ABOUT - History

AUBURN

The Auburn RSL sub-Branch was set up with a charter from RSL NSW on 12 February 1923. Over 500 veterans were members of the sub-Branch in the hey days after WW1 & WW11.

With some good management and some luck on their side, the committee forebears of this sub-Branch invested their capital and fundraising profits into real estate in the heart of the Auburn town ship. Buying land and building a recreational RSL club, constructing a dedicated War Memorial, running a productive RSL Youth Club, a large ANZAC Day local presence at surrounding district schools; the sub-Branch had a healthy brand and awareness within their local community over the decades.

In the late 90’s the last of the Auburn WW1 veterans had passed. At the turn of the century only a small gathering of WW11 veterans remained. The membership numbers were now Korean War, Vietnam war veterans and combined group of modern day veterans from peacekeeping to recent conflict campaigns from the 70’s onwards.

The Auburn committee and membership decided to sell their property (Auburn RSL Club) in 2015, with declining membership. The club was confronting difficult times to remain a profitable business in a demographic where community demands were changing regularly.

CUMBERLAND

Monday 13 February 2017, the Auburn RSL sub-Branch monthly meeting, election of new Auburn committee was made and the RSL NSW Cumberland sub-Branch was formed.

Auburn RSL sub-Branch member, Peter Noreen, moved the motion, second by his brother, David Noreen, and passed by the attending membership, a new name change was put in place from Auburn to Cumberland RSL sub-Branch. All actions of the meeting met the standard operating procedures of RSL NSW, and were approved by RSL NSW Board of Directors, led by President, Rod White and Chief Executive Officer, Glen Kolomeitz.

The new sub-Branch then welcomed members of the STRATHFIELD sub-Branch into the Cumberland membership as a new ‘amalgamated’ partner at the same meeting.

Cumberland RSL sub-Branch was alive. New faces, new energy and new directions.

At this first Cumberland General Meeting, former President, Chris Hurley ‘handed over the weight’ to the newly elected President Greg Read, to carry on with the new Cumberland sub-Branch.

The following members were the inaugural Committee of the new sub-Branch until the first Annual General Meeting.

‘Summit Financial Consultants’ represented by General Manager, Artin Etmekdjian, assisted chartered
accountant, Vi Le, was approved as the sub-Branch financial accountants for all sub-Branch requirements.

2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 has seen many faces change at the Cumberland committee table and the day-to-day activities of the sub-Branch. Many concerns have arisen within many RSL NSW sub-Branch communities, after the results and findings of the recent ‘Bergin Inquiry’.

The inquiry headed by former Supreme Court Judge, Patricia Bergin, SC, also concluded that 13 former RSL NSW Councillors – including former national president Rod White – should be referred to the corporate regulator and the charities watchdog for failing in their duties to The Returned Service League.

2020
RSL NSW Life Member, Ray James, Ingleburn sub-Branch, was elected as President of RSL NSW. Greg Read, Cumberland sub-Branch, elected one of the five new RSL NSW Board members.

2021

TEACHERS, GRANVILLE and LIDCOMBE sub-Branch’s have pending proposals to amalgamate into the Cumberland sub-Branch in these new times ahead. The Covid virus crippled the sub-branch of all actives for the next 18 months with many disruptions and planning changes.

2022
GRANVILLE sub-Branch and the Lidcombe auxiliary group have now joined the Cumberland sub-Branch, with a possibility that the Lidcombe RSL members may become a chapter of Cumberland sub-Branch in

2023.

The first Hon Secretary of Cumberland Mark Lee, has come back to the ranks and was elected Hon Secretary in October to assist the sub-Branch to drive this next stage of our new strategic plan.

Working with RSL NSW and its increasing representation of new and existing partnership projects within their state wide strategic plan, will become the feature focus of new activities for Cumberland over the next decade. This will create a base structure towards increasing membership from the ranks of existing ADF members to join their veteran community at RSL NSW and with Cumberland, to be one of many senior sub-Branches displaying a new light into the organisation.

At the May AGM, James Batkin, was elected as the new President for the next three year term.

THE AUBURN WAR MEMORIAL – A BRIEF HISTORY

by Ron Inglis

Over one thousand men from the Auburn district signed up to fight for King and Empire in The First World War of 1914-1918. One hundred and thirty six of these Auburn men, including Mayor William Johnson, did not return from battle.

After the Armistice the local Auburn community organized for a memorial to be built to recognise their servicemen and to give special honour to those who did not return. So great was the number of men from Auburn who died in the war that only those who paid the supreme sacrifice are listed on the memorial. Unlike most other Australian war memorials, the Auburn memorial did not have room for the returned men.

The memorial was unveiled with great public ceremony in 1922 by the Gallipoli veteran and popular commander of the 2nd division of the first Australian Imperial Force (AIF), Major General Sir Charles Rosenthal. The memorial first stood in Railway Park next to the station. It was designed and built by Melocco Bros, a firm of stonemasons established by two Italian immigrant brothers in 1909.

To include Second World War (1939-1945) servicemen and women, a large commemorative area in Auburn Park was set up and the refurbished memorial was moved there in 1946. Again, only the names of the Auburn men who died in the Second World War were added to the Great War Memorial. The new commemorative area was opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Governor General of Australia. The plaque noting the occasion may still be observed – on the Auburn Park Jubilee Gates on the edge of the park, facing Macquarie Road.

Security and preservation concerns led to the memorial being moved in 1987 to Northumberland Road, immediately opposite the Auburn RSL sub-Branch Club. The club had begun in an old tin shed back in the 1920s with informal gatherings of returned servicemen meeting for mutual support. By 1987 the Auburn RSL Club was one of the largest registered clubs in NSW with thousands of members, both veteran and general public.

Following the sale of all RSL property in Northumberland Road in 2013, the community had to find a new home for Auburn’s fine Great War Memorial. Auburn City Council convened a committee with representatives from the Council, the RSL sub-Branch and from the Turkish community to recommend a new site and to consider how both the sub-Branch and the Turkish community could have monuments to jointly commemorate the Anzac Centenary coming up in 2015.

The end result was a fine public commemorative area, back in the renamed Memorial Park, adjacent to Auburn Station on Rawson Street. Thus the Auburn War Memorial has the distinction of being the only war memorial in Australia that has moved three times and is now back in the same park in which it was originally unveiled.

The commemorative area in Memorial Park has the refurbished Auburn War Memorial ‘embraced’ by the Australia-Turkey Wall of Friendship, along with accompanying flagpoles, landscaping, lighting and paving. The concept was developed by Thompson/Berrill and the project was managed by Frances Hamilton, landscape architect of Auburn City Council.

On February 28, 2015 a large public ceremony was held in the park. The Mayor of Auburn City Council, Mr Ronney Oueik renamed the former Railway Park, the Consul-General of the Republic of Turkey, Dr Seyda Hanbay Arca unveiled the Australia-Turkey Wall of Friendship and the refurbished war memorial was unveiled by sub-Branch member Wing Commander (AAFC) Paul Hughes.