Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Westbury RSL club in Northern Tasmania has perhaps developed an Australian first to get more young people involved in the club. Westbury RSL's Little Diggers Club has been so successful in the five years since it was launched that it has become a role model for other RSL clubs, who have made inquiries about how to set the scheme up. Westbury RSL president Denis Webb and members had wanted a way to include children from the region in activities in the club. Little Diggers started five years ago with about 10 members, girls and boys, aged about three months to 18 years and it now has 40 members.

Each new young member is presented with a certificate of membership, a member's card and a registration number. They go on the birthday register and are posted a birthday card each year and are also encouraged to join the clubs once a month steak nights with a free meal ticket. The RSL club organises a Christmas party for the Diggers and an Easter gathering complete with a visit from the Easter Bunny with Easter eggs for each child.

On the serious side, Little Diggers are included in the club's commemorative ceremonies. They march in a group behind the adult RSL members in the town's annual Anzac Day parade. At the last Anzac Day they marched with their own Little Diggers banner for the first time.

Denis Webb and the other members of the committee said the Little Diggers have added another dimension to the Westbury RSL club that the members really enjoy.