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In the lead-up to Anzac Day, we speak to the president of the Club Five Dock RSL, Robert Ridge, about his own military service and the vital roles both the Club and the local RSL chapter play in our community today.
By Rachel Sharp
While it’s not common knowledge, there’s something very special about the four adolescent pine trees that flank the war memorial in Five Dock Park. When a plaque was unveiled there six years ago to celebrate the Five Dock RSL’s sub-branch centenary, its president, Robert Ridge, also oversaw the planting of four tiny saplings with a poignant Anzac significance.
“Long ago, two brothers fought in the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli,” says Robert, 60, during
our interview, referencing the World War I campaign named after a solitary Aleppo pine left standing in the combat zone after the Turkish soldiers cleared the rest to cover their trenches. “One of those brothers [Mark Smith] died, but one [Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith] survived, and after the battle he sent pine cones he collected from the branches used to cover the trenches back to his mother [Jane McMullin] in Australia.” Mrs McMullin then successfully raised two seedlings from the cones; one was planted in Inverell where both of her sons had enlisted and the other was presented to the Australian War Memorial to be planted in the grounds.
“For our sub-branch centenary commemoration, we purchased five seedlings grown from that original memorial tree,” continues Robert. “Sadly, one died, but the other four now grow around our Five Dock memorial – a connection to the soldiers who died in that battle. For the first couple of years we didn’t make it common knowledge of the trees’ significance, because we were worried someone would pick them up and take them away. Now they’re quite large – about three metres tall each – so I’m happy to spread the good news.”
In the lead-up to Anzac Day, we speak to the president of the Club Five Dock RSL, Robert Ridge, about his own military service and the vital roles both the Club and the local RSL chapter play in our community today.
By Rachel Sharp
While it’s not common knowledge, there’s something very special about the four adolescent pine trees that flank the war memorial in Five Dock Park. When a plaque was unveiled there six years ago to celebrate the Five Dock RSL’s sub-branch centenary, its president, Robert Ridge, also oversaw the planting of four tiny saplings with a poignant Anzac significance.
“Long ago, two brothers fought in the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli,” says Robert, 60, during our interview, referencing the World War I campaign named after a solitary Aleppo pine left standing in the combat zone after the Turkish soldiers cleared the rest to cover their trenches. “One of those brothers [Mark Smith] died, but one [Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith] survived, and after the battle he sent pine cones he collected from the branches used to cover the trenches back to his mother [Jane McMullin] in Australia.” Mrs McMullin then successfully raised two seedlings from the cones; one was planted in Inverell where both of her sons had enlisted and the other was presented to the Australian War Memorial to be planted in the grounds.
“For our sub-branch centenary commemoration, we purchased five seedlings grown from that original memorial tree,” continues Robert. “Sadly, one died, but the other four now grow around our Five Dock memorial – a connection to the soldiers who died in that battle. For the first couple of years we didn’t make it common knowledge of the trees’ significance, because we were worried someone would pick them up and take them away. Now they’re quite large – about three metres tall each – so I’m happy to spread the good news.”
While honouring soldiers is in an important function of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), the nation’s largest veterans’ charity, founded in 1916, today’s sub-branches do far more, says Robert, who has led the Five Dock chapter for the past 15 years. Not to be confused with Club Five Dock RSL, which is a different entity (one operates under a not-for-profit charter, the other is a member-owned venue), the Five Dock RSL sub-branch comprises members who are or who have been in the military.
As it happens, Robert – a former navy diver – is president of both and, along with several other board members, serves as a bridge between the two. “Many years ago, when everyone came back from World War I, they set up community clubs where soldiers could go have a beer and do a chicken raffle. Then in the 1950s, poker machines were introduced and then the clubs grew exponentially until it got to the point where, in the 1990s, a lot of the clubs split from the sub-branches for legal requirements,” he explains. Club Five Dock RSL was sold off in 1990, with that money invested to support ongoing sub-branch activities to this day. And while the club still acknowledges its military history through RSL branding, and recitation of the Ode of Remembrance at 6pm each night, there is no financial connection between the two.
That said, both entities are committed to serving their community. “The Club is member-owned and our mission statement is to be the centre of the community, a safe environment for all people, and to give back as much as we can,” says Robert.
Of the 11,000 Club members, around 70 per cent are from the local area and use the club on a regular basis. “We’ve got a great relationship with a lot of community committees. Rotary has their functions at our venue free of charge. So do the Masons. We have Dykes on Bikes as one of our auxiliaries. The Harley Davidson Society meets here regularly.” The club also focuses on reducing costs for members. “For example, if you’re a beer drinker, you might save a dollar a schooner coming to our club as opposed to going to a local hotel.”
