Community
19 September, 2025
RSL president remembered
TRIBUTES are flowing after the sudden passing of Camperdown Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branch president Kevin Murray last Tuesday.
Mr Murray died aged 76 and is survived by wife of 57 years Maree, two children, six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Son Paul Murray said he remembered his father as a loving, kind, generous and funny man who was a mentor, coach and best friend to him.
“Kevin was lovable, kind, generous and he would talk to anyone,” he said.
“He could hold a conversation on any topic of anyone’s choosing.
“He had an uncanny ability to make people feel good about themselves – he was just an all-round good guy.
“Anyone who knew Kevin got along so well with him.”
Born in 1949, Mr Murray was the second of four children and had a passion for various sports including football and cycling.
His biggest passion was for the military, which resulted in him enlisting in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1969.
His career took him to many areas across the country and saw him serve in Timor before he officially retired from the Air Force in 2013
“Dad was very dedicated to his service life, but his way to give back was through the RSL,” Paul said.
“I know when he was the secretary of the Melton RSL, he also did the membership officer role as well – he grew the membership base, wrote the newsletters and did all the secretarial duties for the RSL in Melton.
“When he came across to here, he transferred his membership over when he moved here and started getting involved by going to the meetings – not long after that, he took on the presidency.
“He really reinvigorated Anzac Day and Remembrance Day in Camperdown and the region – it was always a thing, but he gave it a new face.
“He gave it new emphasis and really put an extra military component around it.”
Mr Murray moved for the final time to Camperdown in 2021, returning his family to the area after his father grew up in Pomborneit.
Camperdown RSL treasurer Jarrod Bell said Mr Murray and Mrs Murray signed up to the Camperdown sub-branch as soon as they arrived.
“It would have been around late 2022 when our previous president had said he wanted to step down and didn’t want any office-bearer roles anymore,” he said.
“I don’t think he really wanted to be president, but Kevin knew we needed to have effective leadership, so he put his hat in the ring and was elected as our president at our AGM on March 7, 2023.
“His involvement and input in the RSL has been absolutely game changing – it was a fresh change.
“It’s always good to have a change of leadership and change of direction, which inherently happens when you get new leadership.
“He’s been really effective in reaching out and engaging with the veterans of the community and offering assistance in any way possible – that’s the crux of the RSL to give assistance to veteran and their dependents.”
Mr Bell said Mr Murray was well-liked by the rest of the RSL committee and would be greatly missed.
“He was kind-hearted and always had other people’s thoughts and welfare in his mind – and he’d go out of his way to go out there and engage with the community,” he said.
“There’s a big void left with Kevin’s passing, but we’ll roll out sleeve up and move forward – we know that’s what he’ll want.
“We’ll try to continue his legacy in reaching out to veterans and offering assistance where required.”
Paul said his father would also be an advocate for veterans and their families in the region, including to those who had family history in the military.
“As the president of the RSL, he made himself known to people that he was happy to investigate and advocate for any research of history for people who knew they had family connections to the military but didn’t know how to find out what their family had done and where they’d been,” he said.
“Dad became an advocate for anyone who wanted to call him. He would happily try and research and get as much information as he could for them.
“He also connected with a number of people in the region and was helping them out with DVA stuff.
“He got people involved – the time I came here for Anzac Day, I reckon half the town was there for the service.
“I don’t know whether it’s normal for Camperdown or not, but it was impressive for such a small town and I reckon Dad had a bit to do with that.”
Paul said Mr Murray’s research into the military pasts of families also connected with his passion for history, which led him to join the Camperdown and District Historical Society.
“He was the treasurer of the historical society as well – mum and dad both did volunteer work at the heritage centre on Tuesdays,” he said.
“They were in the process of converting all the slides into the catalogue system at the heritage centre to help build the picture and tell the story of the region.
“He was a remarkable listener, quick thinker, always found a way to respond accordingly and he always made me feel good about myself.
“In fact, perhaps that was his biggest strength – he always got the best out of people and made them feel good about themselves.”
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