Since their founding in 1916, Australian RSL clubs have carried a quiet promise: that those who served, and the communities around them, would always have somewhere affordable and welcoming to gather. That promise is now under strain. Across the country, members are finding that renovated, revenue-driven venues have replaced the modest halls of old — charging city prices for indifferent service, while poker machines hum behind automatic doors. The question being asked is not merely about value for money, but about whether an institution can survive the loss of the spirit that once justified it