The Mount Evelyn sub-branch of the RSL was formed in 1969 by mainly World War One veterans. Foundation member Bill Phillips remembers; ‘There were only ten of us at the first meeting and in those days we had quite a few First World War men. They were a good lot and we all used to meet in various rooms and halls around Mt Evelyn’.

 

In their early days the club met in the ‘Senior Citizens Rooms’ and then in 1973 moved their meetings to the Mt Evelyn Public Hall. By the late 1980’s they were planning and fund raising for their own clubrooms and in 1994 the Shire Council agreed to approve two thirds of the funding for a clubroom extension to the Senior Citizens building. A ten-year loan was taken to fund the RSL’s one-third payment, and this was amazingly paid out some eight years early, thanks mainly to the Ladies Auxiliary and others who ran the weekly bingo.

 

In February 1996 in front of a large audience, the new Mt Evelyn RSL clubrooms were officially opened by the Chief Commissioner of the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Richard Longmore. It ended the club’s nomadic existence of 27 years & gave the sub-branch a home. In 2007 the club took over the running over the hall, ‘Hardy House’, when the senior citizens group folded.

 

The club’s activities over the years have included sending Xmas parcels to local servicemen in Vietnam, fundraising for welfare causes, social functions for members and running a regular community market. They also undertake an education program for schools and use their facilities to support various groups and causes within our community.

 

The Anzac Day & Remembrance Day Services have always been the main annual events for the sub-branch. From 1969 to 2009 a march down Wray Crescent followed by a service outside the public hall was traditionally held on the Sunday before Anzac Day. Since 2009 this has been replaced by the popular Dawn Service on Anzac Day in the Mt Evelyn War Memorial Gardens which in 2015 attracted a crowd of 3500.

 

The club has also been active in paying tribute to our Anzac heritage in a permanent way. This has included creating a war memorial and roll of honour plaque, developing community gardens to house the memorial along with a howitzer and WWI tribute plaques, an honour board for Mt Evelyn, display cabinets for war time memorabilia and the publication of a number of local military history books.

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CURRENTLY 

The Mt Evelyn Sub-branch remains committed to the welfare of ex-service people and their dependents, to promoting our Anzac heritage & values and by supporting our wonderful local community where ever we can.

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