A driving force in district ex-service activities and the welfare of veterans and their families, Ronald Carl (Ron) Blair OAM died last Wednesday.
Mr Blair, of Warragul, died at the West Gippsland Hospital aged 87.
His funeral service will be held on Thursday at the Nielsen Funeral Chapel, Korumburra Rd, Warragul, at 1.30pm.
There will be a private cremation.
Mr Blair had a lengthy and leading role in assisting war veterans and their families and in educating younger generations about military history, including the service of local people in wars and conflicts Australia has been involved in.
He was president of the Warragul RSL from 1995 to 2010 and also spent many years as a member of the executive committee.
Mr Blair was awarded life membership of the RSL in 2003 and three years later received the Medal of the Order Of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community of Warragul, especially for his support for the welfare of military veterans and their families.
In addition to his work with and for the RSL, Mr Blair was also an active member of Legacy. He regularly visited veterans, war widows and RSL members in hospital and nursing homes; authored a number of books on military history; researched and provided historical information for Warragul's Anzac centenary memorial; played a major role in setting up a Warragul RSL scholarship program that was awarded to a student each year for many years; and, regularly visited schools to educate young people about the World War I and Australia's involvement.
A number of the books he wrote focused on the military service of units and individuals from the Warragul region, taking in locations in the former shires of Warragul, Buln Buln, Narracan and Walhalla that date to the middle of the 19th century.
They include "The Gippsland Regiment: a History of the 52nd battalion"; "A Young Man's War: a History of the 37th/52nd battalion in World War II, and "Shoulder to Shoulder, a Military History of Baw Baw Shire" from the Boer War 1899-1902 until the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Warragul RSL president Ben Vahland said Mr Blair embodied the values of the RSL, its traditions, mateship, integrity, companionship and respect.
Mr Blair is survived by his wife of 62 years Marjorie, three sons and their families.