At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them

Upper Hutt Returned Services Association (Inc.)

Who we are:

The Upper Hutt RSA (Inc.), (RSA), is an independent associate of the Upper Hutt Cossie Club and is an affiliated member of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association.

The RSA has a President, one Vice - President and an Executive Committee who are responsible for the administration of the assets of the Association as well as promoting and fostering RSA interests in the Upper Hutt area.

The Officers of the RSA as at March 2010 are:

President: Syd Giles
Vice President: G Robertson
Executive: W Henshaw, D King, K Blanche, J Godfrey, D Oldridge, A RukaKevin

The Welfare Officer, Joe Cochrane, heads a Welfare Committee that is responsible for maintaining the Welfare fund for disbursement to Returned Service persons and their immediate families and a Benevolent fund for other members. The Welfare Committee visits members in rest homes and hospitals and provides a transport service for members to attend medical appointments.

Contacting Us:

The RSA office is located in the Cossie Club at 11 Logan Street, Upper Hutt and is staffed from 10:00 until Noon each Monday and Wednesday to Friday. Closed on Tuesday.
The office phone number is (04) 529 0016.
The Welfare Officer, Joe Cochrane, phone number is (04) 528 9121.
Our email address is uhrsa@xtra.co.nz.

Joining Information:

If you wish to become a member the RSA you should call at the reception of the Cossie Club.

The rules of the RSA allow for three types of membership:

Returned Member – Servicemen and women who have served in any war or in a peacekeeping or peacemaking deployment as defined by RNZRSA. (refer to First Schedule of the UHRSA Rules)

Service Member – Members are either retired or serving members of the Armed Forces who do not qualify for ‘Returned’ membership. They include those who have served under CMT, the Territorial Forces, Cadet Force Officers and sworn members of the New Zealand Police. (refer to Second Schedule of the UHRSA Rules)

Associate Member – Membership is open to adults, who although having not served in the Armed Forces or Police, identify with and support the aims and ideals of RNZRSA. (refer to Third Schedule of the UHRSA Rules)

Remembrance:

The RSA Ode to the Fallen (Laurence Binyon), to remember fallen servicepersons, is recited every Friday at 18:00 in the Function Room at the Cossie Club. This is followed by a moment of silence.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning.
We will remember them

RSA Fundraising:

The RSA raffles are held each Friday evening starting at 16:00 in the Sports Bar of the Cossie Club. The raffle normally consists of 30 draws for meat packs. Please support the RSA raffle.

Important RSA dates:

Poppy Day
For 85 years Poppy Day has been an annual event usually held on the Friday before ANZAC Day.
It is the most important fundraising appeal of the year for the RSA, providing funds specifically for the assistance of returned servicemen and women and their dependants in need.
On Poppy Day RSA volunteers throughout New Zealand offer red poppy buttonholes in exchange for donations to the RSA Welfare Fund.

ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day (25 April) is observed in New Zealand as a day of commemoration for those who died in the service of their country and to honour returned servicemen and women.
25 April is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. On the first anniversary of that landing services were held throughout the country in remembrance of the 2,721 New Zealand soldiers who died during the eight-month Gallipoli Campaign. Since 1916 ANZAC Day has evolved to the observance we know today.
The Upper Hutt RSA has a dawn service at the Upper Hutt Civic Centre each ANZAC day followed by a gathering at the Cossie Club. Executive and Welfare Committee members also visit the local cemetery to lay poppies.

Armistice Day
Armistice Day (11 November) marks the anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War and commemorates the sacrifice of those who died serving New Zealand in this and all wars and armed conflicts.

Lest We Forget