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Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin RSL President Stephen Glouster on ANZAC DAY · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Mix one O four point nine dot com for all
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  Speaker 1: the latest news and information. Now three sixty with Katie Wolf.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone is listening Mix one oh four point nine, one
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  Speaker 1: hundred percent.
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  Speaker 2: We know that there were so many disappointed people last year,
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  Speaker 2: obviously as a result of COVID, where we couldn't commemorate
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  Speaker 2: Anzac Day in the same way as what we usually would.
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  Speaker 2: We saw a lot of people in their driveways and
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  Speaker 2: trying their best to still really commemorate what is such
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  Speaker 2: an important day for us and our history.
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  Speaker 3: But hopefully things are going to be a little bit
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  Speaker 3: different this year.
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  Speaker 2: And joining us in the studio right now, the President
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  Speaker 2: of the RSL here and Darwin Stephen Gloucester.
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  Speaker 4: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 3: Great have you in the studio? Are we Are we
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  Speaker 3: back to normal this year for Anzac Day?
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  Speaker 4: Yes, we are back to normal. We'll have the dawn
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  Speaker 4: service starting at six in the morning and the march
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  Speaker 4: at nine. As long as we don't have a cyclone
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  Speaker 4: or anything else. It looks like it's all going.
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  Speaker 2: How important is this for our whole community but particularly
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  Speaker 2: you know, well you.
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  Speaker 4: Guys, it's a one year occasion where members can get
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  Speaker 4: back or service. People can talk to one another. I
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  Speaker 4: think it's important for the community. They can see what
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  Speaker 4: the fence forced do. It's an unusual place dar and
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  Speaker 4: where we have the different fence force support us fully
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  Speaker 4: the community. The streets are just crowded and we at
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  Speaker 4: the centotaph in the morning we have five six thousand
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  Speaker 4: people and with the help of the counsel and the police,
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  Speaker 4: we just seem to make it happen. It's a great event.
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  Speaker 2: And so we can expect it's sort of back as
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  Speaker 2: big as ever this year.
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  Speaker 4: Yes' because the bombing of Darylen went so well, we've
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  Speaker 4: had no problem getting approval from the police or the
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  Speaker 4: health department to move forward with ANZAC day.
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  Speaker 2: Was it tough us and not being able to sort
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  Speaker 2: of commemorate that day in the same way as what
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  Speaker 2: you usually.
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  Speaker 4: Would a little bit like we just had the committey
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  Speaker 4: go down to the cenotaph and we did it like
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  Speaker 4: people used to do many years ago, with just three
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  Speaker 4: or four people layer reef minute silence and then go
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  Speaker 4: home again. It's just growing over the years to what
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  Speaker 4: it is now.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is something that you know that people really
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  Speaker 2: want to be able to get out and make sure
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  Speaker 2: that they're honoring our service people. And I think it's
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  Speaker 2: so important for us as a community, particularly you know
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  Speaker 2: here in Darwin and in the top end.
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  Speaker 3: We'll really all over the Northern territory.
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  Speaker 4: That's very true, and the importance of this site up
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  Speaker 4: here being the only place where there was an actual
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  Speaker 4: battle take place on the Battle of Bombing of Darwin.
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  Speaker 4: And also on the twenty fourth of April, we've got
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  Speaker 4: the hundredths anniversary of the Cenotaph where we'll have a
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  Speaker 4: few people from Camber coming up, which I can't tell
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  Speaker 4: you who they are at this stage, but close to
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  Speaker 4: the date we can. And we'll have a blessing in
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  Speaker 4: a smoking ceremony for our new flame we have up there.
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  Speaker 3: Oh goodness, man twenty four. So that's on the twenty.
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  Speaker 4: Fourth, and that'll happen at about four point thirty on
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  Speaker 4: the twenty fourth, and we'll go for an hour.
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  Speaker 2: I can't tell us who's coming at this stage, no
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  Speaker 2: better not. Oh well, it'd be great to have you know,
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  Speaker 2: plenty of our dignitaries here to really you know, not
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  Speaker 2: just for the importance of those those commemorations, but also
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  Speaker 2: you know, really recognizing the strategic importance of the Northern
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  Speaker 2: territory in Darwin.
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  Speaker 4: That's very important and we'd like to push that a
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  Speaker 4: lot more in the coming years because next year is
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  Speaker 4: the eightieth anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. So using
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  Speaker 4: Anzac Day and the hundredth anniversary of the Senator can
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  Speaker 4: help push that forward. For we're always nationally broadcast on
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  Speaker 4: Anzac Day and the march through the ABC.
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  Speaker 3: I can't say that, can I? No, we don't mind.
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  Speaker 4: So we have that national courage and we can push
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  Speaker 4: forward to marketing and advertising the eightieth anniversary of bombing
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  Speaker 4: a Darwin.
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  Speaker 2: Now while you're in here, can we get a bit
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  Speaker 2: of an update on where things are going or where
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  Speaker 2: things are at at the moment with the Darwin RSL.
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  Speaker 2: I know that they've been you know, there's obviously been
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  Speaker 2: quite a bit of sort of discussion when we were
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  Speaker 2: looking at it potentially being.
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  Speaker 3: On the Esplana.
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  Speaker 2: But now those plans, as I understand it, have changed.
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  Speaker 2: The site on Kavanagh Street's been cleaned up and fenced off.
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  Speaker 2: Is it going to be where we have a rebuild.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, we will be rebuilding there. At the moment, we'll
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  Speaker 4: be looking into what sized building we could build by
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  Speaker 4: ourself and get drawings for that, and we'll also be
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  Speaker 4: looking at a joint venture with somebody else, okay, because
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  Speaker 4: it's a very big site and it'd be a shamed
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  Speaker 4: just to put a one story building on it, wouldn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we'd be good to have it sort of you know,
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  Speaker 2: quite accessible to everybody and even for families to be
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  Speaker 2: able to go in and that kind of thing as well.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's one of the problems the rs has had.
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  Speaker 4: RSLs had for quite a few years. It hasn't really
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  Speaker 4: been family friendly. So whatever we build, we need to
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  Speaker 4: look at that as one of our number one objectives.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Stephen Gloucester, it's always good to catch up with you,
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  Speaker 2: of course, the president of the RSL.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you so much for your time today. Always a pleasure.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you very much for having me.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you