RSL LifeCare is a public company limited by guarantee, RSL NSW is the sole member of our charity and our Directors are appointed by RSL NSW. The Directors bring to the table decades of experience in key areas - Veterans, RSL, Aged Care, Retirement Living, Finance, Construction, Business. It all began over a century ago in 1911 at Botany Bay…

First, in 1881 the colony of New South Wales began the construction of a fort on Bare Island near the mouth of Botany Bay to the southeast of Sydney. It was designed to protect the city's back door from an attack by the Russian navy or another European force. The bulk of the fortification was completed by 1885, however a Royal Commission was conducted in 1890 into the apparently faulty construction through the use of an inferior concrete mix. The commission led to the resignation of the well-known Colonial Architect, James Barnet, who was blamed for failing to properly supervise the work. Bare Island was manned for years, but by 1902 improved weapon technology meant that the artillery on it had largely become obsolete and it was decommissioned.