By Peter Douglas
A humble Roger Boness received due recognition on Tuesday 10 October as he accepted the Veteran Community Award at the Victorian Senior of the Year Awards at Melbourne’s Government House.
Designed to acknowledge those who make invaluable contributions to the state, the award pays tribute to the Mount Evelyn RSL president’s volunteer work for veterans and their well-being.
Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Martin Foley, was among the dignitaries at Government House to present the award to Mr Boness, with Mr Foley saying it was important to recognise the often behind-the-scenes work of many Victorians.
Mr Boness, 71, was conscripted for National Service in 1966 and saw active service in Vietnam.
Since 2011, he has been deeply involved with the Mount Evelyn RSL, playing an integral role in transforming the RSL into a truly community-based organisation.
When he took on the role, Mr Boness said much change needed to happen.
“It was while I was at the Mount Evelyn Football Netball Club that I first heard the concept of the community club,” Mr Boness said.
“I thought ‘what a great idea’ and we applied it to the RSL. We turned around and asked the community, ‘What can we do for you?’
“Our major role is welfare and there are many ways that is achieved. It’s about ensuring the welfare of our members, many of whom are senior citizens.”
Among the many initiatives Mr Boness has helped to implement has been the regular Thursday afternoon tea at the RSL.
Along with a free afternoon tea, they also host activities such as carpet bowls and snooker.
“It’s just providing an opportunity to get out of the house, for those who may not get much social interaction,” he said.
“We’ve also arranged excursions and trips to places such as the Athenaeum Theatre.”
Mr Boness has also gone above and beyond in lending a hand when required, only too happy to help the community with more personal issues when required.
“We don’t always publicise everything we do. A lot of people like to keep it private. But it’s not a handout in our eyes, we’ve got a duty to give each other a hand,” Mr Boness said.
During his time as RSL president, Mr Boness has actively sought to engage local youth groups, including Scouts and the Birmingham Primary School.
There also has been a push to involve the community as much as possible, with as many as nine community groups regularly using the RSL.
This is in addition to the traditional role of the RSL, which has seen initiatives such as installing a memorial at Lilydale Lake, a storyboard at Coldstream; and the RSL’s work in assisting the development of the Seville War Memorial.
Mr Boness said he was humbled over the award.
“It came out of the blue. I never saw this coming. It’s not just my award, but also for the RSL committee, who’ve supported me and supported many great ideas.”
Mt Evelyn RSL Secretary, Anthony McAleer, said it was just reward for some incredible work.
“Roger has really turned the club and hall into a community asset, where it’s not locked away from the community, but is part of it,” he said.
“He’s very dedicated to the welfare of RSL members and the community.
“He had noticed many people in the community were locking themselves away in their homes, so he set this up (the afternoon teas) to help them get out there and mixing with people.
“He’s also great at communicating with youth, as well as dedicated to heritage in the area.”
The Victorian Senior of the Year Awards took place during the Victorian Seniors Festival, which returned for its 35th year and saw more than 1500 free or low-cost events take place across the state.
*If anyone would like to join in the free afternoon tea sessions, simply head down to the RSL around 1.30pm on a Thursday and join in. You don’t need to be an RSL member.
