HISTORY
BACKGROUND OF THE TORONTO RSL SUB-BRANCH |
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It is apparent that the Toronto RSL Sub-Branch was first formed some time between the end of 1919 and the beginning of 1920, with about a dozen members and the late Mr Monty Moon as President. The first meeting place, appropriately enough, was on the lake’s edge in an old boat shed belonging to Mr Williams, that stood nearby the site of the present Toronto Public Warf, though the later meetings were held in the old Toronto Scouts Hall and the old Toronto School of Arts respectively. Names of those few first members that are brought to mind are: Ted Atkins, Arthur Chapman, Harold Williams (who owned the boatshed), Charles McGuiness, Tom Davis, Wilf Denton and Don Hobbs. The existence of the Sub-Branch was irregular throughout the ensuing years and remained so, more or less until more recent times, but it appears that the Toronto Sub-Branch lapsed for some time during the late nineteen twenties to the early nineteen thirties during the Great Depression. During this lapse, some Toronto members transferred to what was then the larger centre of Teralba Sub-Branch to maintain continuity in the RSL and later transferred back to Toronto when the Sub-Branch was revived in 1934. Nevertheless, the going was still tough, but a few tenacious members held it together and kept it alive until reinforcements arrived from the 1939-1945 war. Some responsible and worthy names of these older members include Ted Atkins, Jack Remington, Ted Leary and Arthur Turner. However, nothing substantial was attained by the Sub-Branch until about 1949-1951, when an energetic committee, which included names such as Alec Rice, Harry Creek, Ron Ogilvie, Kevin Frazer, Wal Collier, Joe Coleman and Tom Gill among others, breathed a new life into the Sub-Branch and most importantly, they were well supported by a very strong Women’s auxiliary under Sub-Branch control. At this point of time, all building materials were rationed and it was necessary to obtain permission from the Government to have these materials released. Mr Jack Baddely, Local Member of Parliament, Chief Secretary and Deputy Premier, was approached at his home in Carey Bay and after a number of interviews, permission for the release of necessary materials for the construction of a building was obtained. The plans were passed by Council and tenders were called for to erect a wooden structure approximately 40 feet X 25 feet at the rear of a block of land which had been purchased in The Boulevarde, Toronto (the site of today’s RSL Memorial Club Ltd). A tender of 1750 pounds ($3,500) was accepted by builders, Gailbraith and Blundell, and a loan was obtained from the local bank and Mr Tim Mayo was the official architect. The building was completed and officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Alderman Quinlan, on November 11, 1950. The official partly consisted of the President of the Toronto RSL, Mr A. Rice, Mrs A. Rice, Mrs W Bailey, President of the Toronto RSL Sub-Branch Women’s Auxiliary, The Commanding Officer of RAAF Base Rathmines, Wing Commander J. McMahon and the Rev. Tanner, who dedicated the building. With the formation of the RSL Memorial Club and the granting of a liquor licence., extensions were made in stages. The membership increased with the advent of local mining and other industries. The Charter of Membership was re-issued on the 4th of February 1934 and the RSL Sub-Branch has been continuous since that date with a membership that neared around five hundred members at its peak. During the early 1990’s the Memorial Club premises were sold to the board of the Licensed Club. At the same time the Sub-Branch purchased the building opposite the Memorial Club in The Boulevarde, which was known as the Bank Building. From the top floor of this building, the Toronto RSL Sub-Branch now operates all of its administrative functions, including the very important Welfare and Pensions Departments. Meeting rooms are also located on this floor and it is planned in the very near future, to include a Drop-in Centre for members. Since the Second World War, there have been a number of notable persons holding positions on the executive of the Toronto RSL Sub-Branch for long periods of time and whose contribution to the success of the Sub-Branch must be mentioned. These include Alec Rice - President for four years and Honorary Secretary for seventeen years, Harry Creek – President for seven years and Honorary Secretary for twenty-two years, Tom Gill – President for eleven years, and Cec Donaldson OAM – seventeen years as President. Kevin Frazer has been a stalwart of the Sub-Branch, holding a number of minor positions, such as Social Secretary, Assistant Secretary and has been our Hospital/Sick Visitor for more than twenty-three years and with his wife Molly, has brought comfort over those many years to our sick and infirm members in their homes, hospital beds and nursing homes. In very recent years, the Sub-Branch has been experiencing a metamorphosis as the inevitable mortality of our World War II veterans begins to reduce member numbers. However, with recent recognition of the service of National Servicemen, member numbers have remained somewhat static at around three hundred, for the past ten to fifteen years. The Toronto Sub-Branch is a vital element of the Toronto and districts community, providing school scholarships and various small patronages to other notable community groups and for the past three years have been a sponsor and supporter of the Toronto Chamber of Commerce’s Carols by Candlelight. The Executive and members of the Toronto RSL Sub-Branch are keen to see the good work of the past continue into the future and are keen to see new members joining from our more recent military commitments and were are keen also to see the number of female members increase to reflect women’s contribution to our Armed Services.
PREVIOUS OFFICE BEARERS
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