Committee Meeting Feedback

---- Our next special dinner night will be 17 November 23 - a Menu will be released soon. ----

Your Management Committee meets monthly and last met on 16 October 23. Here are some details on key activities: 

Remembrance Day

At that meeting, some time was spent planning Remembrance Day commemorative activities that are well underway given that 11 November is just around the corner (20 days). It's on a Saturday this year, so we're expecting a larger turn-out than usual.

There is still a lot to do on the day but we will be ensuring we have everything organised and ready to roll at a Committee Meeting on 6 November.

We have a poster to advertise the commemorative service that will be distributed to commercial premises around Tanunda. If you'd like to display a copy at your club or workplace, you may download and print a copy here. You could also email it to your friends.

We hope to see as many of our members there on the day. 

Licensed Clubs Supervision Requirement

The Committee received advice from the SA Government Consumer and Business Affairs department that licensed premises now need to have an "Approved Committee Member" to supervise bar operations. This approved person needs to wear a badge while our bar is open.

We are making arrangements for several members to be approved.

Veteran's Film Festival Donation Request

We received a request for donation from the above organisation and the committee has approved a $100 donation. As our sub-branch relies on fundraising through sausage sizzles, memorabilia sales, and the generosity of our local supporters, we endeavour to return that support within our community, however, on this occasion, the committee believes that the Veteran's Film Festival is a worthwhile project to support.

Annual Subscription Fees

The RSLSA/NT State Office advised us that with effect from 1 January 24 the subscription fees will increase to $50 from $40. We have paid a capitation fee to RSLSA/NT of $30 retaining $10 within our sub-branch for every membership subscription. From next year, our capitation fee will not increase meaning that for every $50 a member pays, we will retain $20.

Subscriptions are due on 1 January 2024 but may be paid early.

Seaton Park RSL Visit

Seaton Park President, Mr Peter Butt has emailed us asking if a team from their sub-branch could visit us on a Saturday or Sunday during January. We have responded to Mr Butt that we would be delighted for them to visit and will advise all members of the date on which we agree for them to visit when finalised.

We usually have no formal activities at The Hut during January, but will make an exception for this visit. 

Out Now: Issue 10 of "The Bugle"

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

The Bugle is online waiting for you to download and the topics of interest in this edition are:

1. Test Engineers Keep Aircrews Safe
2. Our Heroes: Lest We Forget - Dorothy Gwendoline Howard ELMES (Nursing sister)
3. Our Internet Site
4. Our Hercules Warhorse
5. Vale Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith, MC
6. Have You Been Scammed? (Test your phishing skills)
7. Military Humour
8. Army Going Electric
9. HMAS Hobart's Renovation: "The Green Ghost" Revamped
10. Veterans' Health Week Event 

You can download a copy in Portable Document Format (PDF) here:

The next issue, Issue 11 will be out in December 23.

Happy reading!

Committee Meeting Feedback

---- Veterans Health Week Event - Port Parham 29 SEP 23 ----At our Management Committee meeting on Monday, 11 September 23 we discussed numerous routine matters of little interest to members and a few issues that may be of interest. Details follow:

Our new Honour Board Wall

We're delighted to say that after years of wishful thinking, the Honour Board Wall has been completed to stage one. 

This was a long-term wish of President Trevor Klose and I know he's delighted to see it eventually come true during his presidency. It's the most significant change to the Hut since the kitchen revamp several years ago. Stage two promises to be even more exciting.

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Veteran's Affairs via its "Saluting their Service" program and with a small amount of our own funding, we've been able to get stage one completed.

Liddy Building has done an exceptional job constructing this wall for us. The brickwork on the bottom looks amazing and when you look through the door in the middle, in the background is our cross on which we focus during our ode. There is some work to do on the background wall and in the two boxes shown as black backgrounds, we'll have the names of our fallen heroes.

At the rear of the wall are some open spaces in which we intend to build storage spaces.

When next you visit, take a good look at our Honour Board Wall and tell us what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

Veterans Health Week - Port Parham

The Committee has arranged for a Veterans Health Week crabbing and Mental Wellness event on 29 September 23. Everyone on our mailing list would have received an invitation. If you didn't and you'd like one, please email us, but be fast, there are limited spaces.

Donation to Legacy

In keeping with our policy to give back to our community who so generously give to us, the Committee has approved for a $250 donation to Legacy Barossa-Light in support of their recent Legacy Week fundraising campaign. The money goes towards supporting veterans families.

Flooring Replacement

Funds have been approved to replace the linoleum flooring between the main hall and the kitchen which is in a sorry state of repair. That will be replaced by Carpet Court on 10-11 October 23.

Fathers' Day Raffle

Thanks largely to Committee members Jan and Denis Tompkins, our raffle was a huge success. It exceeded all expectations and reflected on the quality of the prizes on offer. All prizes were donated by local businesses.

Barossa Regional Gallery Meetings

Meetings between our Executive Committee members and staff at the Gallery are continuing with a view to having a permanent display of ADF memorabilia placed there on our behalf.

Grant for Audio System

A grant application has been submitted to Mr Tony Pasin MP for the purchase of an audio system we can use in-house and also at the Tanunda Memorial Garden on our two commemorative days annually.

Remembrance Day Planning

Remembrance Day planning has commenced and Charmane Klose is seeking volunteers to staff our memorabilia sales kiosk outside Foodland Tanunda on 8-9 November respectively. If you would like to help out, please let us know.

Our Honour Board Wall - A Work in Progress

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome you don't need to be an ADF service member or a veteran ---- I just had to tell you about our new Honour Board Wall.

We applied to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) under their 'Saluting their Service' grants offering and were granted sufficient to begin work on our new Honour Board wall.

We've been waiting for months to get started because construction trades are so busy, our little job had to wait.

However, Liddy Building, a Barossa-based company gave us a quote and this week work began. These guys really know their stuff.

The image shows the first stage of construction.

Later, electrical work will be completed - lighting to light up our honour boards that go in the recessed parts, and we'll transfer the names of our veterans from all wars into their new display space.

Through the doorway we will see our lighted cross towards which we look when stating our RSL Ode: "They grow not old as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget."

Our Hut was transferred to its current location at the Tanunda Recreation Park in 1946 and hopefully will be here for many years to come.

We'll post more images when the Honour Board is completed.

Veterans Health Week

---- The next Committee Meeting is on Monday, 11 Sep 23 ----Every year we hold a Veterans Health Week in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs who fund our activity.

Every year there is a different theme. As you can see on the image at left, the theme this year is "Mental Wellness Matters." It's all about mental health, which is an important matter for veterans, many who experience Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the many horrors they experienced during their service.

Those of us who have never experienced combat will never understand how they feel, but we are here to help and that is what these type events are for. To help the healing process and to let our fellow veterans know that we are here for them. They aren't forgotten.

Your committee is working on an activity for this year and the event will occur on 29 September 23, an earlier alternative date than that shown on the image.

Bookmark this space and we'll let you know all the details about what we have planned in the next week or two.