Highlights of the year

Engagement with the ex-service community

Throughout the year the VVC continued its engagement with the veterans community and Victorian ex-service organisations. The VVC received regular updates from ex-service organisations such as the Returned & Services League of Australia (Victorian Branch) (RSL Victoria) and Melbourne Legacy through its representatives on the VVC.

The VVC also met with stakeholders including:

  • taking part in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Deputy Commissioner’s Consultative Forums throughout the year
  • attending the official opening of Vasey RSL Care’s V-Centre, which provides veterans-specific accommodation to assist with transitioning from the ADF
  • meeting with VetRide representatives Peter Liefman and Gary Vale
  • participating in the third National Forum for ESOs to discuss establishing a sector peak body for ex-service organisations.

The VVC also met with and heard presentations from:

  • Vasey RSL Care
  • Bradley Campbell, Veteran Advocate about issues facing veterans in Victoria and the work of veteran advocates
  • Dean Lee, the Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine of Remembrance, on the shrine’s commemoration and education programs and planning for the shrine’s 90th anniversary
  • David McNamara, the Chief Executive Officer of Carry On, to hear about the work of its subsidiary, Veteran Housing Australia, which is the first veterans-specific community housing organisation in Australia.

Commemoration and Anzac Day services

The VVC supports Anzac Day and other commemorations and events in local communities by overseeing the Victorian Veterans Fund. This funding is distributed under the Victoria Remembers Grant Program.

This year VVC members attended services, commemorations and events across Victoria. These included the Toongabbie Cenotaph Dedication and the Remembering the Battle of Leyte Gulf service, unveiling the commemorative plaque. The VVC supported these projects through the Victoria Remembers Grant Program. The VVC also attended the Premier’s Anniversary of Anzac Day State Luncheon, as well as services including:

  • Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service
  • Australian Nurses Memorial Centre Anzac Commemoration
  • Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance
  • Remember Prisoners of War Service.

Anzac Day Proceeds Fund highlights

Through the Anzac Day Proceeds Fund, the VVC is proud to provide grants to support the welfare activities of Victoria’s ex-service organisations. A complete list of grants awarded in 2023–24 is available in the Anzac Day Proceeds Fund section of this report.

Recent initiatives and activities supported by the VVC that were funded or delivered in 2023–24 include the following:

  • $150,000 to the Melbourne Legacy Youth Wellbeing Support Camp program, providing veterans with the opportunity to improve their social connectiveness, work on peer support, develop resilience and leadership skills, establish friendships and enjoy time-out in a fun and supported environment. These camps provide respite for children, allowing them to build skills that are essential for their ongoing mental health and wellbeing.
  • $150,000 to Carry On (Victoria) to provide support to veterans who experience unexpected financial distress, helping veterans with vital expenses like household bills and medical fees. The program also provides for crisis accommodation and essential cards for veterans in need.
  • More than $63,000 to support Aussie Veterans social programs to provide a range of fun and engaging activities for veterans and their families by building on family connections, friendships and creating positive mental and physical health, in collaboration with multiple service providers and support networks.
  • $30,000 to VetRide as part of the 2022–23 Anzac Day Proceeds Fund for Ride Anzac. Ride Anzac took place this year and brought together veterans and the public in a mixed active cycling environment to improve veterans wellbeing and increase public understanding of service.
  • More than $8,000 to Warragul RSL Sub-Branch as part of the 2022–23 grant program to provide a specific veterans respite and retreat program to support veterans with PTSD, mental health, family and social depravation issues. The program was held this year in Noojee, on the banks of the Latrobe River.
  • $7,500 to Torquay Surf Lifesaving with the assistance of Torquay RSL Sub-Branch to identify returned service personnel who would benefit from more community contact. The funding provided them with club membership, a uniform and training to become patrolling lifesavers at the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club.
  • $4,500 to Upwey Belgrave RSL Sub-Branch for women’s wellbeing. This brings female veterans together to promote wellbeing, fellowship, self-care and motivation by holding a range of activities including guest speakers.

Victoria Remembers Grant Program highlights

The VVC, through the Victoria Remembers Grant Program, is proud to support community projects that promote a better understanding of the service and sacrifice of Victoria’s veterans in war and peacekeeping operations. It also commemorates those who have died in the performance of service or duty. A complete list of grants awarded in 2023–24 is available in the Victorian Veterans Fund section of this report.

Promoting education and understanding

The Victorian Remembers Grant Program supports projects that educate about and enhance understanding of the participation of Victorians in war and peacekeeping operations. Projects that were funded or completed this year included the following:

  • $30,000 to ATOMVic – an initiative to enrich the Victorian school curriculum with an in-depth understanding of the Anzac tradition and legacy, with experts crafting new lesson plans to ensure the reverence and significance of the Anzac story continues to resonate with school students.
  • $28,000 to This Story Australia for documentary interviews of 4 veterans from Williamstown Football Club to both preserve their personal stories and identify the importance of the club in their lives.
  • $22,000 to create a podcast that looks at the way the armed services and communities commemorate conflict with a focus on the Vietnam Veterans’ Commemorative Walk at Seymour, central Victoria. With interviews of returned servicemen and women about their war experiences, the podcast traces the changing face of commemorating war.
  • Funding for Bright RSL Sub-Branch’s project to educate members and the public about the previously unrecognised services of women in active service in Australia and overseas, expanding their knowledge about the contribution of women. Delivered this year, funding was awarded through the 2022–23 grant program.

Supporting commemoration and remembrance

The Victoria Remembers Grant Program supports the community to recognise the service and sacrifice of Victoria’s veterans. This year services and commemorative events supported through the Victoria Remembers Grant Program included:

  • Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorations
  • Borough of Queenscliffe Anzac Day commemorations
  • Hawthorn RSL Sub-Branch Anzac and Remembrance Day commemorations
  • Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in World War II
  • 2024 Mt Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service
  • Torquay RSL Sub-Branch Anzac Day commemorations
  • Oakleigh Carnegie RSL Sub-Branch Anzac and Remembrance Day commemorations
  • Over $6,000 for the Inverloch RSL Sub-Branch to create a mural close to its Commemorative Garden for veterans to reflect on the sacrifices of the many men and women who have served in the ADF.

Supporting the preservation of Victoria’s wartime heritage

This year wartime heritage projects supported by the Victoria Remembers Grant Program included:

  • $30,000 for the Toongabbie Cenotaph, which is now a place for the local community to honour and commemorate our veterans
  • funding for the Warrenheip War Memorial to pay tribute to the bravery of Warrenheip veterans
  • funding for the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group to create a new interactive exhibit celebrating the vital role of the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force during World War II and beyond. The exhibit will feature materials from their archival collection, photos, uniforms, storyboards, sound and vision to deliver the stories and legacy that the women’s auxiliary have created.

The VVC is proud to support the preservation of Victoria’s wartime heritage and looks forward to the successful completion of these projects.

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