First I did nine months academic and basic training over in Perth, then I was sent down to Melbourne to do my seamanship on HMAS Melbourne, which was our aircraft carrier at the time.
“I was what’s called a radar plotter. Remember in Top Gun, the guys in the dark room with the radar displays? That was my job. I was also a navy ships diver, so I spent a lot of time in the ocean. My first overseas tour was to Hawaii in 1980 to participate in RIMPAC 80, which was a joined exercise between the Americans, Australians, New Zealand and Japan.”
‘The RSL sub-branch is a true passion for Robert, who joined the navy just before his 16th birthday.’
After six years in the navy, including four at sea on two different ships, Robert left the military at the ripe old age of 21 and started working at the Five Dock RSL, followed by hospitality roles in high-profile venues including the Sheraton. His unique background in both hospitality and the military, followed by further university business studies, made Robert an ideal candidate to eventually run Club Five Dock many years later.
“I say this to people who think about joining the military: it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. You don’t clock off at 5 and go home.
It’s a 24-hours, seven-day-a-week job, which you’ve got to be passionate about,” he explains. “That’s why I have a passion for Anzac Day memorials and remembrance. I understand what those guys went through. Sadly, our RSL sub-branch has lost all its World War II veterans now, but we know a lot of them didn’t tell their families about what they experienced and their PTSD and ongoing pain until close to their deaths.
For many years, their families weren’t aware. Instead, a lot of the guys would confide in fellow sub-branch members because there was a comradery and an emotional connection.”
While an environment for support, a considerable deal of serious business is done at sub-branch meetings, too. “We discuss our finances, which are governed by the rules of a not-for-profit organisation [all money donated to RSL branches must be used for the welfare of veterans and their immediate families].
We get many requests for funding and advocacy. For example, the Five Dock RSL sub-branch donated $70,000 to help with the staffing and wages at Concord Hospital’s National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare. We also purchased computers so the veterans getting treatment there can access the internet. It’s a Monday to Friday operation, so if a veteran is stuck at Concord Hospital over the weekend, we might pick them up and take them out for lunch, offer a human connection.”
“Sadly, our RSL sub-branch has lost all its World War II veterans now, but we know a lot of them didn’t tell their families about what they experienced and their PTSD and ongoing pain until close to their deaths.”
Branch members also visit and care for elderly members in the community and local nursing homes.
“I do it to help veterans,” says Robert matter-of-factly when asked what motivates his commitment. And while his sub-branch, which covers the LGA of Canada Bay, is always grateful for public support, they can only accept members with a military background.
“We have around 180 now but we’re looking for more, especially as our membership is getting older. We’ve got some younger veterans and current ADF serving members coming through now in their forties but it’s always good to get more because we need to make sure these guys are up to speed on how they can help.”
Of course, for many people in the wider community, the RSL and what it does becomes most obvious in the lead-up to April 25. “At Five Dock, for example, we do our memorial service on the Sunday prior because the VIPs and dignitaries are committed to the Martin Place service on Anzac Day itself.” What’s most encouraging, though, is the increasing public support for these services.
“Since 2018, after the completion of the hundred-year anniversary of World War I, I’ve seen a lot of community involvement in Anzac Day. I go to services now at schools and the kids know the Ode, which is fantastic,” notes Robert.
“It is so important to recognise the sacrifice of the men and women who gave us the country we’ve got. I often say to children, imagine if your grandma or grandpa passed away before you knew them – your parents tell you stories about them to keep their memory alive. Memorial services are for not only recognising the service people who are still with us, but also those killed on battlefields and lost at sea or in the air. We tell their stories to make sure we remember and keep their memories alive.”
RATS OF TOBRUK MEMORIAL
11am Sunday, 2 April 2023
Corner Great North Road and Lyons Road,
Five Dock
For information email
secretary@fivedockrsl.org.au
or call (02) 9712 2055
KOKODA TRACK MEMORIAL WALKWAY
10:30am Saturday, 22 April 2023
Please RSVP by Friday, 15 April, by emailing
alice.kang@kokodawalkway.com.au
FIVE DOCK PARK MEMORIAL
11am Sunday, 23 April 2023
For information email
secretary@fivedockrsl.org.au
or call (02) 9712 2055
BREAKFAST POINT DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Corner Village Drive and Juniper Street,
Breakfast Point
All are welcome.
