Hawthorn RSL Sub Branch

07/06/2026

Please join us in congratulating our Vice President Eamon Hale for his first Last Post Service at the Shrine of Remembrance as a Shrine Governor! What an experience, and what a great representative for the veteran community.

Here’s what Eamon had to say:

“I’m still pinching myself.

Today I had the absolute privilege of serving for the first time as Master of Ceremonies for the Last Post Ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance in my capacity as a Shrine Governor.

Every Sunday at 4:45pm, we gather on the forecourt to speak about service and our history, to recite the Ode, play the Last Post, to observe a minutes silence, and for the flags to be lowered. While it is a simple service, given its location it is incredibly powerful.

Today, I spoke about the fighting in Borneo in 1945, including the Battle of Tarakan. With the war clearly approaching its conclusion, it is remarkable to reflect on the fact that 590 Australians were killed in the Borneo campaign right at the bitter end. For those fighting on the ground, the challenge to do their duty, accept and step into risk, and manage the danger whilst fully knowing the sacrifice was no longer as valuable must have been immensely hard.

What surprised me most today though was the crowd. Around 500 people gathered across the Shrine steps and forecourt, the overwhelming majority tourists who had simply been passing by and stopped to see what was happening. For many, it may have been their first encounter with this important part of Australia’s story and this cultural practice. To be the face of that to them is amazing.

I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to represent the Shrine of Remembrance, an institution that means so much to so many generations of Australians. To stand in such a special place, share the stories of those who served, represent my own service and that of my mates, and help keep their memory alive is something I will never take for granted.

As my first time, this is a day I will treasure for a very long time.

Lest We Forget.”

06/06/2026

📸 We need your photos!

One of the features of this year’s RSL Veterans Ball will be a living tribute to service, with images of veterans displayed throughout the night for all 550 guests to see.

Whether you served in the Navy, Army, or Air Force, whether it was long ago or you're still in, we want your service represented.

The more photos we receive, the better. We’re aiming for hundreds of images that capture the people, places, mateship, deployments, training, and memories that make up the story of service across generations.

If you have photos of yourself during your service that you’d be happy for us to share on the night, please upload them here:

👉 https://rslveteransball.com/upload

Please also share this with your mates, your unit associations, your sub-branch, and anyone else attending the Ball.

Let’s make sure every table, every generation, and every era of service is represented. 🇦🇺

06/06/2026

The founding of RSL Australia

in 1916, the representatives of Returned Soldiers Associations (RSA) from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland met in Melbourne to discuss amalgamating into one central governing body.
The intent was that this body would fight for the rights and entitlements of returned servicemen, their families, and their widows.

Consequently, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania would join together to form the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia. This would later become the Returned Services League of Australia, and later still, the Returned & Services League of Australia that we know today.
The Chairman of that first meeting was LTCOL Williams Pleasants, a founding member of the Victorian RSA, and the then President of it.

110 years ago, this body was active, energetic, and extremely public in ensuring that veterans were represented. Indeed, in 1919, it won a raft of entitlements that were the envy of the world.

We work for a return of the RSL to its place as the premier ESO in Australia.

Rear rank: CPL Franklin Murray (Victoria), CPL Sidney Cripps (QLD), SGT Pearson (WA), LTCOL Pleasants (Vic), Capt Harold Cohen (NSW), Petty Officer George Palmer (Vic), SGT Edward Fairbairn (SA), SGT Ernest Morrell (Vic), Capt Herbert Maddock (QLD),
Seated middle: WO2 Henry Podmore (NSW), Miss Thorp, SGT Erle Evans (SA), Miss Royce, SGT Frank McCoy (SA),
On ground: SGT William Burns (QLD), SGT John Collins (QLD)

RSL Australia RSL Victoria RSL NSW RSL Queensland RSL South Australia RSL Tasmania RSL WA

06/06/2026

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Binh Ba, as part of Operation Hammer. It was one of the most significant Australian engagements in the Vietnam War.

On 6 June 1969, a Centurion tank from and a RAEME Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) from 1st Armoured Regiment - Australian Army were moving through the village of Binh Ba, enroute to assist 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment when they were engaged with small arms and RPGs. Perhaps unusually, it was the RAEME Crafties in the ARV who returned fire first. During the engagement, an RPG struck the Centurions turret, damaging the tank and severely injuring one of the crew.
After the South Vietnamese Army response was heavily engaged, the local district commander requested the 1 Australian Task Force Ready Reaction Force be activated.

