Victorian Veterans Council Annual Report 2017-2018

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Victorian Veterans Council Annual Report 2017-18

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Chairperson’s Foreword

In this past year the Victorian Veterans Council (VVC) has continued to strengthen its efforts to support the Government in recognising the service and sacrifice of the veteran community and to identify, and more effectively advocate on, issues affecting veterans across Victoria. I am pleased to share the following highlights with you.

Communications and Engagement

The profile of Victoria’s veteran has changed and our younger veterans are now becoming more prevalent in the community as they transition from service. A review of the VVC Communications Strategy in 2017 identified that whilst we would continue to use traditional increasing need to expand to and keep pace with other forms of media platforms to reach and support our younger veterans. The VVC continues to seek improvements to how we can effectively communicate with veterans, and remains flexible to adjust our methodology to ensure information is more widely accessible to the veteran community into the future. Continuous improvement in how the VVC engages with the veteran community will ensure appropriate and relevant advice and insight into current issues impacting on veterans and their families can be provided to the Minister of Veterans.

Cooperation and collaboration

The VVC recognises and appreciates the critical services provided by Ex-Service Organisations (ESO) in meeting the varying needs of our veteran community. It is a privilege to connect with these dedicated organisations, many of which are staffed by volunteers, who work tirelessly in support of veterans. During 2017 two roundtable forums were conducted aimed at mapping out available veteran services and building on relationships to further strengthen support for veterans. A successful outcome of the forums was the establishment of a Steering Committee to continue this important work.

Multi-Media Prize

I am pleased to announce that the VVC has entered into a partnership with RMIT to deliver the Victorian ANZAC Tertiary Multimedia Award. The award has been developed to engage tertiary students from across Victoria around the ANZAC Legacy and will award an annual prize of $20,000 to the best entry. It also adds a tertiary element to the excellent education activities to primary and secondary students offered through the Roadshow programs (Messenger Dogs and Journey of Remembrance) and the Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC Prize. My thanks to Dr Ross Bastiaan for his work in developing the initiative and his negotiations with RMIT.

Grant programs

It is through education and commemoration that Victoria can honour the service of our veterans and make connections with future generations. The VVC is committed to supporting education and commemorative events through opportunities such as the disbursement of funding from the Victoria Remembers Minor and Major Grants Programs. Additionally the VVC funds a range of welfare activities through the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund. Those activities are detailed later in this report. A full list of grant recipients is outlined on pages 12-14.

Advice to Government

The provision of advice to the Government on veteran issues is a key function of the VVC. This year, the VVC was pleased to be able to provide significant input into the Veterans Legislation and Consumer Affairs Victoria’s replacement of Patriotic Funds Regulations 2008.

Governance

The VVC engaged the Australian Institute of Company Directors to provide a training program for its members on the responsibilities and practice of Directors on public boards. The training was extremely useful in sharpening the VVC’s focus on governance and good decision making.

Council representation

This year has seen a number of departures from the VVC. Firstly, I acknowledge the steadfast and dedicated service of Colonel Stuart Dodds. Stuart has served on the VVC for seven years and the Council has greatly benefited from his efforts in convening the Funding Subcommittee and his significant and noteworthy endeavour to successfully culminate the Veterans Accommodation Project.

In the last 18 months Stuart has been Chair of the VVC and performed this role with wholehearted dedication. The VVC farewelled Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Crowley and I thank him for his valued contribution to VVC business and his commitment to developing our Communications Strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Lombardo (Retd) was also farewelled from the VVC and I thank him for his valued service and expertise to the Governance Subcommittee, particularly his efforts in streamlining administration associated with investment accounts.

During the past year the VVC also welcomed two new Council members; Lieutenant Commander Pelagia Markogiannakis, as well as Lieutenant Colonel Justin Elwin representing Melbourne Legacy. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to my colleagues in the VVC and the many individuals and organisations who work with the VVC and alongside our veterans. Your commitment and dedication to the mutual goal of respecting, honouring and supporting Victoria’s veterans is highly valued. I am pleased to present the 2017-2018 VVC Annual Report, and I look forward to evolving our efforts to support and serve Victoria’s veterans in the coming year.

