Mornington RSL
Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (13:27): Mornington RSL hosted Minister Suleyman and me for an event to sign up local peninsula veterans to the new Veterans Card Victoria. Veterans across Eastern Victoria are signing up and receiving car rego discounts, free trailer and caravan rego, free public transport on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day on the trams, free boating licences and fishing licence exemptions. I am delighted we are supporting veterans and enjoyed my time at the Mornington RSL, which was established in 1922. Paul, club vice-president, was proud to show us around, and with over 100 years of history supporting veterans and their families, it did not disappoint. The Mornington RSL has a dedicated military museum, which details the service and sacrifice of Australians both abroad and on the home front during the Second World War. A lifelong collection of the RSL’s secretary, veteran David Howell, contained many original uniforms and artefacts which are rarely seen outside of the Australian War Memorial. Objects included a captured Italian flag from the Benghazi town hall, a slouch hat once owned by a 16-year-old who served in Victoria’s own battalion on Kokoda, an Australian Women’s Army Service uniform, a photo album and, among many other thousands of items, a Volunteer Defence Corps uniform detailing Australia’s own Dad’s Army. The RSL are engaged not only with the wider community but with local school groups, and I thank them and their veteran members for their time.