Consisting of an under-strength infantry company from D Company 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (only 65 men), a Troop of Armoured Personnel Carriers of B Squadron, 3 Cav Regt; and a Troop of Centurion tanks from 1st Armoured Regiment, they rapidly approached Binh Ba from the south.
The Australians faced a formidable force of regular North Vietnamese Army troops from 1 Battalion, 33 NVA Regiment, and D440 Battalion (Viet Cong) who were dug in and prepared to fight to the death. As the Centurions approached, they were met with volleys of RPG fire from the NVA defensive position.
The battle was different to many others in Vietnam, being fought viciously at close quarters and in an urban environment, with tunnels, trenches and prepared positions occupied by the NVA.
During it, one Australian was killed and 10 wounded. Four Centurion tanks were damaged by enemy RPG fire. The majority of the Australian wounded were tank commanders and crewmen. The tanks suffered losses but undoubtedly saved many infantry lives.
The battle was a decisive victory for the Australians and marked the last occasion they would meet large scale PAVN/VC main force units.

Read more: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/BinhBa50

RSL Victoria RSL Australia 3rd Brigade - Australian Army 7th Brigade - Australian Army 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment The School of Armour - Australian Army

05/06/2026

A fantastic night with great mates at East Malvern RSL!

With Hawthorn RSL still undergoing renovations, more than 20 of our members made the trip down the road to East Malvern for our Friday night catch-up, and we couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome.

It was a brilliant opportunity to introduce ourselves properly, share a few stories, and start building stronger bonds between our two Sub-Branches.

Hawthorn RSL isn’t just a stand-alone Sub-Branch. We’re part of a much larger network of Sub-Branches, veterans, families, volunteers and communities, all working towards the same mission.

We’re , and we look forward to partnering with East Malvern RSL on veteran issues, events and opportunities into the future.

A huge thank you to East Malvern RSL for their hospitality. We’ll see you again soon!

05/06/2026

Ben is doing a lot of great work. We’d encourage you to have a read and leave your thoughts

04/06/2026

Friday Froffies at East Malvern RSL tonight!

With our renovations ongoing, we’re in tour and invite all of our members and veterans to join us at East Malvern RSL tonight!

We look forward to seeing you there!

04/06/2026

A Look Back to Move Forward 📰 🗣️

In 1967, the Victorian State Executive of RSL Victoria made a powerful stand; affirming the right of its members to dissent on political matters, especially regarding the Vietnam War. This bold decision upheld freedom of conscience and respect for differing views within our veteran community.

At Hawthorn RSL, we honour this legacy by continuing to foster respectful political dialogue and advocacy. Veterans are not just defined by their service, but by their voices: voices that matter in shaping Australia’s future.

Whether it’s speaking out on veterans’ welfare, mental health, or state and national policy, we stand by the principle that disagreement is not disloyalty. Discussion betters us all.

Let’s keep the conversation going. 🇦🇺✊

03/06/2026

Turns out there was a pretty good reason we closed up for a few weeks… 👷‍♂️🔨

The ceiling is back on, the toilets are almost complete, and every day brings us one step closer to reopening the doors and welcoming veterans and their families back home.

What started as a renovation project has become something much bigger. Hawthorn RSL is on track to be more than just one of the most influential Sub-Branches in Australia online. We’re building a space that we believe will set the benchmark for what a modern veteran community should look like, taking our lead from what our forebears pioneered in the 1920’s.

This is a place where veterans and veteran families can connect, support one another, share a laugh, find purpose, and know they’re always welcome.

All driven by volunteers who believe in this community.

The veterans who built this place 100 years ago will still recognise it. And they’d recognise the modern veterans who fill it.
They’ll just be wondering how we managed to make it look this good.

Not long now. 🇦🇺

02/06/2026

We’re a happy team at Hawthorn RSL Sub Branch!
Jump on this!

Thanks to the AFL, we are excited to be able to give away 8 FREE tickets to our veteran community to the Hawthorn Hawks vs. Western Bulldogs game that will take place this Friday night. 🏈

🗓 When: 5th June 2026, 7:40pm
📍Where: Melbourne Cricket Ground

Book your tickets now by clicking the link below - first in best dressed! Please note there is a limit of 2 tickets per booking.

Link to book here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1595873

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].