The Gawler RLS Women’s Auxiliary celebrated their 70th birthday recently with a modest party at the RSL Clubrooms.

The Auxiliary raise valuable funds for charities that support Australian veterans and currently support the Andrew Russell Veteran and Peter Badcoe Centres.

Last year the hardworking group of local women raised about $10,000 for these two important centres.

In the early days the Auxiliary helped the Gawler RSL with their events and provided support to the families of local veterans, but with a Declining and ageing membership they now focus on fundraising activities.

While in more recent years fundraising has been achieved by games mornings, such as bridge and other card games, held several times a year and attended by members and women from the general community they still knit and sell poppies and for ANZAC and Remembrance Day to raise funds.

Local Member of Parliament, Mr Tony Piccolo said he was very proud to be one of the invited guests at the birthday celebration.

Mr Piccolo said the Auxiliary held its inaugural meeting at the RSL Clubrooms on July 11, 1950, on the site where the Northern Market Shopping Centre now stands.

Records of the first minutes at that meeting state “Mrs Poole occupied the chair and told the ladies present that the object of the meeting was to form a Women’s Auxiliary Committee to help the RSL members with various functions they may hold in the future.”

It goes on to say that “Mrs Poole then told the ladies that the RSL are holding their Annual Ball on August 8 and would like the ladies to help with the arrangements for supper.”

The RSL Ball was one of a number held at the Gawler Institute every winter for many years.

Mr Piccolo said that over the years, with the ageing of members, the pattern of social activity has changed, but one thing has remained constant: “to do what they can to honour and support our veterans”. Gawler Auxiliary is affiliated with the central Council of RSL Women’s Auxiliaries and each year a conference is held in Adelaide attended by women from all areas of the state and Broken Hill.

There is a strong sense of commitment and community from all members of the Gawler Auxiliary, presently numbering 17.