Gulgong RSL sub-Branch

31/10/2026

The Gulgong RSL Sub-Branch held another fundraising raffle for veterans and veterans families at the Gulgong Bowling & Sporting Club on the 31st of October. We thank those who bought tickets or donated to the Sub-Branch and look forward to our next raffle at The Gulgong RSL Club on Thursday the 12th of November and Gulgong Bowling & Sporting Club on Saturday the 14th of November.

Here are our lucky winners. 'In the service of those who have served'

31/10/2026

In solemn reflection and remembrance on this significant day in our nation's history. 'In the service of those who have served'

On this day in 1914, the first convoy of Australian troops departed for the First World War.

On 1 November 1914, more than 21,000 Australian troops set sail from King George Sound in Albany, Western Australia, joining around 8,500 New Zealanders on a journey that would change their lives and the course of our nation's history.

Escorted by four warships, the convoy carried soldiers, nurses, medical personnel, horses and military supplies. Most believed they were bound for Europe, where they would join the fighting on the Western Front.

Instead, they were diverted to Egypt, where they trained in the desert beneath the pyramids. Just months later, many would find themselves on the shores of Gallipoli, taking part in a campaign that would become a defining chapter in Australia's military history.

For many aboard those ships, the departure from Albany would be their final glimpse of Australia.

Today, 112 years on, we remember the courage, sacrifice and service of those who embarked on that historic journey, and all those who would follow.

Lest we forget.

📸 The first Australian Convoy conveying the first Australian contingent to the Middle East. The convoy, escorted by HMAS Sydney, HMAS Melbourne, and the Japanese ship HIJMS Ibuki, is sailing in three parallel lines shortly after its departure from Albany, WA on 1 November 1914 (Australian War Memorial).

30/10/2026

In solemn reflection and remembrance. 'In the service of those who have served'

30/10/2026

In solemn reflection and remembrance on the anniversary of this significant day in our history. 'In the service of those who have served'

30/10/2026

A most noble appeal for assistance. 'In the service of those who have served'

Help bring Vietnam's missing fallen soldiers home.

More than 50 years after the Vietnam War, thousands of Vietnamese soldiers remain missing, leaving families without answers about the fate or final resting places of their loved ones.

Vietnam's 500 Days and Nights Campaign is a nationwide initiative to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers ahead of the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day in July 2027.

Australian Vietnam War veterans, their families and members of the community may hold valuable information that could help.

Memories of burial sites, photographs, maps, documents, personal accounts or other historical records – even the smallest detail could provide a vital clue.

RSL Australia encourages anyone with information that may assist these efforts to contact the Embassy of Vietnam directly.

📩 Email: [email protected]

By sharing what we know, we can help bring answers to families who have waited more than half a century and honour those who never returned home.

Please share this appeal to help reach those who may hold valuable information.

RSL Queensland RSL NSW RSL ACT Branch RSL Victoria RSL Tasmania RSL South Australia RSL WA

Legacy Australia

📸 The Ho Chi Minh trail required, on average, four months of rough-terrain travel for combatants from North Vietnam destined for the Southern battlefields (Wikimedia Commons).

30/10/2026

'In the service of those who have served'

🪙 We Will Remember Them 🪙

The Royal Australian Mint has unveiled a special 2026 $2 coin honouring one of Australia's most poignant remembrance traditions – the Last Post.

Featuring a bugler at sunset, the commemorative design pays tribute to the service and sacrifice of all who have served our nation.

Want to secure your own piece of remembrance history?

There will be a ballot to purchase the coins, opening on 6 November and closing on 9 November. From 10 November, coins will also be available through the Mint Shop in Canberra, and participating authorised distributors.

A circulating version is also coming soon, so keep an eye on your change!

🔗 Link in comments for details on how to purchase a Last Post coin

30/10/2026

'In the service of those who have served'

TOGETHER TO THE END.

A soldier kneels beside his faithful horse, his head bowed in a moment of quiet remembrance. Around them, purple and red poppies honour the countless lives lost in war, both human and animal.

It is a powerful reminder of a bond that endured through some of the darkest chapters in history.

Millions of horses were taken from farms, fields and stables to serve in the First World War. They carried soldiers into battle, hauled heavy artillery, transported supplies and pulled ambulances through mud, shellfire and unimaginable danger.

Alongside them served mules and donkeys, whose strength and endurance helped keep armies moving when roads became impassable.

These animals knew nothing of politics, borders or the reasons for war.

They knew only the people who cared for them, the familiar sound of a voice, the touch of a reassuring hand and the trust they placed in their handlers.

Many formed extraordinary bonds with the soldiers who depended upon them. In the chaos of battle, a horse could become a companion, a source of comfort and sometimes the difference between life and death.

Yet so many never returned home.

Some were killed by gunfire and explosions. Others succumbed to exhaustion, disease, starvation or the terrible conditions in which they were forced to serve.

The red poppy remembers those who gave their lives in military service, while the purple poppy has become a symbol of remembrance for the animals caught up in human conflict.

This beautiful memorial captures something words can scarcely express.

A soldier and his horse. Two lives bound together by loyalty, courage and sacrifice.

They did not choose the war. They did not understand the cause. But they served, suffered and died alongside those who did.

We remember the soldiers who never came home.

And we must never forget the animals who stood beside them.

Together to the end. Never forgotten.

\

30/10/2026

An inspiring story of a great Australian Miltary figure. 'In the service of those who have served'

They called him Bill the Bastard because nobody could ride him. Then one day, he carried five Australian soldiers through enemy fire and became a legend.

He was big, bad-tempered and had a reputation for throwing anyone brave enough to climb onto his back.

But during the First World War, this troublesome Australian war horse would become the unlikely hero of one of our most extraordinary military stories.

Bill was a massive 17-hand horse sent overseas with the Australian Light Horse. He was strong, unpredictable and notoriously difficult to handle.

Most soldiers wanted nothing to do with him.

But Major Michael Shanahan was different. An experienced horseman, he managed to build a bond with Bill that others couldn’t.

Then came August 1916 and the Battle of Romani in Egypt.

Australian troops were fighting Ottoman forces in the scorching desert. The fighting was fierce, and men and horses were scattered across the battlefield.

During the chaos, Shanahan reportedly spotted four Australian soldiers stranded without their horses.

They were in serious danger.

Rather than leave them behind, Shanahan helped the four men climb onto Bill’s back.

Imagine the sight.

Five fully grown Australian soldiers clinging to one enormous horse, galloping across the desert as enemy fire surrounded them.

And somehow, Bill carried them to safety.

The horse that nobody could ride had just saved four stranded soldiers.

Shanahan was wounded during the battle and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery.

But Bill’s story has a bittersweet ending.

Like thousands of Australian war horses, Bill never made it back to Australia. Accounts of his final years vary, but his extraordinary wartime reputation endured.

Today, a life-size bronze statue of Bill stands at Murrumburrah in New South Wales, honouring the horse that went from being considered a menace to becoming an Australian legend.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the most unlikely characters turn out to be the greatest heroes.

❤️ Had you ever heard of Bill the Bastard?

📍 Murrumburrah, NSW

29/10/2026

The veterans of our community are largely living this vision; young, motivated and involved. Modelling the character that instilled the desire to serve in the ADF and the culture inculcated through service. The 'saltwater' veterans of the city are not the same as the purposeful veteran of the regions. 'In the service of those who have served'

28/10/2026

Fundraising raffle at The Gulgong RSL Club tonight. Come down from 6pm and lend a hand or at 6.30pm to buy a ticket and win a prize. 'In the service of those who have served'