Returned Services League

Returned and Services League
of Australia

Abbreviation	RSL
Formation	1916
Type	Ex-service organisation
Legal status	Charity
Membership (2015)	170,858
Patron	Elizabeth II
National President	Robert Dick
Affiliations	Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL)
Website	rslnational.org
Formerly called	Returned Sailor's Soldier's Airmen's Imperial League of Australia (RSSAILA)

The Returned and Services League, Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Defence Force.

The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care, compensation and commemoration of serving and ex-service Defence Force members and their dependents; and promote Government and community awareness of the need for a secure, stable and progressive Australia.

The League evolved out of concern for the welfare of returned servicemen from the First World War. In 1916, a conference recommended the formation of The Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA), which included representation from Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. New South Wales was admitted to the League the following year, Western Australia in 1918. In 1927, the Australian Capital Territory formed a branch and was admitted.

In 1940, the name of the League changed to the Returned Sailors' Soldiers' and Airmens Imperial League of Australia (RSSAILA), and a subsequent change of name took effect in 1965, as the Returned Services League of Australia (RSL). Two more name changes occurred: in 1983, to Returned Services League of Australia Limited (RSL), and in 1990, to Returned & Services League of Australia Limited (RSL). The objects of the League remain relatively unchanged from its first incorporation.

At the top of the badge is the Crown signifying allegiance to Queen and country. Below the crown are the national flowers of Australia, Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland: the wattle, the leek, the rose, the thistle, and the shamrock. In the centre of the badge are a sailor, a soldier, an airman and service woman marching with their arms linked, symbolising friendship and the unity of services and all ranks in comradeship. The red of the badge symbolises the blood tie of war. The white background stands for the purity of motive and the rendering of service without personal gain. The blue is a symbol of willingness to render service to a comrade anywhere under the sky.