E News – 1/2019 Febuary

The RAR Family, “our tribe” comprises current and past serving members of The Regiment’s Battalions and their families. Our tribe is one of the many military service tribes (RAN, Army and RAAF) and their sub entities ships, units, squadrons that together comprise the whole Defence Family.

President’s Message

A Happy New Year to you all and your family. I hope that it is full of good health (aided where necessary by your meds) and success in all your endeavours.

Since election as your President at the AGM on the 6^th August 2018 I have been on a steep learning curve to understand the scope of my responsibilities but fortunately have been aided by the guidance from previous Presidents Kel Ryan, Alf Vockler and Ted Chitham as well as your support and encouragement. Thank you all.

A good part of that learning was attendance at the RARA’s National Council Meeting in Townsville in October where with all the RARA State and Battalion Associations we presented our annual reports, received briefings from the DVA Minister (Daren Chester), DVA Secretary (Liz Cosson), DVA Repatriation Commissioner (Mark Kelly) on current advocacy issues relevant to our roles and determined our RARA future directions.

Common to all the Association’s reports were the challenges of recruiting members to accept management committee positions and especially for our younger veterans identifying our relevance to them.

There is no doubt that we at RARA Qld are facing those challenges, particularly with the younger transitioning veterans upon which our survival is reliant particularly the operational management of the RAR’s National Memorial Walk and recruitment to Dad’s Army of volunteers. 

As I advised in my last message for a sub-committee of older and younger veterans to review our future direction has since been formed. Early observations are the importance of the current serving Battalions and our need to build strong personal relationships with the commanders at the Regiment Colonel and Battalion and company levels to allow us access to educate the men and their families of our support to them particularly prior to and during their transition to civilian life. We have had that experience and can help in the process for a smooth re-entry to civilian life, even if only to “point them” to the servicing delivery agencies.

Modern technology via the mobile phone to the internet has given the younger veterans access to all sorts of information and “do-it-yourself” applications. All well and good but in our opinion there is no replacement for the support of ”family” and especially those who have had the experience.

My close involvement with the two residents Battalions 6 RAR and 8/9 RAR based at Gallipoli Barracks, gives us the opportunity for direct engagement to cement the RAR Family spirit and the benefits available.

I look forward to your support in meeting these changes with solutions.
Keeping the Spirit Alive

Dave McDonald
 

RARAQ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2018-2019
President	Dave McDonald	0458 943 212	[email protected]
Deputy President	Ted Chitham MC OAM	(07) 3353 2415 0418 733 887	[email protected]
Vice President  NQ	Neil Schwebel	(07) 4411 1401 0408 749 173	[email protected]
Vice President Gold Coast	Alf Vockler	0413 612 992	[email protected]
Secretary	Greg Decker	0417 464 251	[email protected]
Treasurer	Trevor Pond	3851 1505	[email protected]
NMW Curator	Peter Brennan		[email protected]
NMW Admin Officer	Dave McDonald	0458 943 212	[email protected]
Web Master	Rick Hollingdrake OAM	(07) 3285 4197 0417 954 197	[email protected]
Newsletter Editor	Vacant
Well-Being Officer	Ross Langford	(07) 3261 7830	[email protected]
Committee	Gary Stone	(07) 3300 6410 0401 141 833	[email protected]
	Vacant
Immediate Past President	Kel Ryan	0418 759 120	[email protected]
Patron RARAQ	Neil “Lofty” Eiby  OAM	(07) 5478 316  0418 873 145	[email protected]
Patron NMW	Major General Stuart Smith DSC AM (retd)

 
 

As mentioned in my previous Report – Recruiting is the buzz word for all things RARA related tasks. “The Walk” is no different. The way “The Walk” is at the moment 15 or so DA people can have it looking neat, tidy and presentable on a Monday morning and still have smoko at 0900

Our Secretary, Greg, should be in the Aussie Cricket team, he has a 100% batting average at procuring grants. That is ten out of ten! The latest is a grant to have built and erected higher plinths to carry the plaques either side of the Flame but no higher than the “Keeping The Spirit Alive” tablet. The current plaques will be repolished so that the elderly can read them clearly and at a reasonable height.

Other planning for 2019 is to have the road paving completed, it has already begun to 70% of the central way  has created a WH&S hazard in the height of the paving to the height of the ground. The answer, kerbing and guttering. I have advised Spotless of this and they are aware of the problem and the attending risk of turned ankles or broken bones to pedestrians.

To finish, “the Walk” is well: it is the custodians that I worry about. Ross Langford elsewhere in this eNews has mentioned free programs for Vets to improve your health.

Dave McDonald

Dads’ Army

Dads’ Army is a group of volunteer ex RAR diggers whose mission is to tend and maintain The National Memorial Walk (NMW) at Gallipoli  Barracks, Enoggera Brisbane. The task is not overly onerous but does require person power and every Monday morning a group of hardy men and women turn out to assist. Our problem is that we are mostly SVN vets and age is taking its toll on our capability but not our willingness to work. Ken Cupples is close to ninety and still an active inspiration to us. We are fortunate to have “hard labor’ support from 6 RAR and 8/9 RAR. But we do need more help. If you live in the Brissy area please come and  join us. It is a convivial and fun couple of hours with a great morning tea thanks to Norm Deveroux’s wife Margaret.

Ring Dave McDonald 0458 943 212 for details.

