Rochester RSL Sub Branch

03/06/2026

Richard, Paul, Kyney, and all those who collected! Outstanding work!

Thank you 🤩 Rochester, Lockington and our wider community for your incredible generosity!

Now we are well equipped to look after veteran welfare concerns as they arise well into 2026.

Commemoration, Camaraderie, and Veteran Welfare. Our threefold RSL Mission. The RSL and our veterans are very much ‘still serving’ our community. 

Because of your help, we are better positioned to help those, when they need it most.

Following a fortnight-long fundraising effort co-ordinated by volunteers, Rochester RSL has raised a huge $15,000 for the Anzac Appeal.

02/06/2026

Lest We Forget

31/05/2026

Soldier recognised for lifesaving act

Seeing an attack on a dark highway was not what Corporal Joshua Smith expected to find while driving late one night.

He was driving to visit a friend in hospital at 11.30pm, when he noticed a car stopped on the North-South Motorway near Wingfield, South Australia, on August 15, 2022.

“I actually thought it was a flat tyre or a hit-and-run,” Corporal Smith said. Initially, he stopped beside the woman and asked if she needed help, but after getting little response, he started driving away.

“I was like, ‘I don't really have time for this’, and I started driving, and then something just told me that I needed to stop,” he said.

So, he pulled over about 30 metres ahead and walked back towards the vehicle.

Read more ➡️ http://spr.ly/6182B8j95o

29/05/2026

Lest We Forget

27/05/2026

Rochester teen Logan Archer embarks on Kokoda Trail to honour military legacy.

23/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17QTRPvw9w/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Australia had a military presence in Japan for ten years after the Second World War, initially as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF).

Charged with maintaining control, dismantling Japan’s war capability, and establishing the foundation for a return to a democratic government, BCOF had a policy of non-fraternisation.

This prohibited service personnel from entering Japanese homes or taking part in family life, however social contact did occur and, naturally, so did romance.

The Australian government forbade marriage between servicemen and Japanese women. Despite this ban, some Australian servicemen defied authorities and married Japanese women.

Prohibited from entering Australia because of the White Australia Policy, when their husbands were ordered home these women were left behind, often with young children.

In 1952 the Australian government finally granted permission for Japanese wives of Australian servicemen to enter Australia. By 1965, over 650 Japanese war brides had come to join their husbands, leaving their homes and families to begin a new life in Australia.

Photo: Claude Rudolph Holzheimer, Sergeant Charles John Franklin of 6 Australian Advance 2nd Echelon, and his bride Setsuko Morita during their wedding in Kure, Japan. 23 September 1952. Accession number 148123

22/05/2026

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm a little lost for words, this is unprecedented…

I have just completed the final tally for the 2026 ANZAC Appeal.

Treasurer Richard, Paul from Locky, Brett 2up champion, and the wider Rochester RSL Sub Branch membership who assisted in this appeal have raised….

FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

They have exceeded every appeal in modern history that our sub-branch has conducted.

This means $7.5k will be returned for local veteran welfare, and the rest will be used to support veterans across the state of Victoria.

As some of you may know, we still have veterans in need locally following the flood, and due to general life pressures, their needs persist.

Because of our volunteer collectors, their incredible work, and our community's incredible generosity, we will still serve our veteran community in times of need.

You can be rightly proud that you have also contributed to the wider veteran welfare efforts across Victoria.

Well done, Richard, Paul, Brett, and the entire ANZAC Appeal 2026 volunteer cohort.

A hearty thank you to Rochester, Lockington, and our surrounding communities for their amazing generosity.

Some additional info on the appeal. https://rslvic.com.au/anzac-appeal/

From President Cam, RSL committee, and members, thank you!

Campaspe News
Rochester Community Page
RSL Victoria

The RSL’s annual ANZAC Appeal is a major campaign to raise funds to support veterans and their families.

18/05/2026

12/05/2026

Rochester local William “Bill” Hourigan left the Australian army 74 years ago, but only now has his service finally been formally recognised.