Editorial: Reach beyond the red poppies

Dig deep this Poppy Day.

With just over a week until Anzac Day, it was sad to have to report yesterday that the Rotorua RSA is in real danger of having to close down.

Local president William McDonald told us the association was "significantly in the red" and essentially had three months to try turn things around.

Of course, it would have been a sad story no matter the timing.

But with this year marking 100 years since the Gallipoli campaign, there's been extra public and media interest in our old soldiers and the sacrifices they made.

Which, for many, was the ultimate sacrifice.

For my grandfather, the local RSA was home base.

It's where he'd go every Friday for a beer with his old army mates.

It's also where we gathered after his funeral, as those same old mates - the ones who remained - traded stories and memories.

I'm sure the Rotorua RSA still serves that purpose for many of our readers, or their grandparents.

Some may say that as more and more returned servicemen and women pass away, the organisation is no longer relevant or needed as it once was.

But others would argue that's the very reason the RSA needs more support than ever, so that we can keep alive the memory of those who fought for us.

There is hope though - Mr McDonald and his committee are looking at all the options to keep things afloat, including selling items and renting out parts of the building.

Readers on our Facebook page yesterday expressed overwhelming support for keeping the Rotorua RSA going.

Many of them said that it needed to do more to attract the young.

So, perhaps, as well as buying a poppy or attending a dawn service this Anzac Day, more people could think about forking out the small fee required to join the RSA, then pop in occasionally for a drink, a meal or a yarn.

It's just another way of honouring our old soldiers, while helping safeguard their home base.