Mosman Park Sub Branch

Buckland Hill Memorial Park

Mosman Park was formed in 1929 as Cottesloe Beach Sub Branch.  The name changed again in 1933 to Buckland Hill and finally to Mosman Park in 1937.  The sub branch in its early years was active in establishing the Buckland Hill Memorial Park.  With land set aside by the Buckland Hill Road Board, the sub branch worked to clear and prepare the site.  The Buckland Hill Womens Auxiliary were also active participants in establishing the Park through their fundraising efforts.  The Park features an Honour Avenue which is made up of Norfolk Pines, at the base of which are plaques for the fallen.  In 1952 a Brick Rotunda was added to the Park by the Mosman Park Memorial Committee with representatives from the sub branch, local progress association, Road Board and Horticultural Society all contributing.

Mosman Park RSL Hall - picture courtesy of the Grove Library

In 1938, the sub branch acquired a home of its own taking over the hall formerly belonging to the friendly society.  The Hall had fallen into a state of disrepair and sub branch members devoted weekends to working bees in order to renovate and repair the building.  The Hall opened on the 11^th December 1938 in the presence of about 250 people.  During the War, the Hall was used by the Womens Auxiliary to make camouflage netting and was a place for meetings and social activities.  In 1974, with membership in decline, the sub branch sold the Hall.  Meetings are now held in the Alf Adams Pavillion.

Applecross Sub Branch

Applecross had its origins as Melville Sub Branch, which was formed in 1936.  The first President was Colonel L E Dunkley and Mr H C Norris served as Secretary.  The first meeting was held at the Majestic Hotel.  In its early years, the Sub Branch was involved in the setting up of the Honour Avenue in Point Walter with a working bee arranged to put the plaques in place.

A unit of the RSL Volunteer Defence Corp was established in Melville in 1940.  The VDC was established by the RSL in the wake of German forces invading France and admitted veterans from WWI or those who were unable to serve due to age, ‘essential occupation’ or physical disability.   The VDC trained to protect Australia with its role increasing with the growing threat.  The VDC was taken over by the Government in 1941.

After World War II, Melville Sub Branch proposed establishing a memorial in the form of a Library in the Melville community.  A committee was formed and the Road Board approached for land.  The funding for the project was to be through public subscription.  According to the Minutes of the Melville Sub Branch, the sub branch eventually withdrew from the plan in 1960 with disagreement between the Library Board and Melville Road Board causing the project to stall.

In 1960, Melville Sub Branch changed its name to Applecross and the RSL Hall was renamed to include Memorial in the title in the same year.  

Applecross Sub Branch have managed to maintain its minute books so we have some record of its activities since formation.  Unfortunately we don't have much in the way of photographs or even memorabilia relating to the sub branch.  

Faversham House - York

During WWII, the RSL in WA began fundraising for the building of a War Veterans Home to service the needs of an aging population.  Faversham House was the first War Veteran Home in Western Australia and was run by the RSL up until the building of the War Veteran Homes in Menora.

Faversham House was built in 1840 by John Henry Monger  and was occupied by the Monger Family until it was handed over to the Commonwealth Government during WWII.

During the war the house was used by the Red Cross as a hospital.  In 1946, the RSL leased the property for the purposes of a convalescent home.  It was in 1949 that the Home was converted into a war veterans homes and became the first RSL War Veterans Home in Western Australia.

The running of the home was financed largely through contributions made by the sub branches and the fundraising efforts of the Womens Auxiliary.  A donation by Sir Ernest Lee-Steere in 1950 to Faversham House also helped to secure its future. 

Faversham House was surrendered to the government in 1960 with construction beginning of the War Veteran Homes in Menora that same year.    

Avon Region - Beverley Sub Branch

Beverley is located in the Avon region of Western Australia and is one of the oldest settlements in Western Australia.  With a population of 1700, the main industry in Beverley is agriculture.

The Beverley RSL Sub Branch is one of the oldest sub branches in Western Australia with mention of the sub branch being made in the Beverley Times as early as 1918.  In 1940, the sub branch was gifted the White Hart Hotel on Forrest Ave and the surrounding land.  The Hotel was built in 1904 and was in a deteriorating condition when gifted to the sub branch.

In 1954, due to the condition of the building, the sub branch elected to remove the top level to save the building from being condemned.  Over the years it became difficult to maintain the building and meetings were often held at other locations in the town.  It wasn't until 2001 that work started on major renovations to the building and the work was completed in 2003.

