State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, who has supported funding and grant applications by the local RSL, says that it is essential that advocacy continues for the crucial upgrades.
“The Seymour RSL is an extremely important part of the local community, offering a central location in town for veterans and their families to gather,” Ms Cleeland said.
“While they may have missed out on the most recent round of funding, I will continue to advocate for these upgrades due to the significant benefit they will provide local veterans and the wider community.
“By helping connect veterans to services, providing them with a way to develop social networks, and providing practical support, the Seymour RSL is offering a service that cannot be replaced.
“However, the current facilities are no longer fit for purpose.”
The Seymour RSL is based in a building that local World War I veterans constructed in the 1940s.
With more than 200 members, the Station St building is overdue for expansion, requiring more space to support veterans of all ages and abilities.
Seymour RSL was selected to apply for the Federal Government’s Veteran Wellbeing Grants Program.
This program funds eligible ex-service organisations to address community-based projects and activities for the veteran community.
Sadly, the crucial community hub was overlooked for funding.
Seymour RSL president Matt McLaughlin stressed that funding for the upgrades was necessary to benefit local veterans and the viability of the community group.
“Our toilets do not have disabled access and do not meet requirements – we cannot support our veterans if we don’t have the space or services,” he said.
“We need to extend and renovate to entice younger members in the RSL, but also provide for the ageing generation as well.
“Being that we’re so close to Puckapunyal, we need to provide a space for our veterans and their families.
“These upgrades will help the community by having other activities as well, like local meetings, events and functions.”
The Seymour RSL invested considerable time and money during the application process, making missing out on the initial funding boost extremely disappointing.
However, this investment has meant they are now shovel-ready for any future development of their site, should they be successful in future funding.
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