Our Story
Wonthaggi RSL Sub-Branch story
Wonthaggi RSL Sub Branch, on Graham Street, was established to commemorate the First World War by returned service men and women. The Wonthaggi District Returned Soldiers, Sailors and Nurses Co- operative formed in 1920 for the purpose of acquiring and operating the Wonthaggi Picture Theatre, (later known as the Plaza Theatre). The local sub-branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA) was a significant subscriber of funds, and it used the theatre building as a meeting venue. By the early post-War years, a decision had been made to sell the Theatre after which the League is believed to have rented a premises nearby. By 1954, resources became available to construct a new club, and a site was secured at 60-62 Graham Street, Wonthaggi, (CBD). The new building was designed by architects R M & M H King and the builders the Johnson Bros. The construction is also believed to have involved war veteran labour. The new building opened in 1956. In October 1965 the League became known as the Returned Services League of Australia (RSL).Today the building continues to be used as a support hub for ex-service members, and as a community entertainment centre.
State of The Art - Wonthaggi State Coal Mine & WW1
Wonthaggi’s history is deeply intertwined with coal mining. Founded in 1910 as a State Coal Mine town to supply coal for Victoria’s railways, it became a significant industrial centre. Although coal mining operations ceased in 1968, the town’s history is preserved at the State Coal Mine Historic Reserve, including guided underground tours. In 1914 Wonthaggi was a State of The Art Engineering operation of Major Project Status for the State of Victoria, providing work for up to 2,000 men. It quickly became an economic focal point for Victorian Families, and subsequently a major WW1 intake point with men enlisting from as far away as Walhalla, Foster, Dandenong; the entire South Gippsland region. Wonthaggi RSL in partnership with the “Friend of the Wonthaggi Cemetery, Mrs Rene Loeckenhoff ” embarked on a project to identify and recognise those World War veterans buried in the Wonthaggi Cemetery, via installation of a Veterans Wall – Internment & Location Guide, incorporating fixed plaques to identify the veteran and the location of his/her graves. With only 1/3 Surveyed 447 have been located, 14 of whom were POWs, with an Est. 40 % in unmarked graves – potentially the most of any Regional Town in Victoria.
So far, 980 men and 4 nurses have been identified who served in World War 1 from the surrounding Bass Coast Region. With many from this District now buried overseas in defence of Egypt, Tobruk, or actions of the 4th Light Horse Brigade’s Battle for Beersheba, on the 31 October 1917, (successful, it was the last mounted horse charge in history), and these men and nurses went on to fight in the Dardanelles, at Gallipoli Cove & Lone Pine!.
If that wasn’t enough, most were transferred to other theatres of War along the Western Front from France to Belgium, with many men from this district awarded Military Meddles for Bravery in the Field won in Major Battles such as on *July 1916 at Fromelles where our Soldiers suffered 5,533 casualties in 24 hours.
By the end of 1916 about 40,000 Australians had been killed or wounded on the Western Front. In 1917 a further 76,836 Australians became casualties in battles, such Bullecourt, Messines, and the four-month campaign around Ypres, known as the Battle of Passchendalee. *With some much of our blood spilt on this soil, it’s why the names of these small French & Belgium villages became key elements of Remembrance Day – The absolute horror of these WW1 battles became described by single words: Ipres, Passchendaele – Pozieres – (Australian Remembrance Trail Western Front) – Anzacs – alongside Gallipoli, or Villers- Bretonneux! Their courage and enormous sacrifice impacted cities and regional towns right across Australia; defining our Nations Character!
Wonthaggi’s Miners fought a Chilling Secret War Under-No-Mans-Land in the action that created the largest Man Made explosion in History, depicted in the Movie ‘Beneath Hill 60,
- WW1 Case Study.1: A harrowing story: The Hidden Tunnel Warfare of World War One, @ HistoryHit Wonthaggi Mines Engineer / Timber Inspector H. C. Somerset, was the first person in charge of operations on the Wonthaggi Coal Fields, and sunk the very first shaft at the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine, No.1 Shaft. He and other Wonthaggi Miners were reported as having been called up to serve in the Wiki: 1st Australia Tunnellers Corp, Est.1915/16, [Research ongoing, to be updated at a latter date]
- Decades latter we have Veterans from Vietnam, and now returning
from conflicts in Iraq & Afghanistan, this Wall demonstrates to them,
as a Community we won’t forget!
Of the men and women that returned from service in World War 1, they then made new contributions in various ways to shape regional towns like Wonthaggi and many other regional communities in their civilian lives.
Starting families, such as Wonthaggi’s Donald Francis Stuart. MM – Ypres. Oct.10.1916, serving the entirety of WW1, only to be killed by a rock fall in Wonthaggi’s 20 Shaft! And his son Walter ‘Hefty’ Stuart, 1912–1938, (Wiki: Hefty’s Story), rode alongside Hubert ‘Oppy’ Opperman, (one of Australia’s Greatest Sportsmen), was the Australian Cycling Champion of 1934 & 35,(?). Hefty Stuart retired at the end of 1937 [30] but was lured back to cycling at the end of 1938 to compete at the Exhibition board track. When competing in the final Stuart’s front tyre blew out, causing him to fall and he was run over by a following pacing motorcycle. Stuart died in hospital two weeks later.[31] They played VFL Football, Captained Collingwood, established CBD Businesses, or carved out local agricultural enterprises, who’s kids are now your mates or you may have gone to school with, World Wars touched everybody?
Some such as Edgar Stanley Beard, MM. Ypres 1916, took up local leadership rolls as a former Cr. & Mayor of the Borough of Wonthaggi, or in other District Councils or Communities.
Many now lay buried in small regional towns, or the Wonthaggi Cemetery – leaving behind generations of families that have stayed in this region or are still connected in some way. Some like me, went to school with Edgar Beards children!
The Veterans Wall Project was proposed and designed to acknowledge, educate and respect these Veterans’ by identifying the location of their graves for prosperity, whilst offering families and community the opportunity to remember them, this project has been paused pending a detailed review, within our strategic directions planning for the future of Wonthaggi RSL.
Today, the Wonthaggi RSL Sub Branch continues to support Veterans, and is currently developing a strategic directions plan to refurbish, renovate and modernise the Sub Branch to present a supportive, welcoming, and socially cohesive meeting place to enhance Veteran engagement and camaraderie. And underpin Wonthaggi RSL Sub Branch as a community entertainment and services venue to secure our economic future.
