By Jenel Hunt
The three letters, RSL, often conjure up thoughts of the meals and entertainment you get down at ’the club’. Perhaps you think past that to Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day.
Yet the RSL is so much more than catering, entertainment and a few commemorative days in the year. The Stanthorpe RSL Sub-Branch is a repository of history and memories as well as being there to serve the people who serve or have served the nation.
Its touchstone has always been ‘mates helping mates’ but it’s on days like Friday 23 February that you realise it has an even broader scope, because last week the Sub-Branch had a dedication to animals.
The dedication was held as part of War Animal Day, also known as National Day for War Animals. It took place at the Robbie Robertson Memorial Garden at the back of the Sub-Branch premises and showed just how seriously the contribution of animals has been, and continues to be, in the Forces.
The memorial garden, which was dedicated last year with a plaque that reads “This garden honours those who served or are still serving; those that supported them and those who waited for them”, now also remembers the animals that served.
Stanthorpe RSL Sub-Branch president Martin Corbett said animals had been put to many uses in war, serving as transport, beasts of burden, messengers, protectors, mascots and pets.
“They have played an important part in all wars in which Australians have been involved,” he said.
While ’Simpson’s donkey’ became famous at Gallipoli, the animal was one of many donkeys there; mules were important carriers to take supplies to the frontline; 136,000 horses were sent to the first world war; the Camel Corps were also a part of World War 1 and by 1917 the Desert Mounted Corp had 6,000 camels. Working dogs were used by the Royal Australian Engineers in 1918 and messenger dogs worked the trenches of France. The First Dog Platoon was raised in 1944 for animals to do the work of search dogs. There were also mine detection and scout dogs in Korea and explosive detection dogs in Afghanistan.
Uniting Church minister, Reverend Kaye Ronalds, gave the blessing and people who attended the event were invited to lay purple poppies, known informally as animal poppies, at the site in memory of fallen service animals.
The Stanthorpe Sub-Branch has as its motto, Serve Remember Inspire.
It has certainly been a week where they have lived up to the second word of their ethos, Remember.
