The Roll of Honour plaque at the Gerringong RSL Sub-branch for World War II, labelled “The Great War”, reads: “Men Who Answered their Country’s Call. 1914–1918.”

Behind every name on that plaque lies a heartbroken family and a deep tragedy that rocked the then tiny community of Gerringong. The official 1921 census recorded a population of just 792.

None of those young men who died in the service of their country would recognise Gerringong as it is today, with its high-end properties, smart cars and affluent population.

We will never know much about the men behind the plaque adorning the front of the historic Memorial Hall at the heart of Gerringong’s shopping strip:

“J.E. Alexander, Died on Service; G.H. Cooke, Palestine; E.A. Cook, France; or Private J.W. Donovan, Gallipoli.” And so many others.

“They put their whole life on the line,” says Gerringong RSL treasurer Leanne Mitchell. 

“I’m a mother, and I can’t imagine sending my children off to die. It was about serving for the betterment of all of us, our way of life.”

Fast-forward through another world war, and the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Soldiers' Memorial Hall is no longer the bustling community hub it once was.

Membership of the Gerringong RSL Sub-branch never exceeded 50 or so after World War I or World War II, yet the branch served as a vital gathering place for military personnel and their families – a place of solace for returned soldiers to remember fallen mates, and for the bereaved. 

It hosted dances, afternoon teas, weddings and engagement parties, supported by the local Ladies Auxiliary.

Now, membership is dwindling due to age and illness, and the Memorial Hall has lost much of its former vibrancy.

In an unprecedented step, the group is publicly advertising its Annual General Meeting on Monday, 16 February, declaring:

“We would like to invite anyone with an interest in the RSL, or any ex or serving personnel, to attend to meet with us and see what we are about.

"We welcome any ideas to encourage veterans and their families to join us.”

Gerringong RSL President Mike O’Leary, 78, says they are keen to see the building once more become a community hub for returned service men and women, and for their families.

Conscripted for National Service at age 21 in 1967, he wasn’t political and never campaigned against the Vietnam War – or the American War, as the Vietnamese still call it. 

Nor did he ponder deeply the morality of being sent to a foreign conflict.

He simply figured he was unlucky that his number had come up.

“I didn’t see it as an adventure, didn’t know anything about war, none of us did,” Mike recalls. “Vietnam was a complete unknown. I thought it would be like Wollongong.”

Many who fought in Vietnam returned severely damaged and never fully recovered from what they experienced. Like many veterans of that terrible war, he doesn’t want to talk much about his service.

“When I joined in the early 2000s there were still WWII and Korean veterans involved,” Mike says.

“They have all gone. Now we are all in our 70s and 80s.

“The main thing we are after is to attract more members. You need to have a defence service history, but we also have affiliate memberships.

“The Anzac Day Dawn Service, which we organise, attracts large numbers. We had 100 kids this past year. It is the only community event that pulls that many people.

“We want to see this place once again become a centre for social events. We are not living in the past. We are trying to get people involved.”