Management at a north Queensland golf club has attracted strong criticism after it tried to ban the Last Post and Ode of Remembrance.

Townsville’s Mystic Sands Golf Resort, which also houses the Rollingstone RSL sub-branch, plays the Last Post and invites patrons to stand for a reading of the ode at 6pm every Friday.

RSL sub-branch president Ewen Cameron said the resort’s voluntary administrators had recently appointed new management, which was approached by a woman who said the ode upset her each week.

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Mr Cameron said management initially agreed to stop the weekly tradition.

“I think it was the Last Post, rather than the ode, that the woman found upsetting,” Mr Cameron said.

“I think they jumped the gun [in deciding] not to play the Last Post.”

The move has angered much of the resort’s membership and patronage, which has taken to social media to condemn the decision.

“I spent 26 years in the Defence Force and it staggers me why people are against the saying of the ode … it takes up all of one minute of your time once a week,” one man said.

“Hopefully the administrators … will see that the majority are proud Australians who wish to show respect to those who have fought for our country. LEST WE FORGET,” said another.

Others condemned the move as “un-Australian”, “embarrassing”, and “offensive”.

Last Friday, dozens of locals from Townsville’s northern suburbs attended the golf club and stood at 6:00pm to show their support for the ode.

Mr Cameron said the RSL was granted a last-minute stay on the decision late on Monday.

“We’ve been given permission to continue playing the Last Post and the ode for the month of April,” Mr Cameron said.

The decision will then be reviewed by management and administrators.

Mr Cameron said he hoped it was overturned.

The club’s manager declined to comment when contacted by the ABC.

– ABC