{"id":242225,"date":"2019-08-21T23:49:40","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T13:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=242225"},"modified":"2024-07-24T17:20:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T07:20:22","slug":"celebrating-a-centenary-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/21\/celebrating-a-centenary-of-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating A Centenary Of Service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Burnett mayor Keith Campbell and his wife Marion congratulate Murgon RSL Sub-Branch president Trevor Williamson OAM on the centenary celebrations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The lit flame is carried through the town hall at the start of the official commemorations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 21, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was plenty of emotion – plus some very enthusiastic musical performances\u00a0 – when the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch celebrated its centenary in the local Town Hall on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Sub-Branch members and volunteers from the Citizens Auxiliary organised the Commemorative Dinner.<\/p>\n

The 1st Regiment Royal Australian Artillery Band put on a stirring performance which could be heard blocks away – and even got people up and dancing.<\/p>\n

The Sub-Branch invited Murgon residents to come along and enjoy a free concert from the Town Hall balcony, and many took up the opportunity.<\/p>\n

When the music stopped, the official commemorations began which included a Flame Ceremony, the Ode, Last Post and Rouse, and official speeches.<\/p>\n

A vacant “Table For The Fallen” laid out for one absent diner was set up in a corner of the hall as a poignant reminder of all the lives lost in war.<\/p>\n

Sub-Branch president Trevor Williamson OAM detailed some of the history of the association, which was formed on September 1, 1919, by Murgon residents who had served in World War I.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The foundation stone for the Murgon War Memorial was laid on Anzac Day 1920 and was officially unveiled on November 30, 1921.<\/p>\n

Initially, meetings were held in the upstairs room at the School of Arts, which stood near where the Commonwealth Bank is today.<\/p>\n

The Sub-Branch then shifted into a room in the Town Hall building, where they met from 1939 to 1966 until the Murgon Services Club opened across the road.<\/p>\n

Mr Williamson said the Sub-Branch currently had 62 service members.<\/p>\n

“We have seen a resurgence in membership of the past 12-18 months,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said the Sub-Branch recognised that it needed to modernise its operations to cater for the needs of younger veterans.<\/p>\n

Planning for its new drop-in centre – to be built\u00a0in Stephens Street West, between the Murgon Courthouse and the South Burnett Regional Council offices – was well under way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A longer-term plan was also being developed to build low-cost housing for veterans on a block of former railway land behind the drop-in centre.<\/p>\n

Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien, who committed a Coalition government to providing funding for the drop-in centre ahead of the Federal Election, said he had received a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack confirming the $450,000 grant.<\/p>\n

Mr O’Brien made the announcement before performing the official Toast to the RSL.<\/p>\n

RSL Queensland deputy president John Strachan OAM presented the Murgon Sub-Branch with a new copy of the Sub-Branch charter.<\/p>\n

Local police officer Alan Gerrard,\u00a0 a director of the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch, then performed the Loyal Toast.<\/p>\n

Compere for the evening was Andrew Plint.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The 29-member 1st Regiment Royal Australian Artillery Band travelled from their base at the Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera for the concert and commemorative dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
World War II veteran Alfred Purser and his wife Heather, from Murgon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

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Murgon Sub-Branch past president Harold Seng and Brenda Merrick, from Beachmere<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n

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Sub-Branch past presidents Trevor Sanderson,\u00a0 from Murgon, and Albert Benson, who now lives in Gympie<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Murgon Sub-Branch deputy president David Pitstock with former WBB District president Don Davey, from Kingaroy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Murgon RSL Sub-Branch past president Jim Kingston OAM with his wife Evelyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The oldest and youngest members of the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch, World War II veteran Alfred Purser and East Timor \/ Kuwait veteran Jason Heath joined with president Trevor Williamson, centre, to cut the 100th anniversary cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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… and here is the cake!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Wakka Wakka elder and Vietnam veteran Eric Law AM and his wife Shirley … Eric, a director of the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch, did the Welcome To Country<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington and Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien … Mr O’Brien led the Toast to the RSL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Feeling relieved as a great evening winds down … Murgon Sub-Branch president Trevor Williamson and his wife Liz, the secretary of the\u00a0Murgon RSL Sub-Branch Citizens Auxiliary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff with Murgon RSL Sub-Branch Citizens Auxiliary president Gloria Bell<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wanda Rideout and Judith Corbet, from the Citizens Auxiliary, were greeting guests<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Guests watched in silence as the formal commemorations began with a Flame Ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Captain Edward Webster, 26 Transport Squadron, and former Murgon Sub-Branch president Jim Kingston received the flame before reading the poem, “In Flanders Fields”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
RSL Queensland deputy president John Strachan OAM responded to the Toast to the RSL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Mr Strachan then presented a new charter to Trevor Williamson to replace the century-old original document<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Murgon RSL Sub-Branch vice-president Daryl Porteous explained the significance of the items on the Table For The Fallen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A “Pass The Port” ceremony was performed at the end of the meal … with the port being piped into the hall in grand style<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Working hard to keep the tables supplied with food and drinks were Jemma Holznagel, from Murgon, and Maryborough RSL Club volunteers Sarah Baker, Ashli Spalding, Coralie Druelle and Claudia Mackney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Deb Frecklington drew the raffle prizes and Gloria Bell presented the prizes to the winners … clockwise from top left, Darryl Hobbs, Murgon; Annette Hill, Murgon; Bill Taylor, Moura Sub-Branch; and Maureen Costello, Tin Can Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The historic Murgon Town Hall was packed with official guests for the Commemorative Dinner … the balcony area was also filled with local residents eager to enjoy the free concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1st Regiment Royal Australian Artillery Band<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Band members played and sang enthusiastically for more than an hour, performing everything from Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood” to Lee Kernaghan’s “Spirit of the Anzacs”.<\/b><\/p>\n

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[UPDATED]<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was plenty of emotion – plus some very enthusiastic musical performances\u00a0 – when the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch celebrated its centenary in Murgon Town Hall on Saturday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":242226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,3],"tags":[28],"yoast_head":"\nCelebrating A Centenary Of Service - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There was plenty of emotion - plus some very enthusiastic musical performances\u00a0 - when the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch celebrated its centenary in Murgon Town Hall on Saturday night.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/21\/celebrating-a-centenary-of-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celebrating A Centenary Of Service - 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