RSL IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Returned and Services League of Australia (the RSL) was formed in 1916 to provide welfare and assistance to those who had served in the armed forces and returned from overseas after being engaged in a war in which Australia was involved. The rules of membership have been relaxed over the years to provide for all servicemen and then even more to allow persons in services such as St John’s Ambulance, Firemen and the like to join.
With the passing of the large numbers of service personnel who were engaged in wars, particularly WW2 and even Vietnam now, and with the tremendous upsurge of interest in the Australian communities particularly of ANZAC Day, the RSL have now opened membership to persons, Australians and their allies, who are and or were a member of Defence Forces, and as Affiliate members, persons who have or had a relative who qualifies or qualified as a member of the RSL. Only a Service member can be President of a Sub Branch.
The Angeles City Sub Branch of the RSL was chartered on the 25th April 1994 (ANZAC day of course) and we now have a membership in excess of 380 members most of whom reside in the Philippines. We have members who are expats here now but were originally from the US, Canada, Britain, Philippines and other countries. The Angeles City sub branch is one of only four sub branches outside Australia, the others being at Subic (Philippines), Port Moresby (New Guinea) and Washington DC (USA).
Apart from welfare of our members, particularly in areas of dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs (particularly pensions), Angeles City Sub Branch has a charitable side to it. We conduct monthly children’s medical missions in local poorer barangays and barrios. The missions are usually conducted in a covered basketball court on a Saturday morning from 8 til 12 noon and local doctors and nurses and Barangay staff and tanods are persuaded to attend. Each child attending is registered and examined by a doctor who then prescribes medicines and vitamins, and the prescriptions are then filled by RSL members in attendance, free, and from stocks of medicines maintained by the Sub Branch. At our December mission 1260 children each received medicines and vitamins, some up to four separate medicines. The total number of children receiving medicines from our medical missions in 2009 was 10,221 children.
Fellowship (Filipino style !) is an important part of our activities and we meet every Tuesday, starting at the Ponderosa hotel and finishing at various locations in the tourist belt here. The 3rd Tuesday each month is set aside for a general business meeting.
For the last eight years, the Sub Branch has conducted an Australia Day Fiesta running over the days around Australia Day. We usually commence with a Beauty Pageant and Dinner Dance and the finale is on a Sunday when we hold a street party, closing off Fields Ave, and having up to 20 different stalls selling everything from beer (even VB and Crown lagers) and meat pies, to jewelry and clothing. We erect a stage in the middle of the road and provide live entertainment and clowns for the kids. A curry cook off contest is also held. This week is the major fundraiser for the year together with our weekly “chook raffle” (without chooks but very friendly other prizes), held every Saturday evening at The International Bar off Fields Avenue.
Of course remembrance is very much a part of RSL activity, and like all sub branches throughout Australia, ANZAC Day is a major event. We begin with a solemn remembrance service and wreath laying ceremony at the Clark War Cemetery and then adjourn to a local hotel where traditional activities such as a gunfire breakfast and rum toddies are served, two up, sausage sizzle, and copious amounts of beer are usually enjoyed. We also hold a Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day service and participate in the Pangasinan Remembrance Day at Lingayen to remember those who gave their lives in the allied landings to rout the Japanese at the end of WW2. We participate in addition to Memorial Days of service organization of other countries here, the VFW, FRA and American Legion and others.
I invite you to go to our web page at www.rslangelescity.com and the various links there to see more about us.. Our web page is constantly updated.
JAMES E. CURTIS-SMITH
