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.

Email Responses Delayed

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

Since around 8 April 24, our official RSL email system (tanunda@rslsa.org.au) has been offline and we have been unable to respond when necessary to incoming messages.

The absence of our volunteer tech guy overseas hasn't helped, but we look like being able to get the system back up and running early next week.

We do apologise for not responding to your email but will do so as soon as possible. 

Even the best-laid plans of mice and men?

Remember ANZAC Day 2024

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome ---- On ANZAC Day we commemorate all those who served and continue to serve in defence of our nation. From the first young men who sacrificed their lives in the Boer War between 1899-1902 and the most recent war in Afghanistan in which our men and women were engaged until 2021.

In an era in which our Western values are under attack and activists want to change Australia Day, abolish ANZAC and Remembrance Days, we need to stand firm and recall the many who served, those who died, and those who returned scarred for life so that we could live in a free, democratic country.

Without their sacrifice, Australia would be an entirely different place.

Those who serve in the Australian Defence Force today swore an oath to be available to defend our country if and when called to do so. They too are our heroes.

ANZAC Day Program

6:15 am DAWN SERVICE

Conducted by Father Mark Sexton at the Tanunda Memorial Gardens, Murray Street, Tanunda followed by a Gunfire Breakfast at the RSL Hut, Bilyara Road in the Tanunda Recreation Park.

($10 donation for ticketed breakfast)

10:15 am MUSTER FOR MARCH

Outside the Tanunda Post Office, Murray Street.

10:40 am MARCH STEP-OFF

March to the Barossa Regional Gallery (Soldiers Memorial Hall), 3 Basedow Road, Tanunda.

11:00 am COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE

Service conducted by Father Mark Sexton at the Barossa Regional Gallery.

12:15 pm LUNCH

Join us for lunch at the RSL Hut, Tanunda Recreation Park off Bilyara Road. ALL WELCOME. ($10 donation for lunch).