District Secretary Update (13th June)
Good afternoon Sub Branch Presidents, Secretaries & Delegates,
As there was no DS update last week, I have tried to be as concise as possible with this week’s update.
Firstly, please be aware that a scam email is circulating. If you receive an initial email mentioning that someone has Faryngitis (correct spelling ‘Pharyngitis’), we strongly advise that you do not open it. If you do this email appears:
Email address: lesallen@gmail.com
Glad to hear from you! Sorry for the inconvenience, I need to get an Apple gift card for my friend’s daughter who is diagnosed with Stage 3 metastasized breast cancer, She had lost both parents to the disease (COVID-19, It’s her birthday, but I can’t do this now, the stores around here are out of stock and all my effort purchasing it online proved abortive I was wondering if you could help me get it from any store around you and I’ll reimburse you.
kindly let me know if you can handle this so i can tell you the amount and how to get it to me.
Thank you
Les Allen
For all new Delegates and Replacement Delegates, please review the State Congress supplementary documentation which was circulated on Monday 10 June (please see attachment 4, pages 21-26 for helpful information, eg, precinct map and, for those requiring accommodation, a valid credit card is required for checking into Rydges Fortitude Valley). Please also see ‘Gentle Reminder’ section below.
Attachment 1: Photo of National Servicemen’s Sub Branch President, Eric Beutel OAM (left) with the Sub Branch’s new Patron, Commander Rosemarie Apikotoa ADC RAN on HMAS Moreton Brisbane (centre); and National Servicemen’s Treasurer, John Bergmans (right).
Attachment 2: Photo of Brian Laing’s Life Membership Presentation at SED’s June Council meeting (left: Andy Dennis, Secretary, Bulimba District; centre: Brian Laing and right: Brian Daley OAM, President, Bulimba District).
Attachment 3: Photo of Jamie McLellan, President and other Sub Branch members of Springwood Tri Services on Friday 7 June, handing over 40 winter sleeping bags for the desperate living on the street to Fishers of Men, Rosies Friends of the Street and one other local Logan charity. This was hosted and facilitated by their State Member, Mick de Brenni at his office and is one example of the Sub Branch stretching out and making its presence noticeable and relevant within the community.
Attachment 4: RSL Qld State Congress Supplement & Delegate Information 2024 (see original email)
Veteran Wellbeing Coordination Centre, Greenslopes Private Hospital
You may be aware that the RSL Qld Marketing team have recently produced a video of SED’s Veteran Wellbeing Coordination Centre, at Greenslopes, promoting that the Centre provides support to hospitalised veterans through care, empathy and advocacy. Please click this link: South Eastern | Our Districts | RSL Queensland (rslqld.org) which can also be found on the SED page of the RSL Qld website.
King’s Birthday 2024 Military Honours List
Governor-General David Hurley listed the King’s Birthday 2024 Military Honours award recipients last weekend. This list (see original email) recognises and celebrates 737 Australians, including awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for conspicuous service. Please see attachment 5 and congratulations to Kevin Hughes BM OAM on Macleay Island and Barbara Daley OAM who is Brian Daley OAM’s wife (pictured in attachment 2).
D-Day
A week late, but I thought some of you might be interested to see these articles of Jim Grebert, member of the Sandgate Sub Branch , “Ours was jungle warfare with no civilisation. It was kill or be killed.”
Eighty years on from D-Day, two World War Two veterans come together to pay their respects | SBS News and D-Day 80th anniversary: Australia’s hidden role in Normandy landings | Daily Telegraph .
Sleep-Out Event
North Queensland District are keen to find out whether a Sub Branch has organised a sleep-out event as, in August, Townsville Sub Branch will be hosting a veteran off the street sleep out to be held at the RSL Thuringowa Club grounds. If there are any SED Sub Branch members who could offer any assistance or ideas, please let us know and we will pass them on.
RSL Members: ‘Lost All Contact’
If you are wanting to find out which of your members have lost contact with your Sub Branch, please follow the below instructions on MMS:
- Click on ‘Membership Management’.
- Scroll across to the right of the screen to the 10th title column: ‘Lost all Contact’.
- Click the down arrow to the right of the title and select ‘Filter by’. A menu will appear. The top box should remain as ‘Equals’ and you will need to click the area in the bottom box and select ‘Yes’ and click ‘Apply’.
- A list of all your ‘Lost All Contact’ members will appear.
Merchandise Portal Opens Again Soon
Event |
Opening Date |
Closing Date |
Remembrance Day |
1 Aug 2024 |
10 Nov 2024 |
Advocacy Support for Widow/Widowers
Further to Manly- Lota Sub Branch kindly conducting two poppy services this week, they enquired about welfare support for War Widows and Widowers. The RSL Qld Wellbeing team has confirmed that once the widow or widower have consented to being contacted directly and information being shared, they can be referred to the following for support:
- Legacy Brisbane: 41 Merivale Street South, Brisbane QLD 4101; P: 07 30295600; E: admin@legacybrisbane.org.au; W: Contact Us | Brisbane Legacy
- Australian War Widows Queensland: 183 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane QLD 4000; P: 07 3846 7706 | 1800 061 945; E |admin@warwidowsqld.org.au
- DVA Bereavement Team: 1800 624 608
- Wellbeing Team, RSL Queensland: 134 775 option 2 for Veteran Services
Other Updates / Actions
- Further to previous updates, the current format for Governance training will continue until 31 January 2025. Please see ‘Training’ section below for the next session and we highly recommend the online ACNC modules in the meantime.
