Albury RSL Sub-Branch

31/08/2026

Changeover of Presidents.

On Sunday, the 16th of August 2026, at the August Monthly Meeting of the City of Albury RSL sub-Branch, Rory Nelson was elected as the new City of Albury RSL sub-Branch President.
Graham Docksey formally stepped down after 13 years as the President

Rory Nelson had just turned 17 years old and was in Year 11 at high school in Queensland when he joined the Army Reserve in Toowoomba in November 1991. He served for 14 months with the 49th Battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment and completed infantry training at Greenbank Training Centre. He finished Year 12 and was accepted into the Australian Army Apprentice School at Bonegilla as a 48th class apprentice carpenter and joiner in 1993. There, he excelled and, in his second year, was promoted to Apprentice Battalion Sergeant Major, wearing the rank of Warrant Officer Class One. At the end of his second year, he received the Governor-General's Medal for trade and military training. Rory then attended the School of Military Engineering in Moorebank, Sydney, where he completed the 3rd and 4th years of his apprenticeship and his Initial Employment Training in the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE).
He was then posted to the 17th Construction Squadron, RAE, based in Holsworthy, Sydney, where he deployed to several remote Aboriginal communities, building everything from houses to sewage farms to airstrips for the flying doctors. In 1998, he deployed to the Katherine Floods. In January 1999, he deployed to Operation Belisi to Bougainville, PNG, as part of the peace monitoring group. Then, in September 1999, was deployed to East Timor with the 17th Construction Squadron as part of INTERFET. On returning home, he was attached to the Sydney Olympics task force, assisting the SASR with their temporary training facilities in Holsworthy. In 2001, he was discharged and moved back to his wife Vicki's hometown of Albury, where he worked as a builder, and they raised their daughters and now have 3 grandsons.

Congratulations Rory
We look forward to working with you.

29/08/2026

I want to offer our outgoing President of 13 years, Graham Docksey, OAM, OAM (Mil), JP, a final thank you and congratulations for all he has achieved as President of the City of Albury RSL. I trust the new President won't be too daunted by the shoes he will be filling. Below is a snapshot of Graham's career.

Graham is an Infantry Vietnam Veteran, having served in the Australian Army for 46 years. As a soldier, he served in all ranks before being commissioned as a Captain and later promoted to Major. At the end of his 27 years as a soldier, Graham served as Command Regimental Sergeant Major of Logistic Command-Army for four years.

During this posting, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990 in the Military Division for his outstanding service during this and on previous Regimental Sergeant Major postings. As an officer, he served for six years as a Captain and then for another twelve years as a Major, receiving a Chief of Army Commendation from General Peter Cosgrove in 2001. For the last eight years of his service, he was a member of the Australian Army History Unit and the first Manager of the Army Museum Bandiana.

Graham has been to Gallipoli on some twenty occasions, seventeen of which were as a War Historian during the ANZAC Commemorations. Graham has visited all thirty-one Commonwealth War Cemeteries across the three battlefields on Gallipoli to conduct research. In 2015, for the Centenary of the Gallipoli landings, he worked as an advisor to the ABC News 24 team and ABC Radio Victoria.

After being medically discharged from the Army in 2010, he has been kept busy as the President of the City of Albury RSL Sub-Branch, as an Albury City Councillor for nine years, Albury Centenary of World War One Committee Member and Member of the Centenary of the Armistice Committee. Graham is also the Historian and Life Member of the 2/23rd Battalion (Albury’s Own) Association. This has taken him to Libya, Egypt, PNG, and Labuan Island, and around Australia, recording all the graves of the 318 members of the battalion who died during World War Two. He also advised on several military memorial projects in Albury, including the Albury War Memorial and the World War Two Bowl. Graham has completed his first book about a 2/23rd Battalion soldier. Graham and his wife Beth, a former Albury Police Commander, are very keen travellers. On Australia Day 2024, he was awarded a second Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for his service to Albury and Veterans.

From all our past and present members, thank you!

22/08/2026

Mr Harry Hacking, Vice President of the Albury City RSL, is one of the most generous people you will meet. He has been volunteering his time to the Albury City RSL for decades. Harry served in the Australian Army for just shy of 12 years. In his first year of service, He was involved in an am******on accident. Whilst loading 20mm rounds into a cylinder (he’s holding a 20mm round in the picture attached), a round was set off, striking Harry in the face; the projectile passed through his left eye, through the bridge of his nose, and just missed his right eye. This left him with a lifelong, life-changing injury and a glass eye. Looking at him, you wouldn’t see the damage he's dealt with. The incident certainly didn’t affect his sense of Humor.
Harry looks after our older veterans visiting nursing homes and similar settings. He also attends veterans' funerals and delivers the eulogy at the family’s request, on behalf of the Albury RSL. Harry, we appreciate the dedication and commitment you have shown over the years, and we hope to help you achieve your goals in the future.

