Returned & Services League of Australia
History of the National Headquarters
The RSL Headquarters on Constitution Avenue in Canberra is the national home of the organisation. Whilst each state and the ACT have Branch Headquarters which serve the members of the League in their respective Branches, the National Headquarters serves the national interests of the organisation, making representations to Parliamentarians, Government and other bodies. The National Headquarters is home to the National Executive, National President and National Committees and the building and staff are managed by the National Secretary.
About the RSL
The Returned & Services League (RSL) is one of Australia’s oldest and most respected national organisations. The League was founded in 1916 and supports serving and ex- service Defence Force members and their families and promotes a secure, stable and progressive Australia.
1916 to 1955
After the League had its inaugural Congress in Brisbane in September 1916, the Headquarters in Melbourne was formed. At the time, Melbourne was the seat of government of Australia and the RSL was like many other national organisations in having its national office located there. The League’s Headquarters remained at Kelvin House, 127 Collins Street until 1955.
1956 to 1963
At the 40th Annual Congress of the League in October 1955 in Brisbane, Federal President Sir George Holland officially announced the the National Executive had decided to move the Headquarters to Canberra. For some time, the RSL had considered moving to Canberra, a view supported by the Rt. Hon. R. G. Menzies in 1955:
“I am looking forward with great pleasure to this Canberra establishment of yours at the seat of government, because it will enable us to meet constantly and on most occasions informally, to exchange views.”
A headline from The Canberra Times, 15 February 1956.
Sir William Slim opening the first RSL Headquarters in Canberra from The Canberra Times,
15 February 1956.
RSL House, 4 Mort Street, Braddon ACT. Home of the RSL HQ from 1956 to 1963.
“The RSL added a little bit of commonsense, character and unselfishness in ‘Civvy Street.’ That was why it was such a great institution.”
Governor-General Sir William Slim at the opening of the first RSL Headquarters in Canberra 14 February 1956
The RSL bought a building at 4 Mort Street, Braddon and made alterations and renovations prior to moving in on 14 February 1956.
As Canberra expanded and the central business area became busier, the Headquarters became inundated by commercial and business activity and it was decided that a new home for the League was required.
By 1961, initial inquiries were made regarding the construction of a new building and in February 1962, the RSL National Executive
The Opening of the Present Building The new Returned & Services League Headquarters was opened by His Excellency the Governor-General of Australia, the Rt.
Hon. Viscount De L’Isle V.C., P.C., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K.St.J. on 7 August 1963.
Plaque commemorating the opening of the Headquarters in 1956.
formed a sub-committee to manage the process.
A local architectural firm, Messrs Luker and Thompson, designed the building for which construction commenced in 1963.
Members of the RSL National Executive and State Secretaries inspecting the site of the League’s new
National Headquarters.
The new building on Constitution Avenue, Campbell from The Canberra Times, 8 August 1963.
A headline from The Canberra Times, 7 August 1963. Many dignitaries were present at the opening
including Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, Dame Pattie Menzies, Service chiefs, RSL National President Mr A.J. Lee, RSL National Secretary Mr A.G.W. Keys and the Chairman of the Building Sub-Committee Mr K.C.
Newman.
“In a sense, it [RSL HQ] will become a monument to the R.S.L. itself. The sort of memorial we leave in the minds of future generations, however, is more important. It is our responsibility to leave with them the essence of that sacrifice which was made in each war by our fallen comrades.”
Governor-General Lord De L’Isle at the opening of the RSL Headquarters 7 August 1963
Plaque commemorating the opening of the Headquarters in 1963.
The building cost £65,000 and is located on the perimeter of the Parliamentary Triangle on Constitution Avenue in Campbell. The
building’s place in the parliamentary triangle is indicative of the central place that the League holds in the Australian community.
Lord De L’Isle opening the current RSL Headquarters from The Canberra Times, 8 August 1963.
1963 to Present
Since its construction, the building has been extended to include additional office, meeting and storage space. The venue has been host to National RSL Congresses, foreign ex-service chiefs, prime ministers, high commissioners, ambassadors and royalty. More than one hundred National RSL Executive meetings, hundreds of National RSL Committee meetings and countless community meetings have taken place in the building.
The Commemorative Stone that lies in the entrance foyer of the RSL Headquarters was unveiled by the Rt.
Hon. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, on 15 May 1963. The photograph is of the three Chiefs of Staff examining the basalt stone that had been brought down from the Kokoda Trail by a combined Army-Air Force Operation.
From left, they are Air Vice-Marshal Sir Valston Han- cock, Lieut.-Gen. Sir John Wilton, Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington.
L. H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, planting a seedling from the Lone Pine on Gallipoli, watched by the National President (Mr A.J. Lee, C.B.E., M.C.) and National Secretary (Mr A.G.W. Keys, M.C.) on 25 April
1965 to mark the Jubilee of the RSL.
R. Plaques commemorating the planting of the Aleppo pines by H.R.H. Duke of Gloucester and H.R.H. the
Duchess of Gloucester.
H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh talking to Mr and Mrs R. Bowden. representing Ex-Servicemen from the Vietnam War during a reception at the Headquarters in
1970.
H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh talks to Warrant Officer Yauwigi of New Guniea during a reception at the
Headquarters in 1970.
These three flag poles presented by
the New South Wales Branch of the
R.S,S, &
A.I.L.A. to mark the occasion of the National Headquarters
on the 7th August 1963.
The Future
The League has outgrown its current facility and looks forward to the next era in the life of the National Headquarters.
Plans for a new Headquarters on the existing site on Constitution Avenue have been approved in-principle. The new building will feature enlarged meeting space, an enhanced RSL national library, sufficient space to show- case the League’s memorabilia and the capacity to host visiting school groups to encourage the appreciation by younger generations of Australia’s rich military heritage and history, the heritage of the League itself and the values that the RSL strives to protect.
RSL National Secretary Derek Robson at the RSL Headquarters in 2008 from The Canberra Times, Monday 7 April.
The RSL National Executive in 2006 at the front of the Headquarters
Back row: Jock Statton, Gary Brodie, Tony Scott, Bill Gaynor
Front row: David McLachlan, Don Rowe, Bill Crews, Doug Formby
Returned and Services League of Australia
GPO Box 303
CANBERRA ACT 2601 Tel: 02 6248 7199 Fax: 02 6247 7637 www.rsl.org.au