RSL members have expressed ‘disgust’ that memorabilia from the closed Williamstown club has gone ‘missing’.
Photos and other mementos promised for the Writing the War WWI exhibition, which opened at Williamstown library earlier this month, have not turned up.
The items were at the Williamstown club before it was placed in to administration in March. RSL sub-branch member Geoff Hughes said the administrators, Rodgers Reidy, had not been forthcoming about why the memorabilia hadn’t been handed over.
He said this had caused community angst about the sub-branch being able to keep the memorabilia long term.
“A lot of the stuff was given to us by residents. As far as we’re concerned we were safekeeping it on behalf of them so the stuff should come back into the Hobsons Bay community as property of the RSL,” he said.
“I’m disgusted. It’s been two to three months since we started this process and they [the administrators] have been ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ and dodging around. We can’t get access to the building any more.”
Hobsons Bay councillor Peter Hemphill raised the issue at last week’s council meeting and requested the chief executive officer urgently intervene by writing to the administrators.
Cr Hemphill told Star Weekly there was great concern in the community about being able to retain the memorabilia.
“Prior approval [for the exhibition] had been agreed and then the administrator’s come in, put the locks on the door and then has taken out the memorabilia,” he said.
“The administrator needs to come clean on what the long term intention of this local collection will be.
“Will it be sold off?”
Administrator Brent Morgan, of Rodgers Reidy, did not respond to requests for comment.
