Shortland RSL Sub-Branch

05/06/2026

Veteran’s Yarn Friday

This week’s question for our veteran community:

What was your first posting, ship, unit, or squadron, and what’s one thing you’ll never forget about it?

For many of us, our first posting was where we learned the ropes, made lifelong mates, and experienced military life for the first time. Whether it was a ship, battalion, squadron, depot, training establishment, or support unit, those early memories tend to stick with us.

Maybe it was:
• The characters you served alongside.
• A memorable exercise or deployment.
• A lesson from a senior NCO or officer.
• A hilarious incident that still gets talked about today.
• The place where you formed friendships that have lasted decades.

Share your story in the comments, and if you have an old photo from those days, we’d love to see it too.

Every veteran has a story, and every story helps keep our shared history and camaraderie alive.

What’s one thing you’ll never forget about your first posting?

04/06/2026

SHORTLAND RSL SUB-BRANCH OPENING HOURS

Looking for a place to catch up with friends, meet new people, or simply have a yarn?

We're open:

Wednesday — 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Saturday — 4:00pm to 8:00pm

Come down and enjoy:

• Refreshments available
• Ask about our monthly specials
• Live sport when available
• Good tunes and a relaxed atmosphere
• Pool Table
• Table Tennis
• Xbox Gaming Area
• Friendly company and conversation

Whether you're a veteran, family member, supporter, or local resident, you're always welcome at the Shortland RSL Sub-Branch.

📍 3 Conmurra Circuit, Shortland

Drop in for a chat, catch up with friends, meet fellow veterans and locals, or simply enjoy some good company in a welcoming community atmosphere. By supporting the Sub-Branch, you're helping us continue our work supporting veterans, their families, and the wider community. We'd love to see you.

Veterans • Families • Community

04/06/2026

Throwback Thursday ⚓️

This week’s throwback features a young Tristan Cronin, one of our dedicated committee members and a valued member of the Shortland community, during his time serving in the Royal Australian Navy at HMAS Cerberus.

It’s always great to look back on the service and experiences of the people who continue to give back to veterans, families, and our local community today. Thank you, Tristin, for your service and your ongoing commitment to the Sub-Branch.

We’d love to make Throwback Thursday a regular community feature. If you have:
📸 Service photos from your time in uniform
📸 ANZAC Day or commemorative event photos
📸 Historical military photos from our local area
📸 Family photos of parents, grandparents, or ancestors who served
📸 Any military-related memories or stories you'd like to share

Pop them in the comments below and tell us a little about them. We'd love to see the photos, memories, and stories that make up our community and help preserve them for future generations.

Every photo has a story — let's keep those stories alive.

02/06/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Steven Ranger, Hairby Danielle

31/05/2026

🇦🇺 ON THIS DAY – 1 JUNE 1942 🇦🇺

War came to Sydney Harbour.

Starting during the night of the 31st of May 1942 and into the early hours of 1 June 1942, three Japanese midget submarines infiltrated Sydney Harbour in an audacious attack on Allied warships anchored within the harbour.

Their primary target was the American heavy cruiser USS Chicago. When torpedoes were fired, they missed their intended target. One instead struck the seawall at Garden Island before exploding beneath HMAS Kuttabul, a former Sydney Harbour ferry being used as accommodation for Royal Australian Navy personnel.

The explosion tore through the vessel, sinking her and claiming the lives of 21 sailors — 19 Australians and 2 British servicemen.

The attack shocked the nation. For many Australians, it was the first realisation that the Second World War was not confined to distant battlefields. The enemy had reached our shores and entered one of Australia's most iconic harbours.

The photographs below show the aftermath of the attack: HMAS Kuttabul following the explosion, and one of the Japanese midget submarines recovered from Sydney Harbour.

Today, we remember the 21 sailors who lost their lives that night, and all those who served in the defence of Australia during the Second World War.

Lest We Forget. 🇦🇺

📸 Images courtesy of the Australian War Memoria

31/05/2026

29/05/2026

🍻 Veterans’ Yarn Friday

Pull up a chair and share a yarn.

Every veteran has a story worth telling. Sometimes it’s from a deployment, sometimes it’s from an exercise, and sometimes it’s just one of those moments that has stuck with you for years.

This week’s question:

What’s a small moment from your service that you’ll never forget?

It doesn’t have to be a combat story.

Maybe it was:
🔹 A memorable exercise
🔹 A practical joke that became legend
🔹 The best meal or brew after weeks away
🔹 A funny encounter on deployment
🔹 An unexpected friendship
🔹 A moment that perfectly summed up military life

Not just for veterans, Maybe it’s a family member that was a vet who’s shared a unique story with you that you’d like to share.

Share your story in the comments.

Photos are welcome too — we’d love to see them.

We’ll kick things off with one of our own below.

🇦🇺 Veterans helping veterans. Preserving memories. Building community.

29/05/2026

🇦🇺 On This Day – 29 May

Today marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, recognising the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers around the world.

Australia’s peacekeeping history stretches back to 1947, with Australians serving in missions across the globe in the pursuit of peace, stability and humanitarian assistance.

We also remember that on this day in 1953, soldiers of 3RAR (Old Faithful) were relieved from the front lines at Hill 355 during the Korean War after serving in one of the conflict’s most fiercely contested sectors.

The first photo shows Australian soldiers of 3RAR in Korea, while the second is from Timor-Leste in 2004, where one of our own members served as part of Australia’s contribution to international peacekeeping efforts.

Peacekeeping service often doesn’t receive the same attention as wartime operations, but it has played a vital role in helping communities recover from conflict and instability throughout our region and around the world.

📸 Have you served on a peacekeeping operation, overseas deployment, humanitarian mission or major exercise?

We’d love to see your photos and hear your stories. Share them in the comments below or send them to us via Messenger. We may feature some of them in future posts as we continue to recognise the service of our veterans and current serving members.

Lest We Forget — and thank you to all who have served in the cause of peace. 🇦🇺