Botany RSL Sub Branch

08/09/2026

A wonderful day for the Botany RSL Sub-Branch and our members.

A big thank you to Matt Thistlethwaite MP for inviting our members to Parliament House in Canberra today and giving us the opportunity to meet with the Minister for Defence.

It was a fantastic experience for our members and a day many will remember for a long time. We greatly appreciate Matt’s ongoing support of our veterans, their families and the Botany RSL Sub-Branch.

Thank you for having us 🇦🇺

05/09/2026

Happy Father’s Day from the Botany RSL Sub-Branch.

Today we celebrate all the dads, grandfathers and father figures in our community. Thank you for your guidance, strength and the example you set for the next generation.

We hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day. ❤️

03/09/2026

Today, members of the Botany RSL Sub-Branch had the privilege of joining the veteran community to farewell a truly remarkable Australian, Reg Chard OAM — the last surviving veteran of the Kokoda campaign.

Reg represented a generation whose courage, sacrifice and service helped shape the Australia we know today. But his legacy extended far beyond his wartime service.

Through his willingness to share his experiences, particularly with younger generations, Reg ensured the lessons, mateship and spirit of Kokoda would continue long after him.

For our members, it was an honour to stand alongside fellow veterans, serving members, RSL representatives, Reg’s family and the wider community to pay our respects and say farewell.

Rest easy, Reg. Your duty is done, but your story will continue to be told.

Lest We Forget. 🌺

Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway

30/08/2026

🎺Sydney friends

Forget cooking dinner, we've got the soundtrack and the food covered. Join The Australian Army Band Sydney for an evening of live music under the stars.

📅 Saturday 12 September 2026
📍 Victoria Barracks Sydney
🎶 Live music from 6:30pm
🎫 $5 entry, kids FREE. Tickets are essential via QR code 👇

27/08/2026

Botany RSL Sub-Branch is incredibly proud to help provide experiences like this for our local students.

It was a privilege to accompany the Year 7 students from South Sydney High School to the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway and see them so engaged in learning about the courage, sacrifice, mateship and endurance of those who served.

Keeping these stories alive and passing them on to the next generation is something our Sub-Branch is very proud to be part of.

Thank you for allowing us to share this special day with you.

Lest we forget.

RSL NSW

22/08/2026

20/08/2026

Today, members of our Sub-Branch joined fellow veterans and members of the community at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway for Victory in the Pacific Day.

VP Day marks the end of the Second World War in the Pacific and is an important opportunity to remember the service, sacrifice and courage of all Australians who served.

Lest We Forget.

18/08/2026

26/07/2026

📢 Nominations are now open for the 2026 RSL NSW Election of President and Elected Directors

Help shape the future of RSL NSW by contributing to the leadership of our century-old charity, ensuring it remains strong, sustainable, and able to support veterans and their families for generations to come.

Eligible Service Members can now nominate for the positions of RSL NSW President and Elected Director.

🗓️ Nominations close: 12:00 noon AEST, Friday 21 August 2026

Visit the RSL NSW website for everything you need to know, including key election dates, eligibility requirements, and information on how to nominate: https://rslnsw.org.au/election2026/

24/07/2026

Vale Reginald James Chard OAM
NX134343
31 October 1923 – 24 July 2026

The members of Botany RSL Sub-Branch extend our deepest condolences to Reg’s family, friends and the wider Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway community on the passing of a remarkable Australian.

Reg’s service to our nation during the Second World War was matched only by his lifelong commitment to ensuring the stories of those who served would never be forgotten. Through his tireless work with the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway, he educated and inspired generations of Australians, including many young people from Botany and the surrounding communities who had the privilege of learning from him during visits to the Walkway.

His passion for preserving the legacy of the Kokoda Campaign, his generosity in sharing his experiences, and his unwavering dedication to remembrance have left an enduring impact on our community.

On behalf of our members, we thank Reg for a lifetime of service, sacrifice and education. His legacy will continue to live on through every young person who learns the values of courage, mateship and service because of his efforts.

May he rest in peace, and may we continue to honour his legacy by ensuring the stories of his generation are never forgotten.

Lest We Forget.

REGINALD JAMES CHARD
NX134343
31 October 1923 - 24 July 2026

With a sense of enormous loss we pay tribute to Reg Chard OAM, one of the central characters at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway, who died peacefully this morning at Campbelltown Hospital, aged 102.

Reg had not been well and had been in and out of hospital for the past few months, but never allowed his age and illness to diminish his enthusiasm for news of what was happening at the Walkway.

Many tributes for Reg will flow from the wider community. We will always remember him as a man who overcame his grief at losing his lifelong partner Betty by devoting his energies to ensuring his generation's courage and sacrifice in WWII would be honoured always by the generations of Australians to follow.

Well done Reg - a life of service comes to an end but your legacy is all around us at the Walkway. RIP.