PAVILION OF HONOUR DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Queen Elizabeth Park, Concord
All are welcome.
DRUMMOYNE CENOTAPH
DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
1A Marlborough Street, Drummoyne
All are welcome.
In the lead-up to Anzac Day, we speak to the president of the Club Five Dock RSL, Robert Ridge, about his own military service and the vital roles both the Club and the local RSL chapter play in our community today.
By Rachel Sharp
While it’s not common knowledge, there’s something very special about the four adolescent pine trees that flank the war memorial in Five Dock Park. When a plaque was unveiled there six years ago to celebrate the Five Dock RSL’s sub-branch centenary, its president, Robert Ridge, also oversaw the planting of four tiny saplings with a poignant Anzac significance.
“Long ago, two brothers fought in the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli,” says Robert, 60, during our interview, referencing the World War I campaign named after a solitary Aleppo pine left standing in the combat zone after the Turkish soldiers cleared the rest to cover their trenches.
“One of those brothers [Mark Smith] died, but one [Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith] survived, and after the battle he sent pine cones he collected from the branches used to cover the trenches back to his mother [Jane McMullin] in Australia.” Mrs McMullin then successfully raised two seedlings from the cones; one was planted in Inverell where both of her sons had enlisted and the other was presented to the Australian War Memorial to be planted in the grounds.
“…after the battle he sent pine cones he collected from the branches used to cover the trenches back to his mother in Australia.”
“For our sub-branch centenary commemoration, we purchased five seedlings grown from that original memorial tree,” continues Robert. “Sadly, one died, but the other four now grow around our Five Dock memorial – a connection to the soldiers who died in that battle. For the first couple of years we didn’t make it common knowledge of the trees’ significance, because we were worried someone would pick them up and take them away. Now they’re quite large – about three metres tall each – so I’m happy to spread the good news.”
While honouring soldiers is in an important function of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), the nation’s largest veterans’ charity, founded in 1916, today’s sub-branches do far more, says Robert, who has led the Five Dock chapter for the past 15 years. Not to be confused with Club Five Dock RSL, which is a different entity (one operates under a not-for-profit charter, the other is a member-owned venue), the Five Dock RSL sub-branch comprises members who are or who have been in the military.
As it happens, Robert – a former navy diver – is president of both and, along with several other board members, serves as a bridge between the two. “Many years ago, when everyone came back from World War I, they set up community clubs where soldiers could go have a beer and do a chicken raffle. Then in the 1950s, poker machines were introduced and then the clubs grew exponentially until it got to the point where, in the 1990s, a lot of the clubs split from the sub-branches for legal requirements,” he explains. Club Five Dock RSL was sold off in 1990, with that money invested to support ongoing sub-branch activities to this day. And while the club still acknowledges its military history through RSL branding, and recitation of the Ode of Remembrance at 6pm each night, there is no financial connection between the two.
That said, both entities are committed to serving their community. “The Club is member-owned and our mission statement is to be the centre of the community, a safe environment for all people, and to give back as much as we can,” says Robert. Of the 11,000 Club members, around 70 per cent are from the local area and use the club on a regular basis. “We’ve got a great relationship with a lot of community committees. Rotary has their functions at our venue free of charge. So do the Masons. We have Dykes on Bikes as one of our auxiliaries. The Harley Davidson Society meets here regularly.” The club also focuses on reducing costs for members. “For example, if you’re a beer drinker, you might save a dollar a schooner coming to our club as opposed to going to a local hotel.”
‘The RSL sub-branch is a true passion for Robert, who joined the navy just before his 16th birthday.’
As part of the ClubGRANTS obligation overseen by Liquor & Gaming NSW, all clubs with poker machine profits over $1 million must give around two per cent of gambling profits back to the local community. “That’s the difference between clubs and pubs. Pubs with pokies don’t have to do that,” says Robert. “We’ve given money to the local Sea Scouts for repairing their ramp and buying life jackets, to schools for doing driver awareness programs for their students. We’ve also helped purchase Smart Boards for Abbotsford Primary School, and recently we donated 10 iPads to Lucas Gardens School in Canada Bay, which is for children with very high intellectual and physical disabilities.”
While the Club is a job, albeit one he loves, the RSL sub-branch is a true passion for Robert, who joined the navy just before his 16th birthday. “I was what we call a junior recruit. I left school on a Friday, then was in the navy the next week putting my hand up and swearing allegiance to the Queen. First I did nine months academic and basic training over in Perth, then I was sent down to Melbourne to do my seamanship on HMAS Melbourne, which was our aircraft carrier at the time.
