“We see their Service, not their wallet”
* 6 December 2020 *
Our White Paper, ‘Continuing the Mission’ was published in September and distributed to our own community and the wider ex-service community.
Vasey RSL Care Chair, Mike O’Meara OAM was interviewed by the Australian Veteran News, to discuss the intent and content of the White Paper. Mike talked about the ethos of the organisation, the fact that it is mission-based, and that our purpose is to ‘Serve Those Who Served’.
“We see their service, not their wallet”, Mike commented. “This is important because it affects what we do and how we plan: where are our future clients? What are their needs now and what will they be in the future? What are the current trends in demographics?”
The White Paper has generated valuable conversations with people right across the ex-service community.
“In being open about our Vision and plans for the future, our value within the ex-service community has become much clearer to others, and has provided us with valuable insights that will further inform our planning” says Mike.
In the last two months we have been approached by a number of individuals, many of our clients, ex-service organisations and government departments requesting briefing sessions, the majority of which have taken place online. These included meetings with the Hon Shaun Leane MP, State Minister for Veterans; the Hon Tim Bull MP, Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs; and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). We were met by all with support for the initiatives and strategies outlined in the White Paper.
One of the important aspects of our future strategy is to partner with ex-service organisations and share our combined knowledge and expertise for the benefit of our community. In view of this, we have already established connections with RSL Victoria’s ‘Veteran Central’ and are discovering many opportunities to support each other. This is ‘work in progress’ and one of many partnership opportunities we are exploring.
Janna Voloshin, CEO: “We’ve already seen a lot of change in the needs of veterans and war widows. It is time for us to take bold action to support new and emerging needs, while continuing to offer services currently needed. We are at an exciting point in our journey!”
