About the Railway Sub-Branch
The prime focus of Ipswich Railway Sub-Branch is to service the needs of its members, members of the ex-Service community and currently serving members of the Australian Defence Force and their families. We focus on providing Welfare and Pension assistance to our members and their families.
We provide advice to service and ex-service members regarding Repatriation Benefits and access to Veteran Affairs services.
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Originally Railway membership was restricted to railway workers. Some of the inaugural executive was executive members of the Ipswich Sub Branch. After some years membership was extended to all Returned Servicemen and Women. As of 2014 membership stands at about two hundred and fifty.
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Membership is now extended to Australian and members of allied forces who have at least six months service. Membership to current members of the Australian Defence Force are granted free membership but, need to call us annually to renew membership.
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They raised funds by various means to provide a reasonable standard of living for their members and their families. Also a priority was assisting the members to obtain Repatriation Benefits.
The Memorial
In the early days a certain amount of animosity existed between the two Sub Branches. Sub Branch meetings were originally held in the roundhouse at the Railway Workshops. Later they shared the Memorial Hall for their meetings and also shared the Club.
In the early 1970s the branches got together to form the Club at North Ipswich. Land was obtained from the Railway Department and the present Ipswich RSL Services Club opened in 1979. Both Sub Branches hold half shares in the Club.