RSL whistleblower Glenn Kolomeitz says the changing of the guard in the Returned Services League should help him get a better night’s sleep.
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“In Afghanistan, due to the operational tempo, I had four hours’ sleep a night.
“Here, it’s been less due to the enormous pressures put on me at the hands of the cartetaker management team and that in itself is disgraceful,” said the former chief executive officer who exposed serious financial issues in the NSW RSL council.
“For the first time in my life I had to take stress leave.”
Mr Kolomeitz, whose contract as chief executive officer of the NSW RSL was terminated in April, was commenting after the NSW RSL state congress voted out the old leadership in Albury this week.
Mr Kolomeitz was contacted by incoming state president James Brown after the ballot.
“He said he would be getting back to me. There is absolutely a place for me in the new NSW RSL,” he said. It is unlikely, however, that will be in his old CEO role. Mr Kolomeitz said the “scorched earth approach” taken by the caretaker management team had derailed many of his initiatives.
He welcomed the result of the RSL ballot.
“This will enable a clear focus on returning to mission, transparency and the opening up of the doors of Anzac House to public scrutiny.
“I’m very pleased at the fact there is a more diverse board, including younger and older veterans and a woman, and a diverse set of skills and qualifications.”
His sentiment was echoed by honorary secretary of the Nowra RSL Sub Branch Rick Meehan.
“I think it is a positive step forward to have young blood in there,” he said.
“We now have a young president to lead us into the future.”
Mr Meehan said the generational change would help change the perception the RSL was an “old people’s club”.
He said the changing of the guard would stem the depletion in members.
“When the RSL was formed it was all young veterans. We’ve got to move forward.”
Mr Meehan, who served in the Persian Gulf before the First Gulf War, said it was important the RSL was relevant to younger veterans.
“Since 1990, our first Gulf deployment, we’ve had over 100,000 veterans serve in the Middle East. That’s a lot of people we can get hold of.”
Mr Meehan paid tribute to Mr Kolomeitz, whose efforts had helped install a fresh, new RSL leadership, even if it came at great personal cost.
“The new guard would like him back. He’s a strong character and he has had a victory. I hope he accepts a new role. He can move us foward.”