Mourning the Passing of Our Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

It's a sad time for all of us who admired, respected and loved Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

We invite you to read RSL Australia President Greg Melick's press release here.

 

Today is Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Meals on first Friday of month ----

Today is Victory in the Pacific Day, the day in which we commemorate the end of World War II and give our thanks to WW II veterans.

On 15 August 1945, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, bringing the Second World War to an end. 

After six years of war and over 45,000 killed in service or as prisoners of war, Australians rejoiced. They celebrated with church services, gala concerts, and parades. Over 200,000 Australians serving overseas began to return home, as well as thousands who had been prisoners of war, reuniting families.

General Sir Thomas Blamey represented Australia at the ceremony while a dozen Royal Australian Navy ships were among those gathered in the bay.

Lest we forget.

Acknowledgement: Photograph is from Australian War Museum

Military Brotherhood Group Visits

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Meals on first Friday of month ----

Our sub-branch was pleased to have a visit from a group of the Military Brotherhood Military Motorcycle Club (MBMMC) (Hills Murraylands Sub-Branch) members last Sunday.

Committee member, Marcus Beckett was approached by a member of the club and subsequently arranged this visit which included a barbecue and presentation from the group about its activities in helping veterans and their families with household chores. The club also has advocacy and counselling capacity.

The MBMMC is for serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force, Commonwealth and Allied forces, their families, friends and their supporter base. The MBMMC is open to both male and female members, whether service members or supporters and you don't have to own a motorcycle.

During the presentation, members, "Polly" and "Quey" told us that they are well equipped with resources including a log splitter and work tools they transport in a trailer so they can do helpful odd-jobs for people who need help with their home maintenance. This could include tree-trimming, gutter cleaning, wood stacking, and a variety of other jobs.

They work only on weekends and would attend Tanunda on maybe two occasions during the year as they travel to many other locations in South Australia where they provide similar support.

President Trevor suggested that before the team members attended Tanunda, we could canvass members to determine who needed help and what they required. 

You can read more about the MBMMC at the DVA site here or at the MBMMC site here.