Historical information

George Robert Wheeler joined the RSL in 1918. In 1936 he started volunteering with the Castlemaine RSL and joined the Committee, he was President in 1939. He moved to Bendigo in 1941 and became involved in Bendigo RSL Funerals and conducted most until late 1948. he did home visits to families who had a loss in WW2. In 1943 he was appointed Honorary Secretary of No 27 District Board, a position he held until 1962. In 1959 he was appointed State Councillor for No 27 District Board until 1968.
He was elected to the Committee of the Bendigo RSL Branch in 1942. he served on Committee to 1949 then a year in 1951, a total of 9 years. During those years he was Treasurer for the years 1947/48 & 49. For about 10 years he wrote the Leading paragraphs in the Bendigo Advertiser in the Ex Servicemen's Column.
In 1959 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and retired at age 73.

George enlisted on 13.3.1917 as part of the July Reinforcements and posted to Medical Corp No 18465. Pre embarkation he had postings with Clearing Hospital Broadmeadows, No 11 General Hospital, AMC Bendigo, Clearing Hospital Seymour. Embarked 21.11.1917 and disembarked at Australia Camp Suez 15.12.1917 then embarked for Alexandria camp on 31.12.1917 disembarking on 2.1.1918. On 8.1.1918 he embarked for Taranto Southern Italy then finally for England arriving on 24.1.1918. He served with others as Hospital Orderlies in the above places. On 23.2.1918 he was hospitalised with Perineal Abcess, later with Influenza on 14.3.1918 and then "Tubercle Lung" and returned to Australia on 12.5.1918. On arrival he was admitted to No 5 Aust General Hospital on 16.7.1918 then the Military Sanitorium 22.7.1918. He was finally discharged on 22.1.1919

Physical description

Life Membership Certificate of the Bendigo RSL, gold frame with brown coloured backing sheet, certificate is white background with text in blue and black, in the RH bottom corner is a red seal. signed and dated by the Acting Federal President and General secretary of the RSL

Inscriptions & markings

At the top, "Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airmens Imperial League of Australia", - "G R Wheeler",
"Bendigo Sub - Branch", - "Melbourne 26th Sept 1950".