Big plans for RSL

By Melissa Meehan
PAKENHAM could soon have a Dandenong RSL-style bistro in town, if the Vietnam Veteran Association has anything to do with it.
Discussions are in the pipeline to bring a similar complex to town, and president of the West Gippsland Vietnam Veteran Association Gary Elliot said they were now exploring the possibility.
“Pakenham is a large enough area that’s growing all the time to support such a thing,” Mr Elliot said. “We think it could work, but we want to get people talking about it. Hear whether the community would support such a project.”
He said there were many models that the new complex could be based on, ranging from the Dandenong RSL to the Warrnambool RSL.
“We can pick and choose things that work,” he said. “We would have to look at that magic word that people hate – pokies. But like Dandenong we could put revenue back into the Pakenham community.”
Careful to distinguish the difference between his role as Pakenham RSL president and West Gippsland Vietnam Veteran Association vice president, Ray Caldwell said the complex would not be called the Pakenham RSL unless its members wholeheartedly supported the project.
“We, at this stage, see it being more of a complex for all services – from Vietnam veterans to police, SES and the airforces just to name a few,” he said. “But it is all open for discussion and I would dearly love for the Pakenham RSL to get involved.”
Mr Caldwell said bringing such a complex to Pakenham would improve the number of members in the Pakenham RSL.
“We have 34-35 members at the moment,” he said. “But by having such a complex – with the facilities of meeting rooms it could increase our membership to numbers we couldn’t imagine. We don’t want the RSL to die with the old soldiers – we need to keep the tradition alive.”
He said a site for the new complex would need to be looked into soon.
“We just want to get the ball rolling, we need interested parties to talk to us and we are open to debate,” he said.
A public meeting will be held at the Pakenham RSL, corner of John and Snodgrass streets, Pakenham on Wednesday 24 March to discuss the plans.
For more information contact Gary Elliot on 0409 594 114 or Ray Caldwell on 0418 121 358.