4 steps to organise a successful commemorative event

How RSL sub-Branches approach planning for commemorative activities such as ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and the Middle East Area of Operations Commemoration.

By Lachlan Haycock

At a glance:

  • East Maitland RSL sub-Branch Secretary Judith Gargosky recommends RSL sub-Branches take an open-door policy to community engagement.
  • “This year we have a Sikh community organisation taking part in the march,” she says. “We’re meeting with them soon to coordinate how they can participate.”
  • East Maitland plans to collaborate with other local sub-Branches to mark the Middle East Area of Operations Commemoration (MEAO) communally.

RSL sub-Branches start preparing for ANZAC Day months in advance by throwing open their doors to community groups, organising for school students to take part in commemoration services, and planning out march routes and flypasts.

But ANZAC Day is not the only time of year – see this calendar of 2025 events for others – when veterans educate community members about the contributions and sacrifice of Defence members in the past and the present. Activities marking Remembrance Day, Vietnam Veterans’ Day and the MEAO come about as a result of members’ dedicated efforts.

Here, RSL sub-Branch members share four tips to successfully organise a commemorative activity.

1. Contact schools early

For Judith Gargosky, Secretary of the East Maitland RSL sub-Branch, one of the most important aspects of organising a successful commemorative event is liaising with schools not in the weeks before an event but at the start of the year.

Last year, the sub-Branch took part in the Draw to Remember initiative, which aims to educate school children about the significance of Remembrance Day through chalk art.

“In my experience, schools prefer to be contacted about the initiative at the start of the year, so they can weave it into the curriculum,” says Gargosky. “Then, when you make contact again in the second half of the year – through Draw to Remember, for example – they’re ready to participate.”

The close relationship between the sub-Branch and local schools such as East Maitland Public School makes for a more rewarding event for students and veterans alike.

“The students who do the reading, we make a special certificate for them. It’s worded differently for primary students and secondary students because, for the older ones, it’s designed to go into their resumes as a public speaking opportunity.”

 

East Maitland Public School student artwork for Draw to Remember

East Maitland Public School student artwork for Draw to Remember

2. Throw open the doors

Gargosky recommends RSL sub-Branches take an open-door policy to community engagement. Gone are the days of sub-Branch membership being dominated by World War II veterans. In their place are inclusive facilities where everyone is welcome to take part in commemorations.

“This year we have a new group, the Sikh Sangat Charitable Association of Newcastle, taking part in the march,” she explains – as many as 20 Sikhs served in the Australian Army in World War I.

“Some of the group’s members are descendants of those who fought in Gallipoli and Egypt. We’re meeting with them soon to coordinate how they can participate.”

And the sub-Branch’s wider engagement efforts are paying off.

“We’ve really noticed how much the event has grown,” says Gargosky.

3. Get the mates together

For Steve Abela, who will be President of the Maltese Ex-Servicemen’s Association RSL sub-Branch from February, ANZAC Day is a chance for mates to come together.

Although the sub-Branch is officially based in Western Sydney, its members are among those who attend a small but significant service on the afternoon before ANZAC Day, at the Martin Place Cenotaph in Sydney.

“It’s a matter of acknowledgement and respect,” says Abela, who has been part of the sub-Branch for the past three years. “We have members whose parents joined a conflict, and they’re involved with us now because of their Maltese background.”

Being a part of the sub-Branch, alongside events such as ANZAC Day, helps Abela build a community of people with shared experiences – and the sub-Branch intends to share these stories.

“We’ve been doing a lot of fundraising, and have also commissioned a book about Maltese members of the Australian Army who were on the beaches at Gallipoli – there are stories about seven of them that we’ve collated. It will be out this ANZAC Day.”

 

Maltese Ex-Servicemen’s Association RSL sub-Branch members on the afternoon before ANZAC Day 2024

Maltese Ex-Servicemen’s Association RSL sub-Branch members on the afternoon before ANZAC Day 2024

4. Join forces

Back in East Maitland, Gargosky is working with nearby sub-Branches ahead of the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) Commemoration later this year. Part of the appeal of last year’s MEAO services was the opportunity for veterans to reconnect with peers and benefit from mutual support.

This year, instead of each sub-Branch organising its own service, Gargosky plans to coordinate a single communal event.

“The idea is to get a different sub-Branch to coordinate each year,” she says. “It just means all of us younger veterans who served in the Middle East or Timor-Leste can reunite in one location. We’re organising that as we speak.”

Some extra inspiration

Lastly, how’s this for an impressive display of commemoration? On ANZAC Day, the Terrigal/Wamberal RSL sub-Branch regularly organises a flypast, such as the below Iroquois helicopter in 2023.

In addition, a fleet of sailing boats heads out onto the water while the hundreds-strong crowd gathers on the sand.

 

Stay up-to-date with information about upcoming commemorations by subscribing to the RSL NSW monthly newsletter.

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