Whanganui RSA will continue despite closure of premises

Whanganui RSA welfare officer Pieter Boks says the trust has a lot of people on its books. Photo / Mike Tweed

Whanganui’s Returned and Services Association is not done yet, despite no longer having club facilities.

The association’s former home, Club Metro, closed after selling its Ridgway St premises to Equippers Church, with the price below what was required to cover the organisation’s debts.

There was a meeting to discuss the Returned and Services Association’s (RSA) future on June 30, which RSA Welfare Trust president Robert Allen said drew a full house at St Andrew’s Hall.

“It was encouraging to see so much enthusiasm and the keenness on keeping the Whanganui RSA cards in their pockets,” he said.

“So many people have had an affiliation with the RSA for so many years, they didn’t want to see it just close.”

Allen said the RSA had considered partnering with another chartered club after the closure of Club Metro, but “we really don’t need to go down that path now”.

“When we amalgamated with the Cosmopolitan Club to form Club Metro [2018], we had around 600 members. Now, we have nowhere near that.

“Members just want to retain their cards. A lot of them are members of other clubs anyway, like St John’s, Whanganui East and Castlecliff.”

The RSA Welfare Trust, a separate entity to the RSA which supports current and former service personnel, has reopened its office at 86 Maria Place Extension.

New welfare officer Pieter Boks will be there from 11am to 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

He has taken over from longtime RSA member and Vietnam War veteran Mac McCallion, who died in May.

Boks said that after the closure of Club Metro, the 5th/7th Battalion let the RSA set up at its premises free of charge – “they’ve bent over backwards for us”.

Robert Allen says subcommittees will be formed to handle events like the Anzac Dawn Service. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

“We look after our veterans and the [RSA] flats on Harrison St,” he said.

“There are still a lot of people on our books, and we can give out grants to ex-soldiers, normally for teeth, eyes and doctors.

“We also have a list of ex-personnel we visit in homes. We have to make sure they’re all right.”

Allen said the welfare trust would form subcommittees to run events such as the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

This year’s event drew about 2000 people.

“The RSA will still be here for all the ceremonial activities we participate in.

“We want to get the message out there to former members – ‘Yes, we are open, and we are taking membership renewals’.”

Whanganui would host a regional RSA meeting in September, with members from Wellington, West Coast, Whanganui and Taranaki, Allen said.

Whanganui RSA has about 120 active members.

“We’ll still be actively involved in whatever is required of us.

“Other clubs have indicated that they would welcome us with open arms if we wanted to have any functions.

“We are not out in the cold, by any means. We are alive and well.”

Allen said many members dropped out when the RSA amalgamated with the Cosmopolitan Club.

“They may wish to come back, and they would be more than welcome.”

Boks said the next ceremony would be Armistice Day on November 11, commemorating the end of World War I, at the Battalion headquarters.

About 95% of the RSA’s memorabilia had been removed from Club Metro and secured, he said.

“We’ve still got to get some etched glass out before the church takes over,” he said.

“A lot [of memorabilia] went up to the library for display, and some was given back to the people who donated it.

“We’re getting there.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.