Laureen Grimes
Lieutenant Colonel
Acting Chair

About the Victorian Veterans Council

The Victorian Veterans Council (VVC) is an independent statutory body established in August 2006 under the Veterans Act 2005 (the Act).
The VVC plays an important role in supporting Victorian veterans and their families and is responsible for reporting to the Minister for Veterans on issues affecting the Victorian veteran community.

Under the Act, the VVC has specific responsibility for the distribution of the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund and Victorian Veterans Fund. The VVC also assists the government by providing:

• general advice to the Minister for Veterans on issues affecting Victoria’s veterans such as the current and future needs of veterans and their families
• advice to the Director of Consumer Affairs on matters relating to the regulation of patriotic funds
• advice on a range of government programs and initiatives such as the Victorian Anzac Centenary Committee, the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize, Veterans Accommodation Project and the Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grants Program.

The VVC is supported by the Veterans Branch within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC).

Objectives and Functions of the Victorian Veterans Council

The objectives and functions of the VVC are detailed in Sections 5 and 6 of the Veterans Act 2005 (the Act).

The objectives of the VVC are to:

• promote the wellbeing of all members of the Victorian ex-service community
• promote the commemoration of those who have died in the performance of service or duty
• develop a better understanding amongst Victorians of the service and sacrifice of Victoria’s veterans in war and peacekeeping operations and the contributions of Victoria’s ex-service community
• actively promote the significance of, and key values associated with, the spirit of Anzac
• promote cooperation and collaboration across organisations dealing with veterans welfare and other ex-service community issues, including the Trustees of the Shrine of Remembrance.

The functions of the VVC are to:

• ensure that the objectives of the VVC are met to the maximum extent that is practicable
• monitor and advise the Minister for Veterans on issues affecting Victoria’s ex-service community
• investigate and report on any aspect of veterans affairs referred to it by the Minister
• consult with the ex-service community when developing advice for the Minister
• support the welfare activities of ex-service organisations through the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund (in accordance with the ANZAC Day Act 1958)
• fund activities furthering its objectives through the Victorian Veterans Fund (in accordance with Section 20 of the Act)
• advise the Director of Consumer Affairs on matters in relation to the regulation of patriotic funds under Part 4 of the Act.

Members of the Victorian Veterans Council

Lieutenant Colonel Lauren Grimes

Acting Chair
(Appointed 18 June 2012)

Laureen has been an Army Reservist since 1981 and has attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She has commanded Victoria’s Combat Support Services Battalion that was closely involved with the 2009 Victorian Bushfire support and has also been an Honorary Aide de Camp to the Governor of Victoria. She is currently serving in a support role to the largest logistics services transformation undertaken by Defence while based at Joint Logistics Command.

Colonel Stuart Dodds

Former Chair
(Appointed 19 June 2012, retired 4 July 2018)

Stuart graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1984. As a career Infantry Officer, he attained the rank of Colonel and retired in early 2012 after twenty-eight years of service. Stuart saw service in Somalia, Afghanistan and Bougainville as well as serving as the Australian Defence Attaché in Vietnam. He continues to serve as a Reserve Officer and is currently engaged as an Independent Management Consultant.

Brigadier Michael Annett, CSC

(Appointed 19 March 2013 to 31 January 2016, reappointed 30 August 2016)

After graduating from the Royal Military College, Michael was appointed to the 1st Armoured Regiment. From 1988 to 1989 he served with United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group. Following discharge from the Regular Army in 2006, Michael was appointed CEO of the Victorian Branch of the RSL. In January 2007, he resumed soldiering as a Reservist. In January 2013 Michael was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and assumed the command of the 4th Brigade. In July 2015 he was deployed as the Commander of Task Group Afghanistan. Since returning he has been appointed State Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the RSL. Mike was awarded a Commendation for Distinguished Service in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Dr Ross Bastiaan, AM RFD

(Appointed 1 January 2013)

Ross enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1975 and was attached to 3 Army Field Ambulance. In is currently attached to Defence Health Services Branch, Canberra. Ross served on the Council of the Australian War Memorial from 1995 to 2009. Since 1990 he has personally placed over 240 multi-lingual, large bronze commemorative plaques at various locations around the world from Europe to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. He has also written three books on WWI and WWII.