“I was what’s called a radar plotter. Remember in Top Gun, the guys in the dark room with the radar displays? That was my job. I was also a navy ships diver, so I spent a lot of time in the ocean. My first overseas tour was to Hawaii in 1980 to participate in RIMPAC 80, which was a joined exercise between the Americans, Australians, New Zealand and Japan.”
After six years in the navy, including four at sea on two different ships, Robert left the military at the ripe old age of 21 and started working at the Five Dock RSL, followed by hospitality roles in high-profile venues including the Sheraton. His unique background in both hospitality and the military, followed by further university business studies, made Robert an ideal candidate to eventually run Club Five Dock many years later.
“I say this to people who think about joining the military: it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. You don’t clock off at 5 and go home.It’s a 24-hours, seven-day-a-week job, which you’ve got to be passionate about,” he explains. “That’s why I have a passion for Anzac Day memorials and remembrance. I understand what those guys went through. Sadly, our RSL sub-branch has lost all its World War II veterans now, but we know a lot of them didn’t tell their families about what they experienced and their PTSD and ongoing pain until close to their deaths. For many years, their families weren’t aware. Instead, a lot of the guys would confide in fellow sub-branch members because there was a comradery and an emotional connection.”
While an environment for support, a considerable deal of serious business is done at sub-branch meetings, too. “We discuss our finances, which are governed by the rules of a not-for-profit organisation [all money donated to RSL branches must be used for the welfare of veterans and their immediate families]. We get many requests for funding and advocacy. For example, the Five Dock RSL sub-branch donated $70,000 to help with the staffing and wages at Concord Hospital’s National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare. We also purchased computers so the veterans getting treatment there can access the internet. It’s a Monday to Friday operation, so if a veteran is stuck at Concord Hospital over the weekend, we might pick them up and take them out for lunch, offer a human connection.” Branch members also visit and care for elderly members in the community and local nursing homes.
“I do it to help veterans,” says Robert matter-of-factly when asked what motivates his commitment. And while his sub-branch, which covers the LGA of Canada Bay, is always grateful for public support, they can only accept members with a military background.
“We have around 180 now but we’re looking for more, especially as our membership is getting older. We’ve got some younger veterans and current ADF serving members coming through now in their forties but it’s always good to get more because we need to make sure these guys are up to speed on how they can help.”
Of course, for many people in the wider community, the RSL and what it does becomes most obvious in the lead-up to April 25. “At Five Dock, for example, we do our memorial service on the Sunday prior because the VIPs and dignitaries are committed to the Martin Place service on Anzac Day itself.” What’s most encouraging, though, is the increasing public support for these services.
“Since 2018, after the completion of the hundred-year anniversary of World War I, I’ve seen a lot of community involvement in Anzac Day. I go to services now at schools and the kids know the Ode, which is fantastic,” notes Robert.
“It is so important to recognise the sacrifice of the men and women who gave us the country we’ve got.”
“It is so important to recognise the sacrifice of the men and women who gave us the country we’ve got. I often say to children, imagine if your grandma or grandpa passed away before you knew them – your parents tell you stories about them to keep their memory alive. Memorial services are for not only recognising the service people who are still with us, but also those killed on battlefields and lost at sea or in the air. We tell their stories to make sure we remember and keep their memories alive.”
Where to join a local Anzac Day commemoration
RATS OF TOBRUK MEMORIAL
11am Sunday, 2 April 2023
Corner Great North Road and Lyons Road, Five Dock
For information email secretary@fivedockrsl.org.au
or call (02) 9712 2055
KOKODA TRACK MEMORIAL WALKWAY
10:30am Saturday, 22 April 2023
Please RSVP by Friday, 15 April, by emailing
alice.kang@kokodawalkway.com.au
FIVE DOCK PARK MEMORIAL
11am Sunday, 23 April 2023
For information email secretary@fivedockrsl.org.au
or call (02) 9712 2055
BREAKFAST POINT DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Corner Village Drive and Juniper Street, Breakfast Point
All are welcome.
PAVILION OF HONOUR DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Queen Elizabeth Park, Concord
All are welcome.
DRUMMOYNE CENOTAPH DAWN SERVICE
5am Tuesday, 25 April 2023
1A Marlborough Street, Drummoyne
All are welcome.
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