Dear XLI Club member,
Well, here we are at the end of May, and winter is upon our doorstep. As is the norm lately, the month has flown by.
Our May lunch, held on Thursday the 21st, was a special lunch whereby we celebrated the Club’s 55th anniversary. Yes, that’s right the XLI Club is 55 years old. The Club’s first official lunch was held on Thursday 6th May 1976 at the then Police Association building 41 – 45 MacKenzie St Melbourne. Fifty-five years later we were back at the Police Association in their new premises in Jolimont St East Melbourne.
In addition to hearing from a few members about their reflections and memories of the Club over the years, and an official welcome and induction of new member Lindsay Burke, we were treated to a moving and humbling presentation by Dr Judy Campbell.
Judy is a Melbourne based GP and a published author. After learning of her grandfather’s death in the Muntok Japanese civilian prison camp on Bangka Island during WW2, Judy developed a keen interest in the fall of Singapore and has been active in bringing together annual memorial services in remembrance of the tragic deaths and suffering that took place in the Muntok prison camps and in the waters of the Bangka Straits. More recently Judy has been active in fund raising to purchase a centrifuge for use by the Muntok Red Cross on Bangla Island in their vital blood processing work. Judy is aiming to raise sufficient funds in time to purchase the centrifuge and present the equipment to the Muntok Red Cross at the community’s Annual Memorial Service to be held on 16 February 2027.
The XLI Club was pleased to be able to contribute to this fundraising effort with a donation of $2000. In addition, a special hamper was raffled with the proceeds also going toward the purchase of the centrifuge. There will be further opportunities to contribute with two more hampers to be raffled later in the year.
| Moving on to our next lunch, this will be held on Thursday 18th June. This lunch will be our Police Legacy lunch, and this is back at the Angliss Restaurant 550 Lt Lonsdale St. I am pleased to advise that Detective Inspector Kate O’Neill, Board Chair, Victoria Police Legacy, will be our guest speaker. |  |
Looking further ahead, our July luncheon is the Tony Charlton Community Service Award. You may recall I invited members to put forward nominations for this award. I look forward to reviewing your nominations as we go through the selection process. The awardee will be announced at the July lunch.
Until next time, stay well and I look forward to seeing many of you at our next luncheon on Thursday 18th June.
Barbara Poland
President
Upcoming Lunches:
18th June $100 WA – Police Legacy
16th July $100 TPA – Tony Charlton & Police Legacy Awards TBA
20th August $100 TPA – John Forbes Memorial Luncheon
17th September $100 WA – Police Memorial and Community Service Awards
15th October $100 TPA – Ladies Day and Race Day
19th November $100 TPA – AGM & Service Awards
10th December $100 TPA – Christmas and Year End BBQ
WA = William Angliss, 550 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
TPA = The Police Association, 70 Jolimont St, East Melbourne
Subscription Reminder:
The 2026-27 annual subscriptions are due July 2026. It is noted that there are still some overdue subscriptions for 2025/26.
The subscription fee has increased to $50.
New members who joined after the Anzac lunch are not required to pay the 2026-27 renewal fee.
Subscription fees may be paid online or at the door at a Club Luncheon.
Welfare of members:
Please report any members you know ill or injured to:-
Gareth Hanlon – Mob: 0416 050 702 Ray Thompson – Mob: 0411 883 367
Next Lunch
If you are wanting to attend the June Lunch, to be held on Thursday, 18th June, at William Angliss Restaurant, please advise Barbara Poland, early to allow sufficient time to finalise numbers with the venue. Barbara may be contacted via;
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0413 580 489
Payments may be made via online transfer, or on entry with cash or Tap & Go.
BSB: 704230
Account No: 100440796
Account Name: XLI Club Inc.
Please ensure you provide your name in the reference field and the reason for the payment
(e.g.) Lunch, Subs, Raffle, Auction ….etc..
More Photos…….
