Bruce Carlyle Ruxton, AM, OBE, was born in Melbourne (his military records say Caulfield) on 6 February, 1926. He grew up in Kew. In February 1944, while a student surveyor, he enlisted in the army (service # VX 94379), and served with the 2/25th Battalion in World War II, including time in Borneo. He joined the RSL in 1946, but remained in the army, training as a cook in 1947. He was discharged at the rank of private on 13 January 1949. He served as Victorian State President of the RSL from 1979 to 2002, when he officially retired.

Known for his controversial conservative opinions on such topics as Immigration, Aboriginal Land Rights and Republicism, he was never afraid of airing his opinions in public and defending them in the media. Even his harshest critics have begrudgingly admired his dedication to war veterans and widows, having assisted over 30,000 in his honorary position with the RSL. In 2002 he announced plans to relocate to Queensland for health reasons.

Bruce Ruxton passed away 9 years later on 23 December 2011, aged 85.

References:

National Archives, Barcode 6053485, Series B883; Control symbol VX94379: Ruxton, Bruce Carlyle.

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