Peter Tinley of Western Australia has been elected National President of the Returned and Services League (RSL). The election was held today ahead of the League's Annual General Meeting.
Mr Tinley was successful over Mr Kerry Gallagher of Queensland and Mr Ray James of NSW. The NSW Branch of the League is currently in turmoil over financial and legal matters.
Mr Tinley's predecessor as RSL National President, Major General (Ret'd) Greg Melick, was also a member of the Council of the Australian War Memorial. Although there is no legal requirement that the RSL be represented on the Memorial Council this has often been the case and there are those who would like this arrangement to continue.
Meanwhile, there are four vacancies on the Memorial Council, three of them since the end of September and the fourth for exactly a month. Will Mr Tinley be appointed to one of these slots? We think Memorial Council appointments may have been considered by the Federal Executive Council on 2 October.
Mr Tinley is a former soldier (SAS) and recently retired after 15 years in the Parliament of Western Australia, including a period as Minister for Veterans' Issues. One of his strong supporters on his entry into politics was current Chair of the War Memorial Council, Kim Beazley. Mr Tinley, Mr Beazley and Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Matt Keogh, are all understood to be members of the Right faction in WA Labor.
If he is appointed to the Memorial Council, Mr Tinley, at 65 years of age, will reduce the average age of members of the Council. Major General Melick is in his 70s; current Council Chair, Mr Beazley, will be 77 in November.
Picture credit: from pre-RSL days, volunteers for the NSW Infantry Contingent for the Sudan at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, shortly before the contingent's departure on 3 March 1885 (Australian War Memorial).
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