SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE

Since the club and Sub Branch began back in the 1930s, there have been many members who are deserving of particular recognition. The contributions of some of those people are outlined here. It is inevitable that such a list will not include some who could well have been mentioned. Ongoing discussions could bring additional names to the fore. The order of names here is not intended to indicate any priority ordering. 

The first set of members highlighted here include the following: George Guymer, Albert Price, Jack Shallard, Bob Barling, John Brennan, Henry ('Jock') Petrie, and Bill McKenna. 

George Guymer was active within the Sub Branch in its early days. It was provided its formal Charter in January 1944. George became one of the three trustees when the ownership of the Hall was handed over to the RSL. The other trustees were Walter Macdowell and Walter TImms. George was elected President in 1951-52 and then from 1956 to 1958 (Certificates of Recognition for services rendered were provided for both periods – 51-52 and 56–58, his name is recorded on the Honour Boards in the clubrooms – see here). In 1959, George was the first member to be awarded a Life Membership of the Sub Branch. As a further recognition of George's contribution to the local community, the family name continues in the public eye through the name of a street, Guymer Crt, which is a side street branching off Rattray Rd near the Eltham end.

Albert Price was a well-known member of the Montmorency community for much of the first half of the 1900s. He was a member of the Heidelberg Council and then of the Eltham Council, representing the Montmorency community. He was instrumental in the provision of water and electrical facilities in the area. Cr Price was central in the raising of funds for and the design of the Montmorency Public Hall which was opened in 1936. That Hall was designated the "Albert and Janet Price Hall", the name being formally recognized by the Supreme Court of Victoria as part of the original Trust Deed. 

When the Rattray Rd Hall was sold and then a new premises constructed for the RSL in Petrie Park in 1966, the plaque was re-installed in the new clubrooms and continues to be displayed within the building (although it has been in storage on occasions during renovations).

Like George Guymer, Albert Price's name is also remembered geographically – Price Ave runs between Mountain View Rd and Sherbourne Rd.

Jack Shallard was one of the three members of the Montmorency community who formed the original group of trustees of the Public Hall. Jack was a solicitor who lived in Wellington St adjacent to the Hall. He drew up the Trust Deed for the Hall and it was recognized by the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1936. Jack remained a trustee for 12 years until the ownership of the Hall was transferred to the Montmorency RSL in 1948. He retained an interest in the Hall while expanding his legal business in the city.

Without realizing it at the time, Jack also had another connection to the MRSL. In 2021, the Sub Branch was given an important relic from the French battlefields of WW1. The item was the battlefield cross of Pte Harry Conway whose story is recorded in detail elsewhere on this website. Harry and his mother, Rosamond, lived in Christmas Hills. She died in 1940 leaving a rural property and other assets. It was Jack Shallard's legal firm that organized the sale of the farm.

Bob Barling's father was a member of the Greensborough RSL (and President at various times) during the 1930s and 40s. Meetings of that group were often held in the homes of various members who lived in Montmorency as well as Greensborough. It was partly through his father's work that a new Sub Branch came to be established in Montmorency in 1944.

The Barling family lived in Mayona Rd, just across the railway line from where the current premises are located. During WW2, Bob was a member of the Pathfinder Force (a part of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command) which undertook dangerous work in locating and mapping many significant enemy targets in Europe. On his return to Australia, he became involved in his local RSL and held many positions including Trustee (from 1965 to after 2000), President for 12 years (66-77) and Treasurer for five years (95-99). Bob was also the auditor of the Sub Branch accounts for many years as a result of his accounting skills acquired while a member of the public service for many years.

Bob wasn't the only Barling who was connected to the MRSL during the second half of the 20th century. Mention has already been made of his father who helped establish the MRSL. In addition, Bob's wife, Margaret, was also a long-standing member of the MRSL Ladies Auxiliary who organized many catering functions over decades (most particularly the Anzac Day function). Her name appears on the Ladies Auxiliary Honour Board in many places, recording her various positions.

When our building underwent one of its many extensions, the one in the mid 1990s (constructed on the oval side of the then main bar area and prior to the construction of the current bistro) was designated the "Barling Family Outdoor Area". When that area eventually became the bistro area, the plaque was moved to other outdoor areas, as they moved upstairs.

John (Jack) Brennan was universally known as 'Steptoe' or 'Steppie'. He was Sub Branch President in 1953 & 54 (see his listing on Honour Boards here) , then later in 1981-83. Importantly, he was also a trustee from 1956 until the late 1980s. During the 80s, he was also manager of the bar, and that early bar was named after his contribution to the social side of the club. Jack was awarded a Life Membership in 1985, the second member of the Sub Branch to be given the honour. Peter Randle has written a short recollection of his first memories of Steppie in the local area. In addition to the important roles he undertook over decades, Steppie was primarily remembered as a 'character'!

Further information about Jack's contribution to the war effort can be read here.

'Jock' Petrie is one of the two people without whom the Sub Branch would not exist in its current form, if at all. The first was Albert Price whose drive, enthusiasm and respect within the community resulted in the construction of the original Hall in Rattray Rd and which later changed its location to what is now known as Petrie Park. Jock is the other central figure in the club's history.

He was born in Scotland in 1913 and the family migrated to Australia in 1926. His name was actually the same as his father's: Henry Durward McCombie Petrie. Given their country of origin, it is not surprising that the nickname became 'Jock'. the only thing that might be surprising was that, even down to their nickname, there was no way to distinguish one from the other in conversation!

When they arrived in Montmorency, Jock (snr) established a small farm on Mountain View Rd. adjacent to where the new railway line had been constructed (which was assisted with funding and administration from the Railway Trust Fund, Chairman Albert Price).

Jock (jnr) enlisted in WW2 and was posted to the Middle East and North Africa. On his return, he naturally became involved in the RSL and was a committee member and President in 1955 as well as in the later 1970s. His name is recorded on the Honour Board of office-holders, although his nickname was so universal that his entry on the Honour Board records "J. Petrie"! He was appointed as a trustee in 1956 and continued in that role for most of the time until his death in ~1993.

When the RSL sold the Rattray Rd Hall in 1966, they ha nowhere to meet. Assets were placed into storage until permanent arrangements could be made. One of those possibilities was accepting an offer to amalgamate with the Eltham RSL (which was formed in 1945). At around the same time, Jock was thinking of retiring from his farm (which he inherited from his father who had died in 1961) and decided to donate the land to the Eltham Council, with the proviso that a section of the land be set aside for the RSL to construct new premises and held with a payment of an annual 'peppercorn' rental.

The arrangements were accepted by all parties, Eltham RSL were thanked for their offer, and the building was constructed (as recorded elsewhere on this website). The Rattray Rd Hall resulted from the efforts of Albert Price, and the clubrooms which we now enjoy in Petrie Park resulted from the generosity and foresight ot Jock Petrie. Without either of these two citizens, we would not have  Sub Branch in the form which we now enjoy.