Treasured photo of RSL’s founding fathers comes home

A wonderfully preserved framed photograph of the founding members of Orange’s Returned Soldiers Club will soon sit in pride of place in the Memorial Hall museum in Anson Street.

The photograph was recently uncovered by Jean Kennedy who is working her way through the extensive family history collection of her mother, Ella Eyles. The image shows 18 men in uniform posing on the McNamara Street side of the Parkview Hotel, with a caption that reads “Orange District Returned Soldiers Club 1918–1918” and lists the names of those pictured — one of which, is Jean's grandfather William Eyles.

“He was the treasurer of the first RSL committee,” Jean said. “I've got about three generations of photos to go through since my mother's gone into a nursing home.

“Like me, she likes to keep family things but she never got around to actually putting them together or delving, any further… and these have been squirrelled away for well, that one probably 100 years.”

Working through the collection, Jean got in touch with the Orange and District Historical Society, who have been eagerly re-photographing and documenting each precious photograph or document as it has come to light.

It was on their suggestion, that Jean decided to donate the photograph to the City of Orange RSL Sub-Branch to be displayed in their museum collection.

“I want to make sure it all goes into the right hands,” Jean said. “Because I know my children wouldn't put that on a wall and in future years, it would have no significance for anyone.”

City of Orange RSL Sub-Branch president, Chris Colvin, said the photograph is an important addition to their collection and he is grateful to Jean and her family for its donation.

“For the sub-branch to have a photograph of the original members, the original founding fathers is absolutely brilliant,” Chris said.

“I would assume it wouldn't be many sub-branches anywhere in Australia, that would have that sort of history.”

While another photograph of the group taken at the same time does exist, there are a few important difference that makes this one special. In this, the men are all bareheaded and their faces can be clearly seen, as can a woman leaning out of the hotel window behind them, which had been painted over in the other photograph.

But most importantly, the photograph in Jean’s possession has a caption giving the names of all the early club committee members.

“The one we had was not in good repair, this is in immaculate condition, it has all their names on it which means that we know who they are, we can find their service records,” Chris said.

“I just think it's marvellous that we end up with an original photo of these First World War veterans… and that's very rare, most sub-branches, don't even have records to go back that far.”

Chris said the photograph will soon be on display in a prominent place in the sub-branch museum, located in the Memorial Hall in Anson Street.

The small museum is currently being revamped and reorganised thanks to a donation from Cadia that has allowed the subbranch to purchase two large display cabinets. 

Chris said it means they will be able to better display their extensive collection, which includes some surprising items, such as colours for the ‘Orange Volunteer Rifles’ dating back to 1872, and an illuminated address from the Mayor of Orange to the local volunteers who fought in Sudan in 1885.

“I believe, this is the hidden treasure of Orange,” Chris said, adding that he is working towards extending museum opening hours from the current 9am to 1pm, Tuesdays and Fridays.

“We probably will look at maybe three days a week and one Saturday a month, but we'll work on that once we get our displays, in what I think is a showable condition then we can go from there.”
And the revamped museum display will most certainly include the photograph of their founding members, Chris said.

“It belongs here on the wall,” Chris said, “in prominent position and I think we found just the right place for it.”