RSL makes month of remembrance with HMAS Sydney anniversary

In the lead-up to remembrance day, and the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney II, Geraldton RSL has been full steam ahead organising the commemoration of those lost.

Friday saw the League’s biggest annual fundraiser — Poppy Day — bring in about $8000 in donations, which go towards providing support for returned servicemen and women.

“A lot of them join young, they don’t know how to be civilians, they never had to,” Geraldton RSL vice-president Ken Morris said.

“The military was in charge of their day to day. They give their best years in service, then they get left on their own...neglected wouldn’t be too strong of a word.”

Mr Morris said a focus of the Geraldton RSL in recent years had been to shake the image of being an “old man’s drinking club” to make women and more recent veterans feel welcome, and able to access help.

“Younger ex-servicemen and women from Afghanistan, Iraq ...don’t see what the RSL has to do with them,” he said. “There’s a lot of females too, ex-service members who are homeless and couch surfing. Not a lot of people think about that.”

The RSL will hold a commemorative service on Remembrance Day, November 11 at 11am, at the cenotaph outside Birdwood House.

Starting at sunset on November 19, a service will be held at the HMAS Sydney II memorial to pay respects to the 645 crew members who lost their lives battling German Cruiser Kormoran in 1941.