A new centre offering young veterans and their families a place to relax and access support services, such as counselling, has opened in Frankston, Victoria today. Opening the Frankston Young Veterans and Families Wellbeing Centre, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, said the Centre was the result of years of hard work and dedication by the local RSL and community members. “This Centre is a first in Australia and ensures that the young veterans in Frankston have a welcoming place to socialise with mates and access support services for themselves and their families,” he said.
Mr Snowdon praised the Frankston RSL for its efforts to continue to evolve its traditional service model to better meet the needs of younger veterans and their families. “I congratulate the Frankston RSL and its members for developing new and innovative ways to engage the younger veteran community. I hope this centre will inspire more ex-service organisations to do the same,” he said.
Frankston RSL President Brent Clyne says the Centre is a way to reach out to contemporary veterans and their families. “It is a place for all young veterans, including those who’ve served in Iraq, Afghanistan and peace-keeping operations, and their families, to call their own. Young veterans have special needs and in the past veterans hadn’t always accessed the care they needed. The Young Veterans and Families Wellbeing Centre will provide a place of trust, a safe place where young vets can have a chat and reach out for assistance if they need it.”
Mr Clyne said the Centre will be alcohol and judgement free and, although based on the strong traditions of the RSL, is geared towards a new generation of veterans with different needs.
The Australian Government provided $73,000 in funding towards the Centre, through the Veteran and Community Grants program.
For more information on the Centre, join its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FrankstonYVC/.
For more information on Veteran and Community Grants visit www.dva.gov.au/grants.
Media inquiries: Minister Snowdon: Marcus Butler 02 6277 7820
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289 6203