Origins of the Crookwell RSL sub-Branch
‘It was decided at a meeting of returned soldiers held at the Literary Institute on 20 Janaury 1920, that a branch of the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League be formed in Crookwell. The following were appointed executive officers:
President, G Howard; Vice Presidents, Colin Keith and W Hearne; Hon. Sec., H C Hill; Hon. Treas., Eric C Keith.
A committee to represent the different centers was also appointed, and consisted of Diggers W Clarke, E Hall, A W Keith, and A C Stubbs.’ (Source: Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 22-01-1920).
Colin Keith was still a member in 1938, and John Keith until 1941 when he retired as Patron, sold his business and left the district.
W A Bayley, on page 116 of the second edition of his book “Uplands Pastures," names the inaugural president as G Howland, and quotes the same Goulburn paper as his source. The Goulburn paper does not name G Howland as the inaugural President. It is not known why this discrepancy occurred.
We do acknowledge that the list of names of those who returned from the First World War as displayed at the Crookwell Memorial Shrine includes both a "G J Howard" and a "G W Howland".
A letter dated 1st April 1959 from the State Branch Head Office, supplied " all available records" of office bearers of the sub-Branch over the years, but gaps for the majority of the 1920s indicate that the very earliest records were unavailable. There are a few sparodic mentions of the sub-Branch in The Crookwell Gazette, for the period 1921 to 1928 when the sub-Branch was reformed.
Preliminary meetings prior to the formation of the sub-Branch were held in John Keith's store on the corner of Goulburn and Roberts Streets, opposite the original court house. These meetings were called on the initiative of three of John Keith's sons: William, Colin and Eric. Horace Alchin described how, at the first meeting, they sat around on packing cases in the store.
For a short time after the sub-Branch was formed, meetings were held at the Commercial Hotel on the corner of Goulburn and Roberts Street. After this "short time" and for almost 20 years prior to the opening of the new club rooms in 1939, the sub-Branch occupied “temporary” premises behind the shops adjacent to the Crookwell Hotel (“Top Pub” - Editors.) in Goulburn Street. (From "Uplands Pastures" by WA Bayley p. 116).
The sub-Branch had been issued with a Charter by RSL NSW. The Charter designates the name of the sub-Branch, its boundaries and the District Council to which it belongs, and Crookwell was assigned to the Central Southern District. In a letter dated 7th October 1970, then Secretary Jack Nagle wrote to the State Secretary advising that the Charter had been lost and requesting a replacement for the original Charter.
The records from RSL NSW revealed that the sub-Branch had ‘skeleton’ committee between 1928 and 1933, when a full committee was elected, and has continued to be filled every election year since then.
In August 1937, enquiries were made regarding the leasing of the old Methodist Church, with an option to purchase, for use as a club for sub-Branch activities. As negotiations proceeded, it became apparent to the sub-Branch Committee that a lease was not feasible, and on 4 November 1937, the sub-Branch unanimously carried a motion to purchase the property for £350.00 (about $700.00 today).
The building had been constructed in 1871 and has seen 30 years of church services then little apparent use. After 12 months of hard voluntary labour, the club rooms of the Crookwell Returned Sailors and Soldiers Club were opened by the Mayor of Goulburn on 21 January 1939. All financial sub-Branch members were automatically granted membership of the Club and the Club Rooms were open every Saturday afternoon and evening.
Crookwell Services Club
In February 1944, the Club name was changed to Crookwell Services Club, new rules were drawn up and fundraising began to renovate and expand the club building, to include a meeting room, billiard room (located in the old church section), lounge, two retiring rooms, a kitchen and a bar. The extensions were formally opened in September 1947.
The Crookwell Services Club was administered as an adjunct of the Crookwell Returned Soldiers League through a Club Committee of sub Branch members. In May 1948, the Crookwell Services Club held it’s first Annual meeting and a separate committee to administer the Club was elected. All Crookwell Services Club members were members of the sub-Branch, except for an accountant, and this situation continued for at least 10 years.
A liquor licence was applied for in 1949 and was eventually granted in 1951. It would appear that prior to that time all alcohol was consumed on the premises on a BYO basis.
In 1964 the Crookwell Services Club was given permission by the sub-Branch to extend the building to the rear of the billiard room to house a new toilet block. What facilities existed prior to the construction of these toilets has not been recorded!
The Services Club committee were given permission to further extend the buildings in 1964 and again in 1976, when the current auditorium was constructed.
Throughout the years, the sub-Branch remained the landlord of the Crookwell Services Club, and this arrangement provided some income for the sub-Branch to fulfill it’s charitable purpose activities. In May 2023, the sub-branch sold the premises to the Crookwell Services Club, investing the proceeds for future funding of charitable purpose activities.
The Crookwell Services Club has provided the sub-Branch with a home in a bright and airy room previously occupied by the Lady Bowlers.
Women’s Auxiliary
A Women’s Auxiliary had been formed in 1937 to assist the sub-Branch with fundraising, assisting with Carnivals, selling poppies & miniature replica tin hat badges and catering for numerous functions. The Women’s Auxiliary retired form catering duties in 1984 and went into recess in 1986, being finally wound up in 2012.
A ‘Diggers Ball was held every year from 1937 up until the mid 1980’s as were the annual Remembrance Day Dinners, which continued until 2012 and was revived again in 2025.
Commemoration
The sub-Branch has been involved in Anzac Day and Remembrance Day commemorations since at least 1934 as well as working with the Crookwell Shire / Upper Lauchlan Shire to develop the infrastructure at the Memorial Gardens in Spring Street.
The sub-Branch is also the custodian of several Honour Boards that came from district halls that no longer exist. Numerous local families have donated the medals of their ancestors who fought in both world wars, and these are displayed in the Services Club Auditorium along with a wide variety of military memorabilia.
Source:
The information presented above has been heavily drawn from the book “Crookwell RSL Sub-Branch …..The History”, compiled by Leon Willis and Austin Cummins and published in 1912 by the sub-Branch.