Devoted: Dorothy (Dot) McCoy still goes to the club every Friday night.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The then Shepparton RSL sub-branch president was not happy when Dorothy (Dot) McCoy and about 13 other ladies decided to open a women’s auxiliary branch in 1972.
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“He wasn’t keen on ladies to have anything to do with the club,” she said.
“I don’t know whether he changed his mind at all or not.”
Fifteen years later, she was recognised for her service to the RSL Women’s Auxiliary by the Victorian RSL Auxiliary president.
“I thought, ‘that’s nice, someone does appreciate all the hard work’,” Mrs McCoy said.
The ladies hosted fashion parades, ladies’ nights and picnics to raise money for the RSL club.
When the kitchen was installed, the women catered Saturday lunch at the club.
“One might have to make a casserole, lamb chops, Irish stew and old-fashioned things like that,” the 92-year-old said.
“We gave all the money we raised to the men or bought furniture for the club.”
Shepparton RSL sub-branch president Bob Wilkie said the women’s auxiliary’s contribution was “outstanding“.
“When they finished up they paid for the field of poppies for Remembrance Day, and they also bought a lot of the club’s furniture,” he said.
“They were always raising money.”
Every Anzac Day, Mrs McCoy helped bake 100 loaves of bread at 5am, ready for breakfast after the dawn service.
“About nine of us used to be game enough to get up at five o’clock in the morning,” she said.
“We’d make all these sandwiches and set them up on the table ready for when the men came back from the march.”
Long service: Mrs McCoy was recognised for 15 years of straight service as part of the RSL Women’s Auxiliary.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Eventually, Mrs McCoy said the club no longer needed the auxiliary’s help.
In 1993, the first gaming lounge with poker machines was installed, and raised the money for the RSL. The professional restaurant took the place of the women’s weekly catering.
“We were all getting older, and a few had died, and most of us had lost our husbands,” Mrs McCoy said.
“They just didn’t need the ladies’ auxiliary any more.”
The women’s auxiliary disbanded in 2007, but Mrs McCoy — who has been a member of the Shepparton RSL for 50 years — is still a regular at the club.
“Before the virus hit I was going Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and then I realised how much money I was spending,” she said.
“I go every Friday night now.”
Digger’s Bistro at the Shepparton RSL sub-branch will be serving lunch and dinner on Anzac Day, Monday, April 25.
You can find information about Anzac Day services across the regionhere.
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