From the President

Throughout December I had the pleasure of attending several Christmas and end-of-year events across Queensland before taking some time off to do absolutely nothing 

The National Servicemen's Christmas Lunch and the Ipswich Sub Branch’s Christmas dinner were both excellent, well-attended events that gave me the opportunity to speak with guests and members alike. 

Just before the Christmas break, RSL Queensland staff attended the organisation’s Town Hall - a great way to wrap up the year, enjoy some team building activities and presentations from a range of staff members. I had the opportunity to thank our staff on behalf of the Board and our members for their hard work and commitment to our Defence family throughout 2018. 

GOVERNANCE TRAINING FOR BOARD MEMBERS

In line with our commitment to improving RSL Queensland’s corporate governance processes, the Board dedicated two full days in December to undertake training in Governance and Risk. A follow-up session provided a valuable opportunity to reinforce what was learnt and undertake the required assessment.  Your Board members felt they benefitted greatly from this training. 


A NEW START FOR VETERANS 

On 14 December, I was invited to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) Graduation Parade, where I was particularly interested to note that nearly a third of the graduates were ex-service members. It is great to see our Defence family continuing to serve the community through their new roles within QFES.

CONSTITUTION UPDATE

The end of the year also heralded the closing date for feedback on the draft State Constitution. In early February the Working Party will come together to assess all of the comments that have been received and incorporate this feedback into the final draft where possible.  

I thank all those who took the time to review the draft Constitution and provide their valuable input, and will keep you updated as this process continues.   

After officially stepping back in the office last Monday, I headed up to the Gympie RSL Sub Branch to join in their weekly Coffee Club. What a great start to the year! 

 I wish you all Happy New Year, and I look forward to catching up with many of you at the District Annual General Meetings in the coming months.   

Take care,  

Tony