Albany At Ease working to provide respite for defence personnel and veterans struggling to re-calibrate

Work is being done to get a first-of-its-kind program off the ground in Albany that will provide respite to defence force members and veterans. Albany At Ease, modelled off a similar program established in Robe, South Australia, will see defence personnel and veterans invited to stay in Albany for a period of time where they would be away from the pressures and stress of their day-to-day challenges. Participants in the program would go through a referral and selection program to determine the level of need and to best tailor a program for their visit. Albany At Ease co-ordinator Veronique Derschow said support for Australia’s military personnel following the end of their service had always been in need of improvement. “Since the very beginning of Australia’s military service, we’ve been very good at sending them away, but the support when they get back is not so great,” she said. “We’ve got all the Government support services who do the clinical and medical side of things, but the social cohesion and community embrace is also very important to the healing process.” The program will be fully run by volunteers and will see RSLWA, Open Arms, and other veteran support agencies team up to identify defence personnel and veterans in need of respite support. Respite co-coordinators would be based in Albany to ensure program participants are catered to in a way that best suits their needs and wishes. “The veteran, depending on what kind of space they are in, can engage as much as they want,” Ms Derschow said. “They might just want to come down to have time as a family and not really engage, or they might want to take advantage of -everything that’s on offer.” Ms Derschow said Albany was an ideal location for respite because of its rich military connections, strong RSL membership, and relaxing setting. “We’re a large town of 40,000 people so we have all the resources to contribute to this program quite easily once people come on board,” she said. “The military connection of course with the first Anzacs departing here in 1914 is really significant as well, and the RSL is really supportive of this program with 170 financial members here.” Albany RSL sub-branch member Michael Gilmatin said he made the move to Albany from Perth following the end of his service because he recognised it would be better for his mental wellbeing. He said he felt he had been embraced by Albany’s community, whereas he sometime thought he was just a number in Perth. “I just didn’t see myself living a life in Perth, and then when we got down to Albany the grass was always greener,” he said. “There is plenty to see, plenty to do and we’re still in a country location — there is so much opportunity to get out there and do things. “If you ran a program like this in Perth you could get lost, and if you ran it somewhere else you might not be able to do it all through the year or you’d be restricted in what you could do.” Mr Gilmartin said the program would be able to provide much needed family time for veterans away from day-to-day stresses. He said the whole idea was for veterans to be able to connect with their families while they get back on track after experiencing difficult transition periods when they left the defence force. “It will be for people who have been out of the service for a while, and they are in a bit of limbo where they are struggling to reconnect,” he said. “It’s that opportunity to recalibrate in an environment like this where they can see like-minded people from different backgrounds, different theatres, and different conflicts. “We want to get them back into the mindset of ‘I can do this’, and with the assistance of the DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs), we can get them back on their feet without falling in a heap.” Ms Derschow said she had already received an indication of support from a variety of organisations, businesses and individuals. She said the Rotary Cub had offered the use of its units at Emu Point, Coles Orana and Woolworths Dog Rock have each chipped in with vouchers, and the National Anzac Centre and Albany’s Historic Whaling Station will offer free entry. “Great Southern Grammar has also come on board, its students will make the veterans gifts to take home as a reminder of their visit and as a reminder in the future that there is support available,” she said. The Robe-based program — Robe 2 Recovery — was able to provide respite support for 30 veterans in 2022 despite only having a population of about 1500. Albany at Ease is expected to welcome its first veterans to Albany next month, and Ms Derschow said she was hopeful — with the community’s support — it could provide a vital ongoing service. Anyone wanting to offer support for Albany At Ease can contact Ms Derschow on 0410 503 682 or email albanyatease@gmail.com.