18/08/2026

Sixty years ago tonight, Thurgoona lost a young man to the Battle of Long Tan, Vietnam. He was a farm hand who enlisted in the Australian Army and served with the 6th Battalion, Delta Company, Royal Australian Regiment. He was twenty years old when he showed true courage, helping a wounded digger remove his pack and webbing to try and make him comfortable. Ernest Grant was shot and killed in the process. This evening, the Albury RSL remembered him, with our club's secretary, Glenda Johnston, and Assistant Secretary Barbara Chappell, attending a commemorative plaque his father dedicated to him in 1987. Thank you to Brian Linehan and Nigel Horne for attending. This is located in Thurgoona at a Park, named in his honour. This evening was a small, solemn affair, and a lady named Heather McMillan also attended his remembrance, laying her own flowers for him. At 13, Ernest was her first boyfriend.
The 108 Australian Soldiers who stood against 2000-2500 enemy soldiers again solidified what it means to be an ANZAC. There's no glory in missing out on life, but time and again, our diggers past and present have put everything on the line for Australia.
To all of or Vietnam Veterans Thank you!!

16/08/2026

I want to thank and congratulate Mr Justin Clancy, MP, for accepting the City of Albury's RSL offer to serve as Patron of the club. We truly appreciate the time you have given us to date, and we look forward to working with you in the future.

16/08/2026

16/08/2026

What a fantastic turnout. Our Vietnam Veterans service was beautiful. Thank you, Justin Clancy MP, for attending and for your speech.
The coffee van was also well attended and a welcome addition to the streetscape for some residents.
We will also place flowers at Grant Ernest Park, Thurgoona, at 5pm on August 18th, to mark this young man's service and sacrifice during the Vietnam War.

15/08/2026

Are you interested in Australia’s military History and coffee? Why not mix the two? Come along this Sunday and have a coffee out the front of the Albury RSL, open from 9.30am until lunch. We are holding a service for our Vietnam Veterans in our memorial garden out the back at 10.00am, so if you hang around, I’m sure you’ll meet a few of our diggers.
If you’re floating by, grab a coffee and a poppy!
Located in central Albury, 527 Wilson Street, Albury.
We look forward to seeing not just our local or Visiting Vietnam Veterans, but also the entire Albury/Wodonga and surrounds Veterans’ community, along with the general public; all are welcome!
Lest we forget. 🇦🇺

14/08/2026

Last reminder about our Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day this Sunday!!
The service starts at 10am. All are welcome. At the end of the service, we will be holding our monthly meeting. There will be a coffee Van out the front to purchase coffee or a poppy.
Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Lest we forget.

13/08/2026

Gary Treeve,
Born in Tamworth; attended Moonbi Primary and Tamworth High schools. Served a five-year apprenticeship as a Welder at Northern Engineering Services in Tamworth; He was called up for National Service in 1967, but still had two years to complete his apprenticeship and was given an exemption. At the end of the exemption period, he began his national service and joined the 3rd Training Battalion in Singleton. With his first posting to 1 Coy RAASC, driving MK5 international trucks, he had a Corps transfer to RAEME and was posted to RMC Wksp Pl Duntroon, where he extended his National Service for 1 year. He met and married his wife, Midori, and was promptly posted to 102 Fd Wksp in Vietnam, where he joined the Regular Army; he was among the last troops to leave Vietnam, departing aboard the HMAS Sydney on 20 February 1972.
Posted to 3 Base Wksp Battalion as a Corporal, based in Broadmeadows, where he had two daughters. After four and a half years at 3 Base, he was posted to Puckapunyal Wksp as a Sergeant. Two and a half years later, he was posted to 5 Base Wksp Battalion in Oakey, QLD, where he worked on aircraft. Then, two years later, he was posted to The Army Apprentice School as an instructor. After two years, the Apprentice School closed and moved to Latchford Barracks at Bonegilla.
He was then posted to RAEME Training Centre, Bandiana, as a Warrant Officer Class Two. After five years as an instructor. He was then posted to the Maintenance Engineering Agency as a Warrant Officer Class One.
After 20 years of service, he was discharged from the ADF.
Gary was employed at Wodonga TAFE, Teaching Welding for five years, then OH& S for six years. After eleven years at TAFE, he had some medical issues, so he resigned and got involved with volunteer work. 20 years as a Men's Health Peer Education team member with DVA,
16 years as President, Murray Border Association Vietnam Veterans,
13 years with the Army Museum Bandiana, and is currently Activities Officer at Albury RSL.
On the 12th June 2023, Gary was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his Volunteer Service to Veterans.