The tropical technique: how friendships and community were forged out of one Sub Branch in Queensland’s tropical north

Everything from the heat to the postcard-perfect views are business as usual for the passionate local veteran. 

And when asked how he feels about running the small but mighty nearby Sub Branch to a backdrop this breathtaking, he shrugs and laughs. 

“It’s paradise one day, and perfect the next,” Ewan says.

“In fact,” he admits while gesturing out at the golden sand that quickly becomes the sapphire sea, “I don’t even notice it anymore.” 

This is partly because the former RSL Queensland Vice President spends his time in a pristine beachside pocket just a 40-minute drive north west of Townsville, where any given day it looks as though the landscape has been digitally enhanced. 

But it’s mostly because Ewan continues to dedicate endless hours to bettering the lives of local veterans and the wider community from inside and out of the humble Rollingstone Sub Branch – where diversity, inclusion and care are at the very core of their manifest. 

The birth of Rollingstone RSL Sub Branch 

Nestled between Ingham and Townsville, and perched at the start of the ‘great green way’ that stretches all the way to Cairns, Rollingstone comprises a sleepy village with a school, post office, and a police station. 

Boasting a population of just 125 in the village and 1550 in the district; and sandwiched between impossibly green peaks that frame the coastline, Rollingstone is also just a stone’s throw from picturesque beach hamlets of Mystic Sands and Balgal Beach. There, laid-back holiday homes are dotted among rustic fishing shacks and family abodes that are all but a meander from the shore. 

It’s also where Ewan and a handful of others decided to co-launch the Rollingstone RSL Sub Branch back in 2000, following his 25 years of service in the army. 

“When we were looking at finding a home for the RSL (Sub Branch), we approached one of the owners of the Mystic Sands Golf Club, who said that he had been a Fleet Air Arm Pilot – he’d flown A-4 Skyhawks. He told us that if we didn’t have the RSL at his place, he wouldn't talk to us,” Ewan says. 

“So, now it's the home of Rollingstone RSL Sub Branch and the owner has even put that on his bus. 

“But our home is not so much about the bus or the golf club or the wonderful surrounds we have. It's instead the place where you can hang your hat and the kind of place where you know that you can achieve what you want. Our home is our castle.” 

Back then, when the Sub Branch was in its infancy, Ewan says their unofficial status as “the new kids on the block” paved the way for new ideas and opportunities that allowed them to craft innovative ideas to better engage more than just their members, but the wider community. 

“I think the most interesting thing we’ve been able to do, over the course of the Sub Branch, is launch our community engagement activities,” Ewan says. 

“While we always had a good social contingent, we principally started off around the families and then there were the friends of the members and so ended up expanding to include a good social group. 

“We took the opportunity to form a Citizen’s Auxiliary out of that group of social members and I think that was what widened our membership base. That was then seen by the community, and they quickly realized they could join the RSL Queensland Sub Branch without having served.” 

The big impact of the small but mighty Sub Branch 

Since those remarkable beginnings, Ewan says the Sub Branch has gone from strength to strength. And while membership has ebbed and flowed over the years – with COVID-19 causing a drop in numbers – the Rollingstone cohort has remained a shining example of the power of community. 

“I think the main reason we’ve been able to do things (well up here) is we’ve got a community where people suggest things,” Ewan says. 

“I also think it's the unique nature of the community. Rollingstone is halfway between Townsville and Ingham … and generally, there are a number of community organisations, clubs, and other charities around here, with most locals tending to be in more than one. 

“And so, the clubs and the communities and associations tend to work together, because they've sometimes got the same committees and they can easily cooperate. And it just seems to be that RSL Queensland has a range of property that we can all use. It’s a bit of a give and take all around.” 

Ewan says this give and take has allowed the Sub Branch to launch powerful community engagement programs over the years to raise participation in suicide awareness and support mental health. 
 
They’ve also raised the profile of military services and support throughout the region, with a striking memorial erected at Balgal Beach in 2004. This memorial has since become a coveted location to witness the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day. 

“Other members come from diverse backgrounds and they’re able to bring some fantastic ideas to our Sub Branch. For example, we've currently got a group who are making purple wreaths to commemorate the service of animals in war,” Ewan says. 

“I think the fellowship side of the Sub Branch is important, and people like to demonstrate that in different ways. That might come out of a Friday afternoon raffle where one of our members meets a traveller from an RSL in New South Wales or South Australia and suddenly we’ve got communication happening across state borders. 

“And that’s just the benefit of having these travellers turn up and say ‘g’day’.” 

The future of the Rollingstone RSL Sub Branch 

While COVID-19 sparked a decline in membership, Ewan says their pint-sized Sub Branch has already hit the ground running in a post-pandemic world, with the launch of new programs, increased community activity and, as a result, several new memberships. 

“So, we’re kind of back to where we were, pre-COVID, but in a refreshed way,” Ewan says. 

“At the moment we've got 43 RSL Queensland League members, and 32 auxiliary members.  

“I think the community's aware of what each of us does and I think it keeps our community out here going.” 

And as to why he does what he does and why their work matters, Ewan says this: “While I was serving, I had soldiers looking after me, it’s now my turn to look after them”. 

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