Save Vasey RSL Care: What the Ex-Service Community is Saying

Letters from the Ex-Service Community

From RSL Sub-branch

…Accordingly we wholly support Vasey RSL to continue in it’s current form without alteration into the future & resist the suggestion the premises be sold with obvious disadvantage to the current occupants & indeed those who may be in admitted in the foreseeable future. There are not enough establishments to care for those who served like Vasey so it is the wish of our sub-branch that you continue your invaluable work.

In the event you need more, (perhaps petitions circulated & signed amongst our membership) then I would be happy to organise this within our membership once we are back in business.

I wish you every success into the future as State branch are only interested in selling everything off, including traditional RSL’s like our very own. One only has to examine their actions in the last decade to confirm this! Good luck (RSL Sub-branch)

From Carry On (Victoria)

On behalf of Carry On (Victoria) and the wider Veteran community, I am writing to express my concerns about the decision to dispose of Vasey RSL Care.

I have been following this debate closely since it was brought to my attention last year. Going forward, I was hoping that RSL Victoria would come to a decision that reflected the best interests of current and future Veterans. However, it is my opinion, and that of the Carry On (Victoria) Board, that the disposal of Vasey RSL Care will be at the severe detriment of the Veteran community.

The Veteran community desperately needs the specialised resources and services provided by Vasey RSL Care. As you are aware, the number of Veterans and ex-service personnel in Victoria is increasing. Now and in the future, a large segment of the Veteran community will be over the age of 60 years and will require the type of specialised care offered by Vasey RSL Care.

It is my understanding that the mission of RSL Victoria is “To provide the best support and services to all generations of Veterans.” Vasey RSL Care has evolved over the past 16 years and is a highly respected and trusted organisation that prioritises the needs of Veterans and their families. It provides the direct care and social support required by a segment of the Veteran community that will continue to grow over the coming decade.

I cannot think of an organisation that better serves the mission of RSL Victoria.

The Values of RSL Victoria (Empathy, Tradition, Integrity, Mateship, Transparency, Compassion, and Respect) provide clear and wise direction on how decisions should be made. Our role as leaders in the Veteran community is to serve Veterans. Whilst I can empathise with the lure of disposing assets to enhance liquidity, particularly at a time when lines of revenue may be limited, I would encourage RSL Victoria to reconsider their decision.

Carry On (Victoria) works closely with Vasey RSL Care at an operational level to coordinate and serve those Veterans in need of housing and care.

Our organisations have a strong working relationship based on trust, respect, and a passion to serve Veterans in need. The disposal of Vasey RSL Care will fracture this relationship, undermine the great work being done and, ultimately, impact the Veteran community who need us most.

The RSL holds a unique leadership position in our community that brings with it both privileges and obligations. It is my firm view that a decision to sell Vasey RSL Care will undermine confidence in the RSL brand, and by extension, erode the trust between your organisation and the Veterans you are obligated to serve. Alternatively, a decision to retain Vasey RSL Care and redesign the organisation could restore any lost confidence and be a positive step forward.

I would like to respectfully request that your Board revisit the decision to sell Vasey RSL Care and consider the broader implications for Veterans who desperately need these services.

Carry On (Victoria) stands ready to assist should you require it.

Yours sincerely,

From RSL Sub-branch

I, the President of the …. RSL support you and I feel that it would be a disgrace to cop out of such a worthy and necessary organisation.

From RSL Sub-branch

Dear Robert and Wendy,

I am writing to you in regard to the proposed closure of Vasey RSL Care, with effect 2023.

In my capacity as a Pension Advocate, twice in the last six months I have had to deal with homeless veterans. And I am from a little country traditional RSL.

The latest veteran that we have been dealing with is indeed a sad and stressful case. The veteran was a part of the unconscionable mefloquine trial that was conducted upon veterans in East Timor . Sadly this man now has many mental issues that present in ways from paranoia to aggressive behaviour accompanied with threats of violence. When we started looking after him he was living out of the back of his ute. There was no emergency or ongoing accommodation available in our area immediate area. In February Vasey accommodation became available in Geelong. Sadly due to the veterans many conditions, he rejected this offer. But another offer may be coming within the next six months in the Eastern Suburbs. The accommodation was then taken up by another deserving veteran. My point with this little story is that for six months the veteran either lived out of his car or in a local caravan park; no emergency or ongoing accommodation was available in our area. This lifestyle is not, and sadly now continues to not be, conducive to any form of rehabilitation. If the Vasey offer did not come and if the next offer does not come, this veteran’s future is very bleak. There is a dearth of low budget veteran accommodation and the Vasey stock is superbly suited for this role.

Australia has basically been at war since the late 1990s. We have thousands of new veterans who, at this time, do not interact with DVA, or need specialist housing services. But as time passes, I am sure that this will change.

Some stats from The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – A profile of Australia’s veterans 2018.

As at 30 June 2018, DVA estimated that there were around 641,000 living Australian veterans who have ever served in the ADF, either full time or in the reserves. This estimate was derived using ADF enlistment information and assumptions about mortality based on Australian population mortality data; it covers veterans who have served from World War II onwards.

As at 30 June 2017, there were just over 165,000 veterans who received a pension or allowance from DVA.

In my area these is no suitable emergency accommodation for veterans, apart from limited Vasey accommodation.

The RSL is here to look after out veterans. The selling of Vasey accommodation would be desertion of the highest order. I implore you to review and change the decision to sell and in fact to look for more opportunities to provide accommodation to our veterans who are in need. In conclusion, can you please pass to me the result of your needs analysis that determined that there is no requirement for the RSL to support our veterans through the provision of supported accommodation?

I look forward to your advice regarding this matter.

From a Veteran

I’m a Navy veteran that has sustained a back injury and mental health issues. I find it difficult holding a job or even finding one. I was hopeful I could get accommodation and stand on my own 2 feet again. That I could have some dignity back. That I could be closer to my daughter in the city and not have to travel so far to see her. Getting a rental these days is completely out of my budget. Vasey RSL care was my lifeline to start to improve my life. To be closer to future jobs. I really don’t understand why this would be discontinued, and having received an email from Robert Webster saying he never forgets veterans and needs my money for the Anzac appeal. This just made me angry. I have emailed him and I’m guessing I won’t get a reply.