History Of The Penrith Auxiliary
The “Penrith Girls Comfort Club” was originally formed in 1916 by a group of volunteer ladies, mostly of whom were wives to local Veterans. The purpose of the “Penrith Girls Comfort Club” was to send comfort parcels to the Penrith soldiers serving on the Western Front during WWI. The parcels generally consisted of such items as woollen socks, soap, cakes and other items as would be missed by the soldiers whilst serving overseas. In 1922 this became the “Women’s Auxiliary”, which closely aligned to the Penrith Soldiers Club of the RSSILA. RSL NSW updated it’s constitution in 2019, removing ”Women” from the Auxiliary namesake, which allowed men to volunteer alongside the women.
The City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch Auxiliary is a thriving, happy team of volunteers who fundraise and directly support Veterans and their families locally. The Auxiliary is invited to attend, participate in all sub-Branch activities, wellbeing support, sports and recreation programs where appropriate. Auxiliary volunteers also support commemorative activities and conduct a whole bunch of fundraising activities to support the sub-Branch charitable purpose.
What does the Auxiliary do?
The essential function of the Auxiliary is to support the sub-Branch Veterans and their families locally. Our Auxiliary generally does this by fundraising through raffles and selling commemoration merchandise. A significant bonus of the Auxiliary is that our volunteers build lifelong friendships, and they become a big part of our Defence Community locally. They socialise and interact with all of the sub-Branch members at commemorations, activities and functions throughout the year. Some of our Auxiliary members are also qualified RSL NSW Wellbeing Support Officers who assist with funerals, they can conduct hospital visits, home phone calls, welfare checks and immediate family support where able. The Auxiliary is a critical component of the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch and they make our organisation better, we embrace the Auxiliary and they are a huge part of our future.
Who can join the Auxiliary?
Although the Auxiliary was formerly the domain of female, family members only, anyone is able to become a member now regardless of their background. The word ‘women’ was removed opening up membership to any person seeking to advance and support the charitable purpose of City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch. Following the new constitution, a Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator for each Auxiliary were appointed to liaise with the sub-Branch and facilitate the activities of the Auxiliary. This was established to increase the collaboration between sub-Branches and their associated Auxiliaries, forging better relationships between all members.
RSL NSW Lady Woodward Cup
In 2025 the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch Auxiliary was awarded the RSL NSW Lady Woodward Cup in recognition of being the most productive, highest earning fundraising Auxiliary in NSW. Our Auxiliary Team has been the benchmark across NSW for many, many years, so it was very pleasing that our Auxiliary was finally awarded this auspicuos award.
Meetings
The Auxiliary has a meeting at 10am on the third Monday of each month, generally in the sub-Branch meeting room next to the sub-Branch Office. Although not mandatory, all Auxiliary members are invited to attend. The Meeting usually concludes with lunch or snacks at the Club.
Contact Details
City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch Office:
Phone: 0247285225
Email: subbranch@penrithrslsubbranch.org.au
Committee And Contact Details
| Elected Position | Name | Contact |
| Co-Ordinator | Ms Wilma Taylor | 0407784047 |
| Assistant Co-Ordinator | Mrs Sandra Smith | 0412717179 |
| Assistant Co-Ordinator | Mrs Clara Elliot | 0419498720 |