at least once daily ----

Our meeting for Monday 13 May was rescheduled for 9 May and I'm pleased to give you an overview of the main points of discussion.

ANZAC Day

All reports indicated that ANZAC Day activities were a success with a large number of attendees. Several issues were discussed that we believe will help improve commemorations in 2025 and President David said he will call a special meeting to discuss those issues shortly.

Tasks for Volunteers

We needed to discuss the various duties that need to be attended to and which Committee members would do them. For example, organising meals is a big task that also requires table setting, cleaning up afterwards, and ensuring food is not wasted. 

The Hut needs to be cleaned after our Friday Happy Hours and cans and bottles need to be disposed of. There's much more and we rely heavily on individuals to help with these activities.

We're drawing up a list that will be available to everyone shortly so we know who does what, when and why.

Food Handlers Course

Some of us have already completed the mandatory Food Handlers Course but we have decided to do it again to ensure we are up to date and clear about hygiene requirements of the Department of Health.

Grant from Barossa Cooperative

We were delighted to receive a $100 grant from Barossa Cooperative that we can use to buy some of our foodstuffs, perhaps for one of our sausage sizzles or evening dinners. 

Our local community is very generous in supporting us with gifts of wine and these type of grants for which we are always grateful. As a self-funded organisation we wouldn't be able to operate without the revenue obtained from generous organisations and individuals.

Advocacy Training

For several years we haven't been able to provide an in-house Advocacy Service, however, we're pleased to advise that our member Dr Jack Urlwin (whom many locals will know) has agreed to undertake an Advocates Training Program and become our Advocate. 

Poppy Project

We were invited to be involved in a Poppy Project which is about producing a variety of poppy objects including wooden poppy signage to display on Remembrance Day outside our Hut. The Committee agreed it would be a worthwhile project for us and Vice President Patsy Biscoe has taken charge of it.

The next meeting is scheduled for 17 June 24.

How to get your Military Memorabilia

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ---- Don't miss this opportunity to stock up on your memorabilia!

Two happy customers at our
Foodland sales point

Our member volunteers will run a kiosk outside Foodland Tanunda on 17 and 18 April 24 just in time for you to stock up for ANZAC Day and buy your groceries - two birds with one stone. 

We have a wide range of badges, pens, bags, mugs, and other memorabilia too much to mention here, so we invite you to drop in and have a look. You're sure to find something you can't live without.

Do you have enough memorabilia? No problem, you can make a donation or pick up a free poppy. Everyone gets a free poppy.

If you don't intend to get to Foodland Tanunda on either of those days but would like to support our RSL sub-branch, you can make a donation HERE. 

We buy our memorabilia from the Military Shop which has a much larger inventory of merchandise than we have. The profit we make and donations we receive from many generous businesses and individuals goes towards planning and running ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day for our community, maintaining our Hut in the Tanunda Recreational Park, and to helping our fellow veterans and families.

We think it's a worthwhile cause and hope you do too.

PS: Visitors to our Hut are always welcome and membership is available but not essential.

Another Great Sausage Sizzle

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ----On Saturday, 30 March 24 our volunteer members ran another successful Sausage Sizzle at Mitre 10, Nuriootpa.

It's possibly a misnomer to call it a sausage sizzle because we also sold egg and bacon rolls that are always very popular. We also sell a variety of soft drinks. Maybe we should just call it a barbecue. Whatever, we love running them and the public is always very supportive.

Malcolm and Errol

Barossa Mitre 10 generously donates sausages sourced from Barossa Fresh, provides a barbecue setup complete with gas, tables, a tent, and space on their property on which we can operate. We obtain some of our foodstuffs from Foodland Tanunda who generously provide us with a purchase voucher.

It's an early morning for the first of our volunteers who need to load equipment from our Hut at Tanunda Recreation Park, pick up some ice and get set up. 

No sooner do we fire up the barbecue and the sweet enticing smell of sausages and bacon drift through the air and we have people lining up for breakfast.

Malcolm, Elliott,
Andrew and Dawn

This Saturday the first team of volunteers consisting of Malcolm and Errol did the cooking, Andrew ran the cash and credit card processing, and Elliott and Dawn served our customers. Other teams took over during the day.

We are very thankful for our volunteers without which our fundraising efforts wouldn't happen. We're also grateful for the businesses and members of the public who always generously support us.

Our next fundraising effort (more of our member volunteers) will occur shortly before ANZAC Day when we will sell military memorabilia outside Foodland Tanunda on 17-18 April 24. If you are in the area, please call in and see us.