RSL President Stands by Australia Day After Graffiti Spree

The move comes as Australia gears up to celebrate its national day, while activists continue to hold counter-protests.

Woodend RSL pictured after being attacked by vandals, and before 2025 Australia Day celebrations. (Courtesy of Woodend RSL).

The president of the regional Woodend RSL, John McCausland, has defended the values of his club after another senseless vandalism incident before Australia Day.

The vandals painted the following on the building:

“Jan. 26 is not a date to celebrate,” along with the words, “Always was, always will be,” and an Aboriginal flag.

Another act saw the words, “No pride in genocide,” painted alongside another Aboriginal flag.

For some Indigenous activists, Australia Day on Jan. 26 represents a day of trauma in relation to the nation’s colonial past.

Up until 1967, Indigenous Australians were excluded from being counted as registered citizens in the Australian Constitution.

And many still grieve over the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were removed from their families under government direction, as a policy from the 1910s into the 1970s.

Meanwhile, others have argued that there is more to the Australian legacy and that Indigenous people have also integrated with mainstream society.

“Many of our members are Indigenous, or ex-Indigenous soldiers,” McCausland told The Epoch Times.

“We regularly recognise their special contribution. And in fact, it was interesting, one of the first to respond to cover up the graffiti was a highly decorated Afghan vet who’s a proud Indigenous man.

“He was one of the first to respond to fix the damage, which shows the support we have among the Indigenous community.

“So it’s disappointing, because obviously there’s a cost to now repair the damage. And we don’t have that sort of money freely available.

“It’s the disrespect. The RSL is displaying the national flag, and all Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands) flags.”

McCausland said the overall response to his building being vandalised, and those offering their help, was pleasing.

“It’s been overwhelming, actually, the community response and offers of support,” he said.

“People are volunteering to come and scrub it off and paint it off, and have given us messages of support.

“That’s been really quite pleasing.”

A Small, Unhappy Minority: RSL Boss

Despite the disappointment of seeing his building vandalised, McCausland said it was only a small minority of people who wanted to bring down his community.

“That (an angry minority) would appear to be the case, as we’re seeing in the media and everywhere at the moment,” he said.

“We make our facilities available to a community group to run Australia Day, and happily do so.

“So it’s collateral damage for us.”

In December, the Victorian government confirmed it had no plans to reinstate its Australia Day parade in Melbourne, four years after it was cancelled while the state was under strict COVID restrictions.

The events that are continuing include the annual 21-gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance and RAAF flyover, as well as a flag-raising ceremony and Open Day at Government House.

However, some say this isn’t enough.

“How is it that Premier Jacinta Allan cancels the Australia Day parade but greenlights joint pro-Palestine and anti-Australia Day protests?” wrote shadow police minister, David Southwick, on X.

“The Victorian government has completely lost its way, tearing down the very fabric of our identity.

Meanwhile, new group, Celebrate Australia, have gone ahead with organising their own Australia Day rally in Port Melbourne, with a scheduled walk to Sts Kilda.

Victorian Senator Ralph Babet said the Allan Labor government was “woke” for not holding an Australia Day parade to appease activists.

“Victoria has unfortunately become a prime example of what happens when ideological extremism takes precedence over good governance,” Babet wrote.

Tens of thousands are expected to take part in annual “Invasion Day” protests across the country on Australia Day.

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria said that “Jan. 26 was a date that represents the beginning of dedicated attempts to wipe our people, our culture, and our languages off the face off the planet.”

“Federally, 26 January was only designated as an ‘Australia Day’ public holiday in 1994, but Aboriginal people have held protests on this date from 1938—when it was declared a ‘Day of Mourning,’” its website says.

“As always, we pay tribute to the long and proud history of activism and resistance that our communities have maintained.”

Babet said governments who refused to condemn these kinds of rallies were only aiding in the gradual erosion of traditional western values.

“Culture is built from the top, and what our leaders do, say and promote matters.”

Many Australians Still Keen on Tradition

Despite the protests, McCausland said he was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people who attended Woodend RSL to celebrate past ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies.

“Unfortunately with the passage of time, Woodend is becoming almost an outer suburb of Melbourne,” he said, referencing the influence of Melbourne-based radical activists.

“And we do get a lot of individuals from elsewhere up to no good.”

McCausland pledged to continue to do everything to unite the community under shared values.

“We aspire to, and we represent one nation. We’re diverse and made up of many people who are working together,” he said.