Battle brewing between TRC and RSL Sub Branch of Soldier’s Memorial Hall lease

The Soldiers Memorial Hall has been home to Darling Downs veterans for more than a 100 years but the local RSL Sub Branch could be priced out of the building thanks to fees associated with a proposed Toowoomba Regional Council lease.

A battle over the restored Soldiers Memorial Hall between returned soldiers and Toowoomba Regional Council is being fought on the eve of Anzac Day, with the city’s RSL Sub Branch President warning new fees could cause the RSL to collapse.

The Ruthven Street hall has been a second home for Toowoomba’s returned service people since its construction in the 1920s but extensive flood damage and disrepair forced them out in 2018.

Since then Toowoomba Regional Council and Federal Government paid more than $4.4 million to refurbish the three-storey building.

Toowoomba RSL Sub Branch President Scott May claims the council made repeated reassurances that the branch would be offered a ‘peppercorn lease’ to rent two rooms in the building.

“For several months we have been seeking exact figures from TRC and we received these figures via email,” Mr May said.

Toowoomba RSL sub branch president Scott May said the lease offered by the Toowoomba Region Council will make the sub branch financially unsustainable. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The rent was set at $500 per year but alongside it was $7000 in annual fees and charges, including a $3756 sewerage connection fee, $1572 for water access and a $572 fire levy.

Mr May said the combined cost would consume most of the Sub Branch’s annual revenue which is collected through donations and fundraising on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Traditionally, about 70 per cent of the funds raised by the Sub Branch were spent supporting veterans and their families.

“Any other funds we obtain are through local, state or federal grant schemes and funds must be spent in accordance with the application that they were approved for,” Mr May said.

“The figures provided by TRC will see our administration cost jump to 80 per cent of our annual income, leaving little to no room to provide welfare services for the veterans of Toowoomba.”

The Toowoomba RSL Sub Branch has about 350 members, aged 20 to 100 years old and many of whom have been with it for decades.

Mr May said that if the Sub Branch was no longer financially viable veterans’ welfare would suffer.

“The RSL is the first port of call for veterans and their families during times of distress and need,” he said.

Soldiers Memorial Hall has been home to Toowoomba’s veterans for more than 100 years.

“Much like the Mothers Memorial, the Soldiers Memorial Hall is a beacon of hope during times of distress and it is in a location veterans know they can go to get help.

“In 2018 I was in a state of distress and went to the hall for help where I was met with a dilapidated building full of mould and locked doors.

“All I could do was sit on the bench under the balcony and watch people pass me by as they went about their day.

“The building should never fall into such a state of disrepair again and we must ensure the welfare services veterans need can be accessed from it.”

On top of the extra expenses, Mr May said the council’s offer relates to leasing two rooms in the building, a communal space and office space.

This is a fraction of the multi-level building that once housed 100 years’ worth of the Darling Downs’ military history.

Mr May added the offer came about six months after the refurbishment was due to finish and has put the Sub Branch in an unsustainable position.

The Soldiers Memorial Hall fell into disrepair and was closed to the public for a $4.4 million renovation, half of which was paid for by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

“As much as we are thankful for the assistance TRC has provided during the refurbishment process if they had been clear from the beginning with the intent of the hall and provided figures earlier the Sub Branch would not be in the position we are currently facing – an eleventh-hour decision which will either see us without a facility to operate from or paying an unsustainable amount in rent, fees and charges that will see the Sub Branch on the brink of collapse after two years based on current modelling,” he said.

The hall fell into disrepair after the 2011 floods and was only partially occupied from 2012 until the refurbishment work started in 2018.

The long delay was in part blamed on arguments over funding with the Queensland branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia walking away from its earlier commitment of $250,000.

At the time, RSL Queensland president Tony Ferris told the Chronicle that the organisation existed to provide wellbeing and welfare assistance to the Defence community in Queensland.

“As a not-for-profit, we prioritise allocating our funds to services and programs that will achieve this goal,” he said.

“We are therefore strongly committed to ensuring the Toowoomba RSL Sub Branch can continue providing support and assistance to veterans and current serving Defence personnel in its local community.

“The Toowoomba Soldiers Memorial Hall is a Council asset. Any maintenance or refurbishment works are therefore Council’s responsibility.”

Celebrating securing funding for a $4.4 million refurbishment of the Soldiers Memorial Hall in March 2019 are (from left) Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio, former Toowoomba RSL sub-branch president Roland Thompson and former Groom MP John McVeigh.

When asked about the unexpected fees associated with the lease, Toowoomba councillor James O’Shea said they were in line with the council’s tenure policy.

“(The policy) is the same policy many other user groups across the Toowoomba region are subject to and establishes the lease fee at around $500 per year,” he said.

“TRC has been paying rent of more than $25,000 a year on behalf of the RSL on their current Hume St facility since the time the RSL vacated the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall. Council remains open to dialogue with the RSL about the lease conditions.

“The $4.4M refurbishment of the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall includes commercial kitchen spaces and is fully licensable with the RSL able to generate revenue from their use of the facility should they wish to do so.”

The remaining space will be offered to another veterans’ group and the Chronicle understands the council is in talks with at least one larger organisation to take on part of the space, but the council declined to confirm the details.

“TRC has no current plans to house any of its own staff in the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall and is actively working with other veterans support groups to lease other areas of the facility,” Mr O’Shea said.

“The remaining rooms in the hall will be managed by the council as ‘rooms for hire’ for community groups should no lease be entered into with veterans support groups.”