How veterans come together in Charters Towers

The north Queensland country town of Charters Towers is built on camaraderie and mateship. 

To Charters Towers RSL Sub Branch Vice President Bob Murch, the Sub Branch provides a space for veterans, local ex-service organisations (ESOs) and community groups to come together. 

“We host quite a few social events here at the Sub Branch,” he says.  

“We’ll have birthdays, wakes and funerals for our Sub Branch members, and also have end of year functions for community groups, sporting teams or other ESOs. Now that we’ve got our kitchen up and running, we’re able to host a variety of events here. 

“Recently, we had the North Queensland Veterans’ Motorcycle Club stay here overnight. It was great to have so many more veterans here in town. 

Alongside his duties with the RSL, Bob is also involved with the local Legacy branch and Brighter Lives, which is the official charity partner of Townsville Hospital and Health Service. 

“It’s a great little community here. Even when I was posted to Townsville during my service, I would always come out to Charters Towers with the kids,” he says.  

“I enjoy volunteering here and giving my time to talk and listen to people in the nursing homes and the hospitals. I like to visit the veterans in there too with my PTSD service dog, Gearbox. He’s very popular with everyone there and is a great conversation starter. I also enjoy keeping in touch with the folks from Legacy. 

“While volunteering for these organisations and groups has given me a purpose, I find that I can relate better to the RSL. People understand Defence life and what it involves here. I just feel like I’m giving back to my mates: giving them the camaraderie they deserve.” 

Kevin Gardener, who’s been a member of Charters Towers RSL Sub Branch for close to 50 years, enjoys the camaraderie the Sub Branch offers. 

“I look forward to Fridays when we have our weekly social. It’s great to be able to catch up with your mates regularly, not just at the commemorations,” he says. 

A town of history 

During World War II (WWII), Charters Towers and Townsville became the largest staging posts for Australian and US troops in the north Queensland region. The US Army’s Fifth Air Force stationed several squadrons near Charters Towers. 

“There are still air raid bunkers at Towers Hill, which were used by the townspeople of the time,” Bob says. 

“So, there’s a lot of military history and families with Defence connections here.” 

Vietnam veteran and fellow Sub Branch member Ron Mann says the Sub Branch has a great collection of military memorabilia that has been donated by members and houses a rich history of some of the town’s veterans.  

“We have a great collection here at the Sub Branch, and frequently receive donations too,” he says.  

Ron says the donations are not only from Sub Branch members, but also the local community. He says many people in town are interested in preserving the memory of their ex-serving loved ones and know that the Sub Branch is the best place to store and honour their history.  

“A few of us also help uncover the service history of who the memorabilia belongs to as sometimes the relatives don’t know their full story,” Ron says. “It’s great to work together and find out their history. 

“One of the displays we have here is for the local Brisky family. All six brothers served in WWII and all six – Lieutenant William Ernest Briskey, Sergeant Arthur Frederick Briskey, Corporal Edward Leslie Briskey, Lance Corporal Colin Lenoard Briskey, Private Henry Albert Briskey, and Private Percival John Briskey – were fortunate enough to return home. 

“One of the brother’s great-grandson still lives in Charters Towers and is a member of our Sub Branch, which is a great full circle moment.” 

Morning teas with Legacy 

One of the regular events hosted at the Sub Branch is a monthly morning tea for the ladies of Legacy. In Charters Towers, there are now ten widows of ex-servicemen that Legacy look after.

Sub Branch member and Legacy volunteer Eileen Vogele says the ladies love attending the Sub Branch. 

“We have a good rapport with the RSL Sub Branch here and have been hosting these monthly morning teas for about 15 years. The ladies love it,” she says. 

“Sometimes we have guest speakers who come in to talk about what services the ladies are entitled to. Other times the ladies just have general chitchat; they’re long-time friends and appreciate these visits now as it’s difficult for them to physically get to each other. These morning teas are so important to them; it’s their way of getting to see each other again. 

“We also work closely with the 10th Force Support Battalion (10 FSB), which has previously organised current serving soldiers to come up from Townsville and visit the ladies for lunches in the past. The ladies thought it was wonderful and of course the soldiers also loved interacting with the ladies and hearing their stories.” 

In addition to the monthly morning teas, Eileen says the Sub Branch always includes Legacy in commemorations.  

“We’re always included in ANZAC Day parades, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day services. The RSL always includes us in everything they do,” she says. 

Continuing the legacy into the future 

The Sub Branch also values its relationships with the neighbouring schools of the area. 

“We’ll have teachers come to the Sub Branch for their functions, but we also engage with the schools for ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day. It’s great to see the children be a part of commemorations,” Bob says. 

Ron agrees. 

“It means a lot to see the kids eager to learn how to pay their respects or pause for a minute’s silence,” he says.  

“I remember seeing one father explaining the minute’s silence to his group of kids, and when they saw all of us standing there quietly looking at the plaque, they all moved, stood up, and did exactly what we were doing. It was great; it just puts a lump in your throat to watch the kids do it with respect.” 

Because there are a lot of families in town, Charters Towers RSL Sub Branch is one of the few in the state that have a few junior (12 to 18-year-old) members. 

“We have about half a dozen junior members at our Sub Branch. Our oldest junior member is about six,” Ron says with a smile.  

“It’s wonderful to have them around the Sub Branch.” 

Eileen says the support from the schools is important to keep RSL membership numbers growing. 

“It’s important to engage with the younger generation so they can learn about the legacy of our veterans,” she says.  

“We are lucky in Charters Towers because our schools are very supportive of the Sub Branch, especially around ANZAC Day. We probably have about 1,000 children on parade here for ANZAC Day.” 

“It’s just a great place to be,” Bob says of the Sub Branch.