Mr Elliott came to Inverell for a lunch with the RSL sub-branch members and the four Macintyre High School students and their teacher who attended Anzac Day at Gallipoli.

Mr Elliott arrived with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and toured the refurbished Inverell War Memorial and cenotaph with RSL members.

The Minister is charged with issues of recognition and commemoration.  He had further projects to discuss with Inverell veterans.

“I’ll be keen to talk to them this afternoon about the NSW project which is the upgrade of the memorial in Hyde Park, and make sure they are take ownership,” he said.

“Also to congratulate them with the wonderful work that they’ve done here in commemorating local veterans in Inverell.”

Mr Elliott felt privileged to be the Minister for veterans during the Centenary Year, and said besides the ANZACS, it was important to recognise the centenary of Australian service on the world stage.

“I had seven years in the army myself and I spent time peacekeeping, so being Minister for Veterans’ Affairs is a great honour,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity for me to make sure that I hear what the concerns are from the veterans directly and I can feel some empathy with them in any of their concerns.”

Sub-branch president Pat McMahon said Mr Elliott would give the members an update on what Veterans’ Affairs could do for vets at a state level, coming grants and listen to issues and problems discussed by local veterans.

Vietnam veteran Brian McLennan said he wanted to discuss some RSL plans with Mr Elliott.

“We’re putting in for a little grant for 12 World War I veterans up here at the cemetery that haven’t even got a headstone and a name on them,” he said.

Jim Belford served in Vietnam and hoped to ask Mr Elliott about eligibility for veterans’ fitness programs.

“To be eligible, you’ve got to have a recognised disability and you’ve got to have qualifying service, but there are a lot of veterans, or former members of the ADF who can’t get that,” he said.

“You know everything they tell you about health and well-being these days, they tell you, “Exercise, exercise,” so if there’s some way they can expand that program.”

During the lunch, students Colette Monaghan, Ashley Johnson, Emily Cairns and Jesse Hayden gave a presentation of their Gallipoli visit with teacher Lee Cutler.

The students and teacher used  the occasion to formally return the RSL’s national flag to sub-branch members.

The team of five carried to Gallipoli for the Anzac service and brought back for Inverell.

“It will only be flown on very special occasions like Anzac Day and remembrance Day,” Mr McMahon said.

“It’s a big honour for us.”