Scrapping of Anzac Day funding raised at ‘crisis meeting’ of Victorian RSL clubs

Last year’s Anzac Day dawn service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. Some in the RSL are calling for government backing to fund the annual commemoration. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

Victorian RSL clubs have held a “crisis meeting” to discuss a bitter fight over gambling revenue, with some warning they may close due to financial pressures and others calling for the charity to stop funding the state’s largest Anzac Day service.

Detailed minutes from the 2 February meeting to discuss the organisation’s future, involving nearly 50 RSL sub-branch representatives, reveal some clubs were uncertain they would survive.