Andrew Clegg. Photo by Harvey Shore.
BY HARVEY SHORE
The 90th anniversary of the Manly Lota RSL Sub-Branch will be in September 2026. Yes, it’s more than a year away. However, strategic planning is long-term planning, so Andrew Clegg has just formed a team that is now seriously planning for the long-term viability of the Manly Lota RSL Sub-Branch.
He’s now looking three to five years into the future, to make sure our RSL team caters for the needs of the old and new RSL members, all local Veterans, and the wider local community who make use of the services and facilities at the Manly Lota RSL Hall.
The Manly Lota RSL Sub-Branch was founded in September 1936.
Andrew Clegg, Strategic Planner at the sub-branch, says it was formed to provide mutual support and welfare for serving and ex-service persons and their families in the local area, and to keep alive the importance and memory of ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day, and other special veteran’s days.
Today, as the sub-branch approaches its 90th Anniversary, the need to improve those original tasks has increased in importance as the membership of the sub-branch has grown. It now has over 220 members, including former veterans and a very strong Auxiliary.
“We need to sustain our services, both to members getting a little older, and to the younger demographic now living in our area. We want to look after their needs and include them all in our plans for the future,” Andrew says.
To do this, Andrew has formed a planning team at the RSL sub-branch in Manly.
Andrew says the team’s immediate aim is to sustain the Manly Lota RSL Sub-Branch for the next three to five years. To do that, it is enlarging office space in its hall in Manly for improved welfare and advocacy work. It also trains new volunteers to continue these important services.
“We’re also upgrading the hall so members and their families can continue enjoying regular events here, and so our local community can continue sharing the hall with us,” said Andrew. “Already it is used regularly by local groups, for indoor bowls, gardening sessions and dance classes.
“We want to make veterans of all ages, and everyone in our community, aware of our sub-branch services. Our planning team is working to improve all those services as we grow beyond our 90th anniversary.”
