BROADFORD RSL’s 80th anniversary next year is set to be a double celebration.

Members were left in shock when, in the early hours of 10 January last year, fire ripped through their premises, destroying the building and its contents.

Local fundraising efforts for rebuilding has been boosted by the announcement of $150,000 in State Government funding, putting the branch in a position to present plans for stage-one construction of its new building to Mitchell Shire Council.

Seymour MP Ben Hardman and Minister Assisting the Premier on Veterans’ Affairs Tony Robinson visited the Murchison St RSL site in Broadford on Wednesday to present the grant.

Local returned servicewoman Brenda Johnson said she and her husband, who was RSL president at the time, were devastated when they received the early morning call about the fire.

The fire had destroyed not just a building but more than 100 years of local history, she said.

“We’ve had members from every force, we had memorabilia from every war right from the Boer War, and we got the phone call about the fire and all we could do was watch while it burned,” Mrs Johnson said.

“There were things that we lost that can never be replaced, but we will rebuild again.”

Branch secretary Des Callaghan said the local RSL club had been a truly community building and it was expected that at least stage one of the rebuild would be completed in time for next year’s 80th anniversary celebrations.

The Broadford RSL was chartered on 30 November 1930 and initially operated out of the Gavan Hall – the building which, in a strange twist, the club has returned to since last year’s fire.

The first official RSL premises was a hut, relocated from Puckapunyal Army Base to Murchison St in 1947.

The branch now has around 70 members, more than half of whom are returned veterans and some who are still serving members based at Puckapunyal.

“This rebuild will not only be for the RSL – we have Legacy, we have the secondary college which uses it for exams, the DPI (who) use it to do their farms courses.

“The whole community would like to see this rebuilt,” Mr Callaghan said.

“What we hope to do is build in stages – this stage one will be around the $400,000 to $450,000 mark and as we get further with the funding process, we’ll add to that.

“With a bit of luck, we’ll have the new premises to celebrate the anniversary with all our members and the community.”

The state branch of the RSL is also providing $100,000 towards the rebuilding project.