“No black bastard fought and died for Australia”.
These words overheard by a distraught Aunty Dot Peters coming from the mouth of a member at Healesville RSL ignited the battle cry for the reconciliation movement. Such deeply entrenched racist views sitting at the heart of the RSL needed to be dealt a heavy blow.

Sensing the strength of the movement, Victorian State President David McLachlan sent one of his supporters to Healesville to stop the reconciliation process
John Wells (Dandenong RSL President) was dispatched to Healesville to meet with then Healesville President Sam Halim. During that meeting Mr Wells advised Sam to forget about reconciliation and honouring the Aboriginal soldiers, saying RSL would deal with it. He threatened Sam with all kinds of criminal threats if he refused Victorian RSL president David McLachlan’s directive, including sacking the whole Healesville RSL committee and defaming Sam Halim with lies. In short, using thugs’ tactics (proof and evidence of threats available).

Sam informed Victorian RSL he had no intention of abandoning the reconciliation process
Sam Halim informed John Wells to advise the State President that he and his committee had no intention of abandoning their decision to permanently honour the forgotten Aboriginal heroes. John Wells advised Sam Halim he had 24 hours to comply with State President David McLachlan’s directives and forget about the Aboriginal soldiers, or he would face defamation. Sam Halim informed John Wells to advise RSL State President that RSL had had more than 70 years in which to acknowledge and honour the Aboriginal soldiers, and that in that time they had done nothing. Sam Halim informed him that he would not be threatened by an unethical RSL gang.

Sam is proven right all along
To prove that Sam Halim was right all along, the reconciliation started by him to honour the aboriginal soldiers is now being celebrated annually in every Australian state. Only now has the RSL jumped on Aunty Dot and Sam Halim’s reconciliation bandwagon.

RSL has a long history of abusing aboriginal soldiers
RSL has a long history of abusing aboriginal soldiers, even though they wore the same uniform as FSGT Sam Halim and the white Australian soldiers. Even now, whilst more and more reconciliation services are taking place, prejudice remains. In 2010, Aunty Dot, Sam Halim and VARC members were invited to Warrnambool, Victoria for the unveiling of a shrine and to participate in a smoking ceremony in memory of the Warrnambool Aboriginal soldiers who served and fought for Australia. The location of the ceremony was about 150 meters from Warrnambool RSL building. Incredibly, Warrnambool RSL locked its doors, so guests attending the ceremony would not be able to use the RSL coffee and tea or toilet facilities. Sam Halim remembers three ceremony guests who were members of Warrnambool RSL who told him how ashamed they were of the sub-branch action and how much they supported Sam Halim’s decision to honour the Aboriginal soldiers.

The time is right for RSL to make a public apology to Aunty Dot and Sam Halim
The time is right for RSL to make a public apology to Sam Halim and of course to Aunty Dot Peters and every forgotten aboriginal hero and their families.

In addition, we call upon Australian RSL President to investigate the shameful Victorian RSL action against Sam Halim and his committee, actions which profaned the deeds of every Aboriginal soldier.

Sam Halim reserves the right to publish names and disseminate documents backing allegations of RSL abuse and shame, in the event RSL does not comply with the above request for an apology and thorough investigation.