East Malvern RSL

By John Berger

15 AUGUST 2023

My adjournment is for the Minister for Veterans in the other place Minister Suleyman, and the action I seek is that the minister join me on a visit to East Malvern RSL in my community of Malvern to meet with the committee, staff and members to discuss the new Veterans Card Victoria. The East Malvern RSL sub-branch history begins in 1933 in a barn loft at the rear of a property off Darling Road. It was established by foundation president Ted Hopkins, vice-president Cyril Elliott and secretary Eric Lowe. Over 120 ex-servicemen came together in this barn. With more than 90 years of history since its establishment, East Malvern RSL notes that many of its members were among the first Anzacs who fought at Gallipoli. Many had fought on the Western Front. Their vision was:

 … to preserve the spirit of mateship, to honour the memory of the fallen and to provide welfare services to veterans and their dependants.

Today their vision is to ensure that every veteran and their families are respected and supported. East Malvern RSL manages to achieve this in many ways, whether it be a commemorative service to remember the service and sacrifice of our veterans or to fundraise for their members and their families to support them.

The RSL also provides welfare services through grants and scholarships, supports kindred organisations and is a safe and friendly space for veterans and the community to come together. With the diverse, complex and multigenerational veteran community – ranging from the trails of New Guinea to the hills of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam and the deserts of Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan ‍– the needs of the veterans are different. The people are different, and the communities are different, but they all share something in common: they are bonded by their shared mateship, service and duty. They are all diggers, and they deserve our respect.

The East Malvern RSL is a real social hub in my community. It has a bistro and a space for live music, and of course it hosts the East Malvern Men’s Shed, but it needs your support – our support. So I encourage my community to visit eastmalvernrsl.org and sign up as a member. For only $40 your support goes a long way to keeping the place alive and running, and it goes a long way in supporting my electorate. In my community of Southern Metro, there is a very large veteran population. Overall there are about 3000 veterans in the Southern Metropolitan Region, and many call Malvern home.

I know president Geoff Tobin and the team at East Malvern RSL would appreciate a visit by the minister to hear directly about the great work that they are doing for the veterans, including the Veterans Card, and how the Andrews Labor government continues to support the state’s veteran communities. I look forward to welcoming the minister soon.