Since 1978 Ross has worked in private practice as a periodontist.

Wing Commander Sharyn Bolitho RAAFAR

(Appointed 4 November 2015)

Sharyn Bolitho joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1987 and during her time in the RAAF she held postings on the staff of the Chief of Defence Force (working for Admiral Chris Barrie at the time of the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001) and was later responsible for joint operational personnel issues relating to deployment in 2002, receiving a Commendation from Commander Australian Theatre. Sharyn was appointed Commanding Officer of Combat Support Unit East Sale in December 2008, transitioning to Commanding Officer No 30 (City of Sale) Squadron when it was reformed 1 July 2010. She left the Permanent Air Force in May 2012 to remain in Sale and accepted an appointment as Manager Economic Development at Wellington Shire Council. Sharyn transitioned back to RAAFAR in 2017 as the East Sale Indigenous Liaison Officer and is now responsible for Heritage and Executive Support.

Ms Elizabeth Brown

(Appointed 30 September 2014)

Elizabeth is a widow of a Vietnam veteran, was a carer to her father-in-law (a WWll veteran) and has been a Pensions/Welfare Officer for the past six years. She has completed a law degree at Victoria University, is a qualified Associate Accountant and has worked in finance roles across government. Elizabeth was nominated for appointment to the Council by, the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Victorian Branch (Noble Park Sub-Branch).

Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Crowley

(Appointed 21 October 2014, retired 20 October 2017)

Nathan served for 20 years in the Australian Defence Force, including active service in East Timor and Afghanistan. He is currently an Army Reservist. Nathan has extensive experience in strategic planning, through to the implementation of major projects and now manages his own consultancy in the defence and immigration sectors. He was nominated for appointment to the Council by ex-service organisation Mates4Mates.

Mr Justin Elwin

(Appointed 7 July 2018)

Justin was appointed Chief Executive of Melbourne Legacy in October 2016.

He served with distinction in the Australian Regular Army as an Infantry Officer for 22 years, most recently as the Commanding Officer of the 6th Battalion in Brisbane. He left the Army with a continuing passion to serve his community, and brings deep insight and understanding of contemporary veterans’ issues to Melbourne. He is also a passionate advocate for veterans’ welfare and suicide prevention, gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Justin gained a Master of Business Administration at Melbourne Business School in 2017 and holds a Bachelor of Management from Southern Cross University and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies from the University of New South Wales. He is married to Stephanie and they have three teenage children.

Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Lombardo (Ret’d)

(Appointed 7 July 2016, retired 6 June 2018)

Adrian served in the Australian Army as an Infantry officer in various postings for 23 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. This included service in South Vietnam with 8th Batallion Royal Australian Regiment and overseas postings in Malaysia and the USA 25 year career in financial services with major organisations followed, in both investment management and stockbroking appointments. As part of his community service, Adrian has been involved with the Shrine of Remembrance both as Trustee and Life Governor since1987. He has been a member of Legacy since 2011 and serves on its Investment Committee.

Lieutenant Commander Pelagia Markogiannakis

(Appointed 6 February 2018)

Pela has been a Navy Reservist since 1986 and has attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She has held a variety of logistics, engineering and infrastructure related roles.

Pela is an engineer and certified project professional. She has been the Aide-de-Camp in Waiting to His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales and the His Excellency the Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia.

She is currently serving in a staff role to Shore Force at Fleet Headquarters, Sydney and is the Staff Officer for Reservists in Victoria reporting to the Head of Reserves in Canberra. Pela currently holds the executive infrastructure role with the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust.

Ms Kim McAliney

(Appointed 30 August 2016)

Kim was Deputy Mayor for the City of Wyndham from 2016 to 2017. She was first elected in 2005 and previously elected Mayor for 2007 to 2008, and 2011 to 2012.

