A new era dawns at Dandenong-Cranbourne RSL, which paid farewell to long-serving general manager Greg Betros on 5 March.
It comes soon after the sub-branch’s stalwart president John Wells retired, bringing the curtain down on a durable double-act.
At the send-off, Betros was feted with many warm handshakes, hugs and tributes from staff and veterans.
Betros started working two hours a week at the RSL’s bar in 1996, ascending his way up to general manager 10 years ago.
Now his thoughts turn to home renovations and an upcoming golf trip to Scotland and Ireland.
“I just knew my time was up, about half-way through 2023.
“You get tired,” citing the stress of steering the RSL sub-branch and 100 staff through the “stop-start” Covid lockdowns in 2020-’22.
The bistro has emerged ever-stronger post Covid, while many venues and RSLs have struggled. Its 2024 food sales were $2.2 million, up from $1.3 million in 2019.
Betros is most proud of how the branch has opened itself to the wider community, including interpreters from Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts into the ranks.
“On Anzac Day, you see all of the community involved – all the flags, all the nationalities… we don’t exclude anymore.
“It’s a good community, Dandenong.”
Seated beside a wall rich in war medals and memorabilia, recent past-president Wells paid tribute to Betros’s “absolute integrity”, sticking by the “RSL ethic” and to fund the growingly complex need for veteran welfare.
“He recognised he was running a business for a purpose.
“We’re not a business for profit but for a purpose.”
For his part, Betros praises Wells for his oratory, magnetic personality and not being scared to have an opinion.
“John embraces the community, and the community embraces John.”
The outspoken Wells last year retired to a quieter life of gardening and writing.
He feels “unburdened” after his 12-year stint of arguing for the “things that matter” like veterans’ “holistic welfare”.
What also matters is carrying on the traditions of self-reliance, courage, humour in adversity and looking after mates – “those things we used to think were Australian qualities”.
In his time, the iconic ‘Huey’ – a Vietnam War-era medevac helicopter – gained worldwide attention when hoisted proudly in the RSL’s car park.
Nearby was a ground-breaking joint memorial for Australian and Vietnamese servicepeople.
The RSL’s rich memorabilia collection continues to grow.
It includes a Light Horse Brigade rider’s uniform ridden in the storied Battle of Beersheba in World War I, and most recently medals of a Siege of Tobruk veteran in World War II.
Wells says it’s on the lookout to replace its controversially-closed Cranbourne venue as well as to open Australia’s first memorial park for servicepeople killed domestically – estimated to be more than 700 personnel since 1945.
He worries about the future of the RSL with its diminishing numbers of active veterans.
“We need to run this right up until the last serviceman.
“If we continue to run a good business, we should be all right. I wish we weren’t reliant on poker machines to do it.”
That said, he doesn’t see a sustainable business model without pokies. But as a recovered horse-racing gambler, he doesn’t like seeing people “sucked into” the machines.
Betros’s successor Suong Tran previously ran venues at Sandown Greyhounds and Reservoir RSL.
She vows to continue Betros’s legacy of leadership and teamwork and bring the club to the “next level”.
“Hospitality is in my backbone as well as giving back to the community. At Dandenong, to see the welfare services here and giving back – that’s a beautiful thing.”