- More information is coming soon on the future version of ‘Board Success Kit’ which will include additional guides for the roles of Sub Branch President, Secretary and Treasurer, including how to identify risks and identifying solutions to mitigate those risks.
- If you require the Membership form QR Code for any Sub Branch publications, you can find it here: Sub Branch event resources and templates (sharepoint.com)
- Managed IT Update: the project team are focussing on transition planning and finding a support/funding model for Sub Branches. More information can be found on the SKIP page: Managed IT (sharepoint.com) and a fun fact: 50% of RSL Qld laptops provided to Sub Branches have not been turned on over the last 90 days. There is a similar high percentage of mobile phones not being used. Please let us know if you have any unused RSL Qld IT equipment and these will be transferred to Sub Branches that need them.
- The Marketing team are keen to receive interesting stories on, and know whether your Sub Branch plans to hold commemorative events for, the following;:
- Vietnam War
- Korean War
- 25th anniversary of INTERFET in September
- Generational stories from Sub Branches that are 100 years old already or older, or turning 100 next year similar to ‘RSL News’
- Please see this week’s Branch Bulletin for interesting articles on MMS position holders (Positions on MMS (sharepoint.com)), RSL Qld State Secretary (Introducing RSL Queensland’s State Secretary (sharepoint.com)) and Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants amongst others.
- Do you have any updates you wish to make to the current ‘Sub Branch Activity Log’ books? If so, please let us know as they are going to be updated.
- If you notice any glitches while entering your events on SKIP, please let us know.
- Information regarding Christmas Hamper nominations will be coming soon.
Training
- Governance: TBC 13-14 November at Yeronga Services Club.
- MMS/SKIP training scheduled on 28 November has now been replaced with a second Advocacy Workshop from 8.30am – 30..pm at SED.
Gentle Reminders (imminent required action/deadlines are in green text)
- Sub Branch AGM documentation: Please send into this office within 28 days of your AGM, if you haven’t done so already.
- Board approval needs to be sought for any non-service members filling any Sub Branch executive positions until these Office Bearers are elected at your next AGM.
- 50 Year Certificates: Please could your Membership Officers check for any 50 year nominees and these should be added as a motion in your next General Meeting agenda and, once approved, sent to this office for Board approval.
- State Congress (Saturday 22 June):
- State Congress documentation: see attachment 4 or click this link: 2024 State Congress website.
- Last date for informing of a Delegate change: Monday 17 June (if the nominated Delegate is unable to attend the AGM).
- Voting: Delegates will receive a voting card at registration and voting devices will be available for collection on entering Halls A & B.
- Gift: Delegates to look out for a yellow redeemable ticket to exchange for a powerbank (useful portable charger for phones and laptops) at the League Services’ stand on Saturday 22 June.
- Exhibitors: Veteran Services, League Services and Mates 4 Mates, including subject matter experts from Employment, Partnerships and RSL: Be Well teams.
- Accommodation: For those booked into the Rydges for Friday night, dinner will be available in two sittings (please book into your preferred timeslots when you check in):
- 5:30pm-7:30pm
- 6.00pm-8.00pm
- Traffic Management Feedback Deadline: One person from each Sub Branch to complete this form: https://forms.office.com/r/Kmn1246RGM please by Tuesday 25 June so that RSL Qld can collate the current challenges that Sub Branches are experiencing.
- Vietnam Vet’s Concert, Billabong Park, Kooralbyn: Sunday 30 June and if anybody knows of any songs, musicians and songwriters related to the Vietnam War, please contact Brian McInnis, President, Kooralbyn Valley on: 0438 329 153; or email: bmcinnis1@bigpond.com .
- COF Cut Off Date: Monday 1 July for Board Meeting on Tuesday 9 July. Please see the COF page on SKIP: Charitable Objects Fund (COF) (sharepoint.com) for the current guidelines including the application and acquittal documents plus hardship checklist. Once completed, these documents should be sent to: cof@rslsouthqueensland.org .
- Compensation Advocate at SED: The next visit from an RSL Qld Advocate to SED to provide advocacy advice and assistance will be 10.00am-3.00pm on Tuesday 9 July. Any veterans who would like to meet with an Advocate at SED should contact the RSL Qld Client Contact Team (CCT) on 134 775 and select Option 2 to book an appointment time.
- Wellbeing Support Office Information Day: 8.30am-12.00pm on Wednesday 18 September at Sunnybank Sub Branch. Morning tea provided. Deadline for RSVPs: Monday 2 September.
- The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide: final report to be delivered by Monday 9 September.
- SED RSL Family Fun Day: 3.00-8.00pm on Saturday 28 September at Western Districts Rugby Football Club, Sylvan Road, Toowong. There will be fireworks at 8.00pm sharp and there are 10 free spots up for grabs to put Sub Branch marquees from which members can sell or give away merchandise or just talk to the community. Please add this to your diaries and encourage as many of your members to attend as possible as this is a fun day for all the family.
- Charitable Objects Fund & Grant Writing Information Day: Friday 18 October at Manly Lota Sub Branch with Jenna Le and Debby Scott-Ranson. More information to follow as soon as possible.
Vale Report: 7-12 June
First Name |
Last Name |
Service Number |
Sub Branch |
|
Anthony |
Chambers |
125242 |
Coorparoo & Districts |
Have a great weekend.
Kind regards
Julia and Annie