CALENDAR 2019 – To June 2019

Go swiftly now and seek your past 
Your duty done for all to tell 
With pride of who and what you were 
And now we bid you a fond farewell

Thank you for hosting and organising this special educational visit. This trip informed me about the horrible battle our soldiers have fought to make this country great as it is today. I highly appreciate the chance to visit the memorial plaques for those who sacrificed their lives for our country. Thank you again for the opportunity to visit the special living memorial. – Lily

Thank you for hosting and organising this special educational visit. This trip informed me about the horrible battle our soldiers have fought to make this country great as it is today. I highly appreciate the chance to visit the memorial plaques for those who sacrificed their lives for our country. Thank you again for the opportunity to visit the special living memorial.  –   Isaac

I greatly appreciate having the opportunity to attend the Remembrance ceremony on the 9th of November. The day gave me a larger understanding of what remembrance means to the people who fought for our country, the ones who lost their loved ones and to everyone else in Australia. The memorial walk and how there is a plaque for each individual who died fighting for us made me think of the impact that they have had on our lives. The flags on each plaque touched everyone in our class.  –   Charlotte

During the memorial service, I was imagining the unfortunate war, the deafening noises and then….the sudden silence. It was as if the air also felt the tension and was included in the service.
Whilst walking through the gardens the bottles and pictures placed near the plaques was heart-warming  –   Neola

During the memorial service, I was imagining the unfortunate war, the deafening noises and then….the sudden silence. It was as if the air also felt the tension and was included in the service.
Whilst walking through the gardens the bottles and pictures placed near the plaques was heart-warming.  – Janisha 
 

At the recent RARA National Council Meeting, members determined the need to raise a pool of funds in order to obtain legal positions and/or defend matters that have the capacity to bring into disrepute the good standing of The Royal Australian Regiment & Associations.  A crowdfunding campaign has been started so that we can all contribute towards establishing the amount of money necessary to accomplish this. Additionally, donations can be deposited directly into the RAR Corporation’s  bank account at Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Account Name:  The Royal Australian Regiment Corporation, BSB:  064 127 Account No:  1030 4915. Reference:  Please use “Your Surname” and add “Legals”/ All Donations to The Royal Australian Regiment Corporation are tax deductible, – READ MORE
 

Dehydration
This summer has seen some very hot days. When it is at  extreme heat we need to keep our body cool so drink plenty of water and not so much alcohol. Alcohol makes you dehydrated the more you drink the more dehydrated you will become.

Read the article When a thirst might be dangerous. It lists the nine identifiers of dehydration to look out for and tips to overcome them.
 
Check your Mates
Please check your mates as a standard procedure, especially during the Holiday season and particularly during natural disasters. There  are some who find it difficult to cope due to a number of factors, mainly they are alone so reach out to a mate and ask RUOK:  one phone call can make a huge difference.

The Operation Compass program has proven to be very effective, Check it out and see their videos here

Note that the RARA supports Trojans Trek, Veterans Care, Overwatch Australia and Survive to Thrive

The Bravery Trust – VETERAN & FAMILY ASSISTANCE
There are many ways the Bravery Trust can help you and your family. Financial assistance is available for education and retraining, transport needs, family counselling, medical care, household expenses and more. If you are a current or former member of the ADF who has sustained physical or mental injuries as a result of your service and you are experiencing financial hardship you may be eligible to apply for assistance. Alternatively you may also be eligible to apply if you are the immediate family member of a current or former ADF member who has died as a result of their service, including those who have died as a result of their physical or mental injuries and you are experiencing financial hardship. – READ MORE

Mental health – Serving and ex-serving personnel and families
At Ease is DVA’s portal to online mental health information. It provides self-help tools and information to support mental health and wellbeing and is a gateway to websites and free mobile apps about stress, PTSD, alcohol management, resilience and suicide awareness and prevention. The portal also links to a wide range of mental health resources for health professionals and GPs for effective assessment and evidence-based treatment of veterans.
 
Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling
All veterans with at least one day continuous full time service (CFTS) and their immediate family members are entitled to free confidential mental health support services for life through Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling.
For help, information or to check eligibility for the Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling contact them on 1800 011 046 or visit the Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling website.
 
The Heart Health Programme aims to help you increase your physical health and wellbeing through practical exercise, nutrition and lifestyle management support. It is a 52-week programme and includes two physical activity sessions per week that are tailored to meet your needs and 12 health educational seminars. Check the details including eligibility  here

DVA – AN INFANTRY GUIDE TO DVA FACTSHEETS – KISS
Want to sort fact from fiction? Need to confirm or check a possible entitlement arising from your service? There is really no need to listen to the range of ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’ advice out there when you can simply look at the current policy used by DVA in determining such matters for yourself.

While a good advocate is probably the best source of information to assist with your questions, the Factsheets produced and maintained by DVA are a great guide to what you can expect in progressing your search.

If you are not already familiar with the goldmine of factual DVA policy information to be found in Factsheets, read on to open your eyes to what is available for your guidance.

Factsheet DVA19 – Factsheet Index – is probably the best tool available to inform you of the current and is your shortcut for future reference https://www.dva.gov.au/factsheet-dva19-factsheet-index  just open that link and you will find a list of all current DVA Factsheets listed alphabetically by keywords for general topics. Scan through the few pages and the process is very easy to understand. Below are some examples;