Avon Region - Toodyay Sub Branch

The Toodyay Sub Branch is one of our oldest sub branches of the League with mention of the sub branch printed in the Toodyay Herald in early 1919.  Within the community the sub branch worked with other organisations such as the Red Cross and the Welcome Home Committee after WWI to support veterans and their families.  Toodyay was active in fundraising and working towards supporting community needs such as improvements to the Toodyay Hospital and relief funding for those affected by bushfires.  Prior to WWII, the sub branch did decline with a drop in membership and it wasn't until 1944 that the sub branch renewed its activities.  

In 1948, Toodyay sub branch purchased a block of land in the main street of town with the intention of building a hall which would serve as a memorial to those who served in WWII.  In 1957 the sub branch donated its building fund to the Toodyay Road Board for much needed renovations to the Town Hall.  The donation was conditional on the sub branch being able to use the Hall and for the Hall to be renamed Toodyay Memorial Hall.  With the building fund donated, the sub branch further donated the land purchased in 1948 to the Toodyay Road Board to be set aside as park land for the use of the community, the park was named Newcastle Park. 

Toodyay sub branch today continues to play an active role in the community, organising ANZAC Day Services and other events throughout the year.  Today the sub branch meets at the Bowling Club and has an active membership.

New Library Premises in ANZAC House

The Library has now moved upstairs in ANZAC House.  We now have a dedicated space for people wanting to research our archive collection or simply wanting to catch up on some reading in our Library.  The Library is open on Thursdays and by appointment and is run by a dedicated team of volunteers.  The archive is available by appointment please contact ANZAC House for details.

South East Metropolitan Sub Branches - Buildings

To date, the project has visited the Armadale Sub Branch, Gosnells Sub Branch and the Canning Districts and Victoria Park Sub Branch.  All of the sub branches have their own premises which were largely built by voluntary labour within the sub branch itself.

Armadale Sub Branch was opened in 1935.  Smaller than originally intended, the sub branch was offered the space by the Road Board for the building of a hall.  The back section of the building was donated by Mr L Thorpe and a donation of 6000 bricks by the Metropolitan Brick Company meant that the structure could be extended by sub branch members.  Using voluntary labour and a loan from the Road Board, the sub branch was able to complete the premises for opening in December 1935.  

With the start of WWII, it became evident that the sub branch would outgrow their premises.  In 1941 the sub branch proposed the building of a new hall for 11 thousand pounds on land held by the sub branch in Jull Street.  With non essential building paused during the war, the sub branch was unable to proceed at this time with their plans.

In 1958 the sub branch abandoned these plans and decided to extend their existing premises.  The Hall was extended most recently in 2000, again using voluntary labour as much as possible.  The Armadale Sub Branch Hall in a municipal heritage report by the City of Armadale was quoted as being 

"a part of the social activities of the community, monthly socials, weddings, birthday parties, meetings and many other family orientated occasions.   The social heritage to the people of the Armadale district and Returned services League members from 1919 to 1994 is of immense value to the heritage of Armadale". 
    

Gosnells Sub Branch Hall, like Armadale, was built by voluntary labour.  The Hall opened in 1956 and was reported to fill a need within the community for a smaller district hall.  The Hall was built on memorial land, co-located with the Gosnells District War Memorial.  


With the resumption of land by the Road Board for the extension of the road, the Memorial was moved to its current location in the gardens of the council.  It also meant that any extension to the Hall was now limited.  The Hall was extended in 1966 at a cost of 1200 pounds.  The costs were kept down by using voluntary labour and expertise existing within the sub branch.  


Canning Districts and Victoria Park Sub Branch was formed through the amalgamation of Canning Districts and Victoria Park in 1989.  The Sub Branch meets in the Canning District Hall which was built in 1955 and extended over the years to deal with the needs of the community and its members.  Within the grounds of the Sub Branch are the tablets from the original Victoria Park memorial.  The original memorial was designed by Pietro Porcelli and featured a soldier standing on guard with the names of service personnel printed from the community carved into tablets below.  


Within the area was also the Kenwick Sub Branch, Maddington Sub Branch and the Victoria Park Sub Branch.  Maddington was the only sub branch without a Hall, holding meetings in the Maddington Centennial Hall which is no longer standing.