Connecting through social activities
Our Wellbeing Program regularly hosts a variety of activities for war widows, defence and veteran families. When planning our activities, we ensure that we hold repeated activities that are loved by regular attendees and new activities based on feedback from families and war widows, aiming to provide something for everyone and always wanting to provide something new and exciting. Recently, it’s been a mix of creative, healing, physical, crafty and hands-on activities held online or in Sydney and Canberra.
In this post, we cover activities that we hosted in the recent months that were focused on creating opportunities for defence and veteran families to come together and enjoy a day out and about. From family days at Lollipops Playland to group activities like wellbeing walks, Australian War Memorial tours, a veteran family lunch.
Lollipops Playland indoor play session
Defence families came together at Lollipop’s Playland for a morning of fun and connection to kick off the school holidays. Children enjoyed exploring the playground, bouncing on jumping castles, sliding down giant slides, and getting creative with crafts.
Meanwhile, parents had the chance to relax over coffee and chat with other families. This was a repeated activity from our last well received day at Lollipops Playland!
Wellbeing walks
Across the months, defence and veteran families have come together for a series of wellbeing walks recently, creating space to connect, reflect, and enjoy time outdoors.
From a gentle stroll through Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens to a winter walk at Mulligan’s Flat in Canberra, each outing offered moments of conversation, connection, and appreciation of nature. The Sydney walk concluded at the lively Bastille Festival at Circular Quay, where families shared coffee and pastries among the music and colour of French culture. In Canberra, attendees gathered at Wildbark Café to warm up over hot drinks and friendly conversation.
Veteran family lunch
In recent months of the year, both in person and online, we’ve hosted several veteran family dinners and lunches. With it’s great attention rate, we’ve been able to make it happen yet again in July, with veterans and their families gathering at Bankstown RSL for a buffet lunch at the Star Buffet. War widows, partners of current and former ADF members, and their children enjoyed a variety of cuisines in a welcoming setting.
These lunches provide space for conversation, and peer support, giving families the chance to connect and over a nice meal. Stay tuned for our upcoming cook & connect: veteran family dinner online!
Australian War Memorial tour
War widows and families of veterans came together for a private tour of the Australian War Memorial. Beginning with a warm welcome at the Main Entrance Desk beneath the Oculus, the group explored the newly renovated areas of the Memorial, taking time to reflect and connect throughout the visit.
Highlights included the Commemorative Area and the Cold War galleries, where stories from the Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan conflicts were thoughtfully shared.
These activities are just some of the variety of activities available through our Wellbeing Program. If you missed out or are looking for other ways to get involved, stay tuned for upcoming activities designed to support and connect war widows, defence and veteran families of all kinds. Subscribe to our Wellbeing Newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!