Kim is a Fellow of CPA Australia, has an Advanced Diploma in Public Safety (E.Mgt) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Kim has worked at accountancy firms, in the aged care and retirement sector, a multinational company and a National Crisis Counselling service and held numerous board directorships.

She has been a Trust Member of The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust since 2013.

Highlights of the year

Chiltern Athenaeum

Drawing on the Chiltern Honour Roll and the Museum’s extensive photographic archive, Chiltern’s World War One history was highlighted with a $15,000 grant from the Anzac Centenary Community Grant Program to complete the Chiltern Athenaeum’s digitisation project. The funded project combines digital technologies and storytelling to transform documentary heritage into a dynamic digital archive to preserve, record, and commemorate the history and sacrifice of Chiltern’s World War One servicemen and women and their communities. Through the project, the Chiltern World War One Honour Roll and other memorabilia will be digitised to increase access to this significant archive.

Books of Remembrance at the Shrine of Remembrance

The Books of Remembrance in the collection of the Shrine contain the names of the 89,100 members of the Australian Imperial Force, the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force who were either born or enlisted in Victoria and served overseas in World War One, or died in camp prior to embarkation. There are 40 books in total, and all names appear in alphabetical order with no distinction of rank. The Books were conserved in 2017-18 as a result of a $15,000 grant from the Anzac Centenary Community Grant and are now back on display for visitors to the Shrine of Remembrance.

Completion of the ESO Roundtables and establishment of the Victorian ESO Collaborative Steering Committee

Throughout 2017 the VVC conducted three roundtable consultations on issues affecting the veterans sector in Victoria and to discuss collaboration. The VVC facilitated these Roundtables at the request of the Minister for Veterans, in response to recommendations in the Veterans Sector Study Report 2015. At the final Roundtable consultation on 9 November, the participants agreed to establish the Victorian Veteran Sector Collaborative Committee. The Committee met twice in 2017-18.

Corporate governance

Council Meetings

The Veterans Act 2005 provides that the VVC must meet at least eight times per year.

The Council held eight meetings during the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

Committee Structure

The VVC has established two committees to facilitate the performance of its functions under the Act.

Funding Sub-Committee

The Funding Sub-Committee is responsible for the development and annual review of the guidelines for the Victorian Veterans Fund Grant Programs and the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund, coordinating the application process for both funds and making funding recommendations to the VVC for grants from both funds.

Dr Ross Bastiaan is the current Chair of the Funding Sub-Committee. The other members of the Sub-Committee are Wing Commander Sharyn Bolitho (RAAFAR), Ms Elizabeth Brown and Ms Kim McAliney. The Committee met on five occasions throughout the year.

Governance Sub-Committee

The Governance Sub-Committee is responsible for ensuring the VVC complies with all financial and legal requirements under the Veterans Act 2005 and any other relevant legislation. The Governance Committee is also responsible for governance of the seven patriotic funds for which the Council is Trustee and the development of the VVC annual report.

Lieutenant Colonel Laureen Grimes is the current Chair of the Governance Committee. Other members of the Governance Sub-Committee are, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Crowley, Brigadier Michael Annett and Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Lombardo (ret’d) The Governance Committee met three times during the year, to a range of issues relating to the administration of the Patriotic Funds and associated investment accounts and to oversee the preparation of the VVC’s financial statements for the annual report in 2017-18.

Secretariat Support

Secretariat support to the VVC and both Sub-Committees was provided by the Veterans Branch within DPC.

Audited Financial Records

The VVC financial results are aggregated into the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s financial statements pursuant to a determination made by the Minister for Finance under section 53(1)(b) of the Financial Management Act 1994.

The Department’s Financial Statements can be found at: www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/news-publications/corporate-publications

Financial Management Compliance Attestation

The VVC Financial Management Compliance Attestation is included in the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Annual Report. The department’s Annual Report can be found at www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/news-publications/corporate-publications.

ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund

The ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund receives contributions from sporting events held on ANZAC Day across Victoria which are collected by Sport and Recreation Victoria within the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with section 4A of the ANZAC Day Act 1958.
Grants totalling $360,446 were approved from the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund to 24 individual projects during the financial year ending 30 June 2018. Grant recipients are detailed in the table below.

ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund 2017-18 Approved Grants

Victorian Veterans Fund

The Victorian Veterans Fund was established under the Veterans Act 2005. Revenue for the Veterans Fund comes from the Community Support Fund (CSF) and is equal to one days revenue of that CSF.

Grants totalling $382,793 were approved for 52 projects through the Victorian Veterans Fund, including the Victoria Remembers Minor Grant Program (formerly Commemoration and Education Grant Program) and the Anzac Centenary Community Grant Program during the financial year ending 30 June 2018. Grant recipients are details in the table below and the following page.

Victorian Veterans Fund 2017-18 Grant recipients (Victorian Remembers Minor Grant Program)

Victorian Veterans Fund

The ANZAC Centenary Community Grants Program offers funding to eligible organisations for projects that commemorate the service and sacrifice of World War One (WWI) veterans and their communities.

WWI related projects could include new memorials, one-off community events, local community education projects and the preservation of WWI history. The 2017-18 grant recipients are detailed in the table below:

ANZAC Centenary Community Grants

Patriotic Funds

The VVC, in partnership with Consumer Affairs Victoria, the regulator of patriotic funds, provides advice to ex-service organisations on how patriotic funds can be raised and appropriately used, including transfer and winding up arrangements.

The VVC is now the trustee for six patriotic funds which are administered in accordance with Part 4 of the Veterans Act 2005.

The Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women Scholarship Fund – Albert Coates Memorial Trust

The Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women Scholarship Fund, in association with the Albert Coates Memorial Trust provides funding for scholarships awarded to students who are studying courses for the training of paramedics, nurses and doctors in emergency care at Victorian universities.

In 2017-18, the VVC approved the disbursement of $33,500 to the Albert Coates Memorial Trust to allocate scholarships for Rural Emergency Nursing studies, including Nurse Practitioner, RIPERN and Critical Care courses to recipients. 2017 /18 recipients included Cassandra Brown, Jacqueline Nguyen Khuong and Kimberley Morris-Flynn.

The Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women Scholarship Fund No 1 – Nurses Memorial Centre

The Fund, first established in August 2006, provides support for scholarship grants awarded on an annual basis to students that are undertaking postgraduate studies in care of the older person or Palliative Care at a recognised university. The Funds, administered by the VVC, are provided to the Nurses Memorial Centre (NMC) as the facilitator of the scholarships. In 2017-18, the VVC approved the disbursement of $25,512 to the NMC for these scholarships.

On 3 March 2018 Lieutenant Colonel Grimes represented the VVC at the NMC Scholarship Award. The Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women Scholarships were awarded to Amy Grant, Lindsay Scudder and Kylie Kinder.

The War Widows and Widowed Mothers Association (WWWMA) Scholarship Fund

The Fund supports scholarships awarded by the Federation University Australia to students undertaking graduate or postgraduate study in the fields of nursing, palliative care, aged care or midwifery.

The Victorian Blinded Soldiers’ Welfare Patriotic Fund

Established in April 2013 from funds provided by the Blinded Soldiers’ Association and a letter bequest from the Estate of the Late Lucy Adamson, this fund provides welfare assistance to visually impaired veterans and their dependants and offers assistance for former Australian Defence Force members who have visual impairment due to their service in defence of our nation.

The Extremely Disabled Association (EDA) Patriotic Fund

This Fund provides an annual prize of $500 for the Victorian Veteran Community Story Writing and Art Competition (SWAC) facilitated by Austin Health’s Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. In March 0016, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Veterans Council and Austin Health was signed to formalise funding for the SWAC under the EDA Patriotic Fund.

Australian United Ex-Services Association (AUESA) Patriotic Fund

This fund was initiated in 2014 for the purpose of providing funding for post-graduate study in the field of veterans’ health. The Trust Deed between the Australian United Ex-Services Association and the Veterans Council was formalised in December 2015. A Memorandum of Understanding with Austin Health was signed in February 2016 to deliver the scholarships for training post-graduate students in Cognitive Processing Therapy with an associated year of supervision.