Veterans in the New England and North West will take important issues to RSL NSW when the Listening Tour visits Tamworth and Inverell on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Tamworth RSL Sub-Branch President David Howells said the visit was a follow-up to discussions at the 2025 RSL NSW Congress related to updating the strategic plan.
“This is about RSL NSW coming out and hearing what’s happening on the ground,” Mr Howells said.
“They’re taking that feedback back to formulate the new strategic plan. It’s important that regional voices are part of that.”
One of the key issues Mr Howells intends to raise is the lack of RSL LifeCare services in the New England and North West.
He said RSL LifeCare owned land at Moore Creek where it planned to develop aged care and independent living facilities, but the project had not progressed.
“We seem to be on the backburner,” he said.
“We’re getting nothing in New England, North West, or Western regions. The nearest services are Maitland and Dubbo.”
Mr Howells said Census data showed more than 1,500 veterans lived in the Tamworth Local Government Area and that, across the New England and North West region, there were more than 3,000.
“There’s a clear need because we have a large veteran population and a lack of services to support them,” he said.
Tamworth RSL is one of the few sub-branches in the region providing veterans’ advocacy assistance, helping former service personnel with claims and entitlements. While RSL LifeCare employs paid advocates, it is more difficult for regional veterans to access their services.
RSL LifeCare has also flagged the development of Veterans and Families Hubs, something Mr Howells believes should be seriously considered for Tamworth.
“The old ambulance station in Marius Street would be an ideal location for a Veterans Hub for the New England and North West,” he said.
“It’s centrally located in the CBD. We’ve been in discussions with Legacy about potentially joining forces there. It would give veterans a proper home for services.”
Mr Howells hoped the Listening Tour would lead to action for veterans in the region.
“Tamworth has the largest health service in the region and halfway between the Queensland border and Newcastle, so it makes sense to have a veterans’ hub here,” he said.
Mr Howells said equality for regional districts within RSL NSW also remained an ongoing issue.
The New England District, now led by President Jayne McCarthy, comprises 11 sub-branches across a large geographical area.
“We deal with the tyranny of distance out here,” he said.
“In Sydney, there are six district councils, and they might complain about travelling an hour to a meeting. In our district, the distances are far greater.”
He said that while teleconferencing and email can assist, they do not replace the need for in-person meetings and conversations.
“Regional areas are important and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Originally, RSL NSW had planned to hold a single Listening Tour meeting in Tamworth before adding Inverell to the schedule.
“That tells the story straight away about the distances here,” Mr Howells said.
“The likes of Gunnedah, Quirindi, Boggabri, and the wider North West zone will come to us.”
Another issue on the agenda is getting younger veterans involved with the RSL after Tamworth Young Veterans closed several years ago.
“RSL NSW has to look at how we engage younger veterans,” Mr Howells said.
The Listening Tour sessions are at Wests’ Diggers, Tamworth, from 11am on Wednesday, and at the same time at Inverell RM Club on Thursday. They will provide local veterans the opportunity to raise these issues directly as RSL NSW works on its next strategic plan.
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