Michael Sukkar MP

Croydon RSL’s 90th Anniversary

I rise today to acknowledge a significant milestone for an important community group in my electorate of Deakin. The Croydon RSL Sub-branch yesterday celebrated 90 years of operation. The RSL has about 170 members and is ably led by President Sam Berrie and his committee, including Vice-President Jim Lamb, Secretary Frank Bibby and Treasurer John Woolhouse.

I had the great honour in taking part in Croydon RSL’s Anzac Sunday march and memorial service earlier this year. The RSL does an extraordinary job of involving the community on important occasions such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, where the sacrifices of our local servicemen in the Deakin electorate are recognised and remembered. The RSL also plays an invaluable role every day in our community. It provides pastoral care to our veterans, including those from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It fundraises for charities and other community groups and has raised more than $1 million over the past decade—a really outstanding effort. It also opens its club rooms to anyone who drops in for a chat, including me, on a regular basis. I congratulate the Croydon RSL members on this special anniversary and sincerely thank them for their immense contribution to the Deakin electorate.