CEO’s Centenary of ANZAC message

– 18 April 2015 –

Keeping in step with rest of Australia, Vasey RSL Care is preparing to commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC Day by arranging services and ceremonies in our five residential care facilities and the ANZAC Day Therapy Centre.  

Careful to respect the wishes of the veterans, war widows and their families, staff have devoted themselves to planning special commemoration events for this historic occasion. Residents of Sir William Hall will join with the Heidelberg Repatriation Centre for their tribute and ANZAC Hostel with the Day Therapy Centre will conduct a memorial service with students from Star of the Sea College. Both Vasey House and Sir William Hall Hostel have completed impressive displays featuring knitted and painted poppies. Residents of our many independent living units and our community clients will also be attending local commemoration services.

The major commemoration event that we are undertaking is to fly six veterans and individual carers from RSL Park to Canberra to attend the ANZAC Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial. The group flies out next Thursday. I am excited and honoured to be going with them to mark this historic event.

I also want to thank all those who helped make this major project possible, especially John Biles, the Vice President of Seaford RSL, who coordinated donations of almost $10,000 from members of Vietnam Veterans Associations and RSL Sub-Branches on the Mornington Peninsula. Other major contributors to the project have been UBS Wealth Management, the Defence Bank,  Midnight Express and TENA/Asaleo Care. We are also grateful for the in-kind support from Akubra Hats and Piccadilly Circus Coats. Thank you, also, to the many individual donors who have contributed towards the cost of this project.

In all of the many, different ways in which Vasey RSL Care will commemorate this historic ANZAC Day, we are continuing to respect and honour the service and sacrifice of the veterans and war widows we care for in our residential facilities, Day Therapy Centre, our independent living units and in their own homes.

Earlier this year the Board of Vasey RSL Care developed a new Strategic Plan to ensure that we build our expertise and reiterate our commitment to provide specialist care for the ex-service community. We intend to achieve this through recruiting and developing the best staff, specialising in evidence-based practice and innovation.

In delivering on this new Strategic Plan, Vasey RSL Care is honouring our history and legacy of caring for those men and women who served our nation.

I’m asking all staff of Vasey RSL Care to demonstrate a high regard and appreciation of our clients from the ex-service community, be sensitive to their wishes and take extra care during this coming week to listen to their recollections and their life stories.

As our veterans age such opportunities to learn from their experiences are diminishing. We must make every moment count – lest we forget.

Janna Voloshin

Chief Executive Officer