Speeches
Sunday, 29 June 2025
RSL SA Annual Branch Sub Conference
As patron I am pleased to join you for the 107th State Branch Annual Sub-Branch Conference.
I begin by congratulating the new office bearers elected on Friday: Brad Flaherty, State President SA, and board members Phil Southam, Meredith Burgess, Tich Tyson, and John O’Grady.
I trust you will serve the RSL with a strong future focus, ensuring the organisation’s longevity and success.
As Governor, I am committed to supporting veterans in any way I can.
The respect in the community for our current and former servicemen and women is deeply engrained and runs across the State, particularly in terms of commemoration.
Since we last met, I have witnessed this respect among members of the public at the April ANZAC Day Youth Vigil, the Dawn Service and Parade.
I have also experienced it in the efforts of Rotary sub-branches, including the Rotary Club of Magill Sunrise, for whom I unveiled five memorial seats at the Gums Memorial Reserve in March; and regional sub-branches, whose upgraded monuments I have visited on regional visits.
Meeting the needs of veterans in our community is complex and ever evolving.
In February it was my pleasure to launch the RSL Reach Out program, the first of its kind for the RSL in Australia, providing a wrap-around wellbeing service for veterans throughout SA, NT and Broken Hill.
I understand the program continues to go from strength to strength.
Growth has been the RSL’s focus for the past 12 months, increasing its footprint within the veteran space.
I congratulate the State Branch on some of its highlights, including:
- An increase in membership numbers from the previous year, including the prevention of some sub-branch closures due to low numbers;
- An increase in the number of commemorative services throughout the year;
- Opening new lines of communication with members, including a new newsletter.
I thank the RSL State Branch staff, led by CEO Tara Belton, for these achievements.
It’s been a pleasure to get to know Tara in her role as CEO, and to observe her commitment to connecting veterans with the support they need to lead healthy and fulfilling post-service lives.
I thank Meredith Burgess for stepping up to take on the position of Acting President, and the strong leadership she has shown over this period.
I also thank Ian Smith who recently stepped down as Chair of the RSL SA Anzac Day Committee, after 10 years in the role.
Ian’s commitment to Anzac Day commemorations has been outstanding and I thank him for his service.
Friends,
For more than a century, the RSL has stood for supporting those who served our nation.
Always at its core has been a commitment to serve those who have served through advocacy, welfare, mateship, commemoration, and sustainability.
Last year I made the point that the RSL of today is not the RSL of 1918. It is not the RSL of 1945, or 1975.
I acknowledge that change can be unsettling. At times, the conversations surrounding change can be confronting.
As a former diplomat, I came to understand the power of listening to others. It is in that active space of listening and engaging that some of our best ideas can be developed.
As your patron, I encourage you to embrace these wider conversations with the courage and commitment that have been, and are, at the heart of your service.
I urge you to give voice to opportunities that will strengthen the RSL at Sub-Branch and State level to ensure its sustainability well into the future while continuing to respect the League’s legacy.
As your Patron, I am here to support you as you navigate these challenges.
I wish you well in your deliberations and it gives me great pleasure to officially open your conference.