RSL president goes out on a high

Albany Returned and Services League sub-branch president Peter Aspinall stepped down from the top job this week after leading the organisation through one of its most significant periods.

Mr Aspinall, who resigned from the presidency on Monday evening, played a key role in the success of last November's Anzac centenary commemorations through his involvement in the Albany Centenary of Anzac Alliance and has played a part in growing Albany's Anzac Day dawn service to one of Australia's most significant.

With the committee, Mr Aspinall helped push the politicians of the day to recognise Albany as the place where thousands of troops departed for Gallipoli in 1914.

The idea to recreate the departure of the convoys started as a chat between friends and became part of the event that attracted 45,000 people, and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

"Whatever ideas we came up with, we would never claim them to be original, there were other people who thought of those things," Mr Aspinall said.

"I guess the difference is that when the opportunity arose through Prime Minister Rudd on Anzac Day 2010, saying he was going to create that national committee under Hawke and Fraser, that gave us the perfect opportunity to put our ideas together into a submission."

That weekend there were many highs for Mr Aspinall, including leading a 600-strong veteran contingent in the troop march along York Street.

"You could hear almost all of the comments which were being made, which was pretty heart-stirring stuff," he said.

With Mr Aspinall's right-hand man Laurie Fraser, the sub-branch has grown Albany's Anzac Day dawn service atop Mt Clarence from a crowd of hundreds to a commemoration that attracted 4000 on Anzac Day this year.

"To use a showbiz axiom - go out while you're on top," he said.

Vietnam veteran Geoff McNeill was elected as president at the sub-branch's annual general meeting on Monday.