The History

World War II saw an enormous expansion in the strength of the RAN.  At its peak there were upwards of 3,900 officers of whom 165 were women.  Over 2,900 were reservists, many of whom were demobilised through HMAS Rushcutter within 18 months of the cessation of hostilities.  They had made many friends and had given extraordinary service and as they made their way back to civilian life many expressed an interest in keeping in contact in some way.

Thus, through the efforts of a few willing demobilising officers, the concept of a Naval Officers Club was born.  The blessing of the then Flag Officer Commanding East Australian Area was given and an inaugural, well attended meeting was held in April 1946.  Initially the Club was Sydney centric with functions arranged following the more formal traditions of the Wardroom, with extensive use being made of naval facilities.

Membership grew rapidly so that, within two years, there were 420 members, each paying one guinea in annual subscription.  Regular dinners were held to celebrate Empire Day and Trafalgar, as well as any other dinners with distinguished guest speakers.    For many years the Club continued to arrange events of interest to members including film nights, dinner dances, rifle shooting and sailing.

However, the ravages of time progressively took its toll on the foundation members so that, by 1971, membership had fallen away to 154 and, by 1981, to 125.  At this point a formidable duo of the then President, Commodore ‘Red’ Merson and the newly appointed Secretary, Lieutenant Commander Peter Churchill, set about rebuilding the Club.  By 1988 membership had been rebuilt to 320 active members and the growth continued so that, by 2000, when Peter Churchill stepped down as Secretary, member numbers were approaching 600.  This level of membership has been built upon and maintained to this day.

While there were members of the Club living in other states and territories, they did not get to enjoy the many functions available to Sydney members because there were no local divisions of the Club.  The exception to this was South Australia, which had an active community until the 1980’s.   The expansion of the re-vitalised Club started in 1989 with the establishment of the Victorian division, which was followed by ACT in 1997, Queensland in 2000, WA in 2009 and SA in 2010.

Today

Each state or territory Division has a Chairman who manages affairs locally, with support from the central Club Committee.  All Divisions have active social programs which support the needs of their local constituencies.

Since 2016 the Club has been undergoing a period of significant change in the way it operates and communicates, adapting processes and systems to take advantage of the modern tools available.   The types and frequency of functions continues to evolve to meet the needs of the various demographic groups within the Club.  Regardless of the changes, the underlying objective of the Club remains unchanged, “to preserve and stimulate the spirit of comradeship that has been engendered among naval officers by their close association with the Service and, for this purpose, to arrange periodical member reunions.”

NOC Patron

For many years the current Chief of Navy has been the Patron of the Naval Officers Club, recognising the important role the Club plays in perpetuating the comradeship that the Navy engenders.

Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM RAN assumed command of the RAN on 7 July 2022