History
THE RSL IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S OLDEST AND MOST RESPECTED NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS.
Prospect RSL Sub Branch History
The history of the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch is tied to the public sentiment from the two World Wars which was so strong with such a loss of life that this had great influence over memorials being built to honour the fallen. Thus, in the Prospect District Council area, there were political and social pressures from World Wars, public memorials, sporting influences, for future planning for the Council area.
The national RSL was formed in 1916 as the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia as a result of the camaraderie and concern for the welfare of their mates during and after the 1914 - 1918 War.
By the 1920s, Anzac Day ceremonies were held throughout Australia. All States had designated Anzac Day as a public holiday. In the 1940s, Second World War veterans joined parades around the country.
Prospect RSL Sub-Branch was formed by charter in November 1920 with its first meeting on 13 December 1920 with Mr T H Lonnen, a notable worker for returned men, as its foundation president, Mr W P Devonshire and Mr DD Fraser vice-presidents, Mr A.F Mitchell secretary, and Mrs J Churchill-Smith, HL Cole, C W Tanner, Coker and C E Sangster as committee men.
This photo (supplied by Ann Leech) was taken not long after the end of World War 11 in the RSL Clubrooms under the grandstand at the Prospect Oval. Her husband’s father, Frank (Francis David) Leech enlisted on 16 March 1942 the day after his 19th birthday (2/27th Batt). Frank is the nearest to the camera on the right-hand side of the photo. His best mate Donny Little is sitting second along from the front on the left-hand side row. They both played Electric Light Cricket for the Prospect RSL Club. Donny also played League Football for the North Adelaide Football Club.
Meetings of the newly formed Prospect RSL Sub-Branch were held in a room at Prospect Town Hall until 1923. The Prospect RSL Sub-Branch then moved into new clubrooms under the new grandstand at Prospect Oval on the western side of the oval (constructed as a memorial to the soldiers of the First World War for a cost of £6500.) (Northern Districts Courier (North Adelaide, SA: 1925 - 1927), Saturday 15 August 1925, page 1)
In March 1923 the Prospect sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Imperial League (RSSIL, later the RSL) suggested the provision of a children’s playground as a war memorial. A committee of council, citizens and the RSSIL was formed and the Council set aside land on the western side of the Recreation Ground for the purpose. (Chronicle, 27 February 1926)
By 1925, the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch was the one of the largest in South Australia with an average attendance of 77 members. In May 1926, Prospect RSL Sub-Branch held an ANZAC memorial service at the Prospect Picture Theatre and in the evening a commemoration service was held in St Cuthbert’s Church, which could not accommodate the crowd. At the end of World War 11 there was a rapid build-up in membership.
The growth of Prospect RSL Sub-Branch (and as well as activities at the Prospect Oval with the growth of North Adelaide Football Club and Prospect District Cricket Club) and, having to vacate their clubrooms at Prospect Oval for military and civil defence purposes, seriously affected the activities of the sub-branch. A conference was held between Prospect Council and the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch on 10 June 1953, to discuss the consideration of an alternate site for the R.S.L. Clubroom. The sub-branch was incorporated on 15 September 1953.
Prospect Council agreed to set aside a block of land in the Memorial Gardens so that members of the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch of the Returned Soldiers' League can build a hall of memory there with club facilities. Until the new hall was built, monthly meetings were held in the Prospect Town Hall.
Prospect RSL Sub-Branch members took up fundraising enthusiastically with the financial target reached and, with assistance of Prospect Council, a Hall of Memory was designed to replace the clubroom at Prospect oval. So that the memorial hall being erected by Prospect RSL Sub-Branch shall not be confused with that of North Adelaide Football Club nearby on Prospect Oval, the committee has decided it should be called “The Hall of Memory" and clubrooms. The foundation stone of the Hall of Memory Clubroom was laid by Brigadier A S Blackburn VC on Sunday 16 November 1958. The building took shape over many months by contract work and voluntary labour, with a women’s committee supplying refreshments for the workers on the job. The new clubrooms were opened by the Premier (Sir Thomas Playford) on 14th November 1959 and reputed to be the finest in the state.
After unveiling the beautiful RSL badge on the western wall of the building, the Premier opened the door of the porch entrance to the Hall of Memory, and the official party proceeded on a tour of inspection before the assembly entered, and were entertained at afternoon tea by the Ladies' Auxiliary.
Features of the new building favourably commented upon by those present were the glasswork of the porch, tiles on all the floors of passages and rooms adjacent to the hall, the kitchen appointments and the glass case of the Cross of Remembrance in the main hall. Fixtures and fittings the toilets, refreshment lounge and ceiling in the main hall were equal to those in the best hotels. When the billiard table has been installed, members will be provided with many comforts and amenities for their entertainment. There is a deep sense of pride and tremendous enthusiasm at Prospect, for the boys feel they have built something which is a monument in the district. The Premier must have been conscious of this pride of possession when he remarked, 'I have been told you have the best badge, the best ceiling, in fact the best Hall, and I'm beginning to believe it myself."
By May 1961, the renovations to the clubroom were completed with two billiard tables installed.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the number of people attending Anzac Day ceremonies fell as Australians questioned the relevance of Anzac Day. However, in the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest in Anzac Day, with attendances, particularly by young people, increasing across Australia and with many making the pilgrimage to the Gallipoli Peninsula to attend the Dawn Service. There was resurge of interest with the Australian public sentiment from celebrations of Centenary commemorations of WWI and a more positive modern adaptation of Anzac Day recognizing the often-overlooked role that women, immigrants and Aboriginal Australians played in the war.
Since 2020, the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch has been undergoing a membership drive and its members and volunteers have upgraded the hall facilities and are looking to involve the local community more in social and traditional events.
The Prospect RSL Sub-Branch celebrated its 100 years in 2021 and was visited by the then State Premier, Steven Marshall at an event to celebrate the occasion.
In 2021, Prospect RSL Sub-Branch Committee embarked on a Strategic Plan 2021 – 2026. It confirmed that Prospect RSL Sub-Branch is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers for the benefit of Sub-Branch Members, serving Australian Defence Force members, Veterans and the Community and to become more of a local community centre. Its members and volunteers are the backbone of the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch and include its Committee, Property Manager, Cleaners, Bar Manager and bar volunteers, Hall Hire Manager and event and history volunteers.
Prospect Oval redevelopment is an ongoing project by the Prospect City Council with input from the North Adelaide Football Club, Prospect District Cricket Club, and Prospect RSL Sub-Branch. Prospect RSL Sub-Branch Committee provided input to the Prospect City Council detailing requirements to support the operations of the Prospect RSL Sub-Branch, the membership and venue users.
The Prospect RSL Sub-Branch is supporting the Prospect City Council's Lifestyle Precinct.