On 19 October at 10.30am, Australians will gather at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, Sydney, for the annual War Widows Day ceremony. This ceremony is a moment of recognition, reflection, and remembrance.

Acknowledging the unique sacrifice of war widows and families

War widows have endured profound loss while raising families, supporting communities, and carrying forward the legacies of their partners who served. Many face isolation, particularly as they are aging. The ceremony reminds us that their sacrifices continue to matter today.

The Cenotaph: a site of significance

The Cenotaph in Martin Place is a powerful, historic location. It frames War Widows Day as both a solemn public act and a reminder of the enduring contributions of families to Australia’s security and peace.

How Australians can participate

Alongside the ceremony, you can:

• Wear the War Widows Day pin, a visible token of solidarity and recognition.
• Add a tribute to the War Widows Honour Roll, preserving a widow’s story for future generations.

Honouring every story

Every tribute, every pin worn ensures no widow is forgotten. War Widows Day is a reminder of Australia’s history and the ongoing contributions of the families of our veterans. It is a day to honour courage, resilience, and sacrifice, and to stand together as a community that values their stories.

Email us at guild@fov.org.au to attend the War Widows Day ceremony and add a tribute to the War Widows Honour Roll.

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On 19 October, Australians will mark War Widows Day — a day to recognise the women whose lives have been forever shaped by service. Across the country, more than 31,000 known surviving war widows and widowers continue to carry the legacy of partners lost in defence of our nation. Behind every number is a story of love, loss, resilience, and courage.

Introducing the War Widows Honour Roll

This year, the Families of Veterans Guild introduces the War Widows Honour Roll. The War Widows Honour Roll is more than a list of names. It is a living record of stories, memories, and tributes. Families, friends, and communities are invited to share the name and story of a widow who has touched their lives. Each tribute ensures her story is remembered, her sacrifice acknowledged, and her life honoured for generations to come.

Why the War Widows Honour Roll matters

The War Widows Honour Roll creates visibility for widows whose sacrifices are often hidden. While veterans’ service is widely recognised, the contribution of those left behind is equally vital. Inspired by the Field of Remembrance virtual tributes, it is a personal, living act of remembrance for all Australians.

How to participate

Alongside the War Widows Honour Roll, Australians can:

• Purchase and wear the limited-edition 2025 War Widows Day pin, a symbol of national recognition and solidarity.
• Attend the War Widows Day ceremony on Sunday 19 October at 10.30am, at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, Sydney. For more information on the day, please email us at guild@fov.org.au.

Every tribute tells a story. Every story ensures that the sacrifices of war widows are acknowledged, remembered, and valued. This War Widows Day, join us in honouring their lives and their legacy.

Show your support by adding a tribute to the War Widows Honour Roll or purchasing your War Widows Day pin.

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• Disrupted healthcare journeys.
• The presence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) within military populations, and the close linkage between TBI/CTE and suicidal ideation and death by suicide.
• The combination and accumulation of multiple stressors experienced within military communities; and
• The injury burden experienced by our current and former serving Defence force members and their families.

Calling for support in the improvement of veteran family wellbeing

• Including a role of the NSW Office for Veterans
• Funding the delivery of programs and services through the National Centre for Veterans Health Care which mitigate the unique risk factors associated with poor outcomes for veterans and their families
• Improving military cultural competence of mental health providers within the state
• Screen for adverse childhood experiences and report the findings
• Deliver SafeTALK training within community sector organisations working in NSW; and
• Conduct research into the Defence family population in NSW.

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On 29 August 2025, the Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee made a landmark recommendation: that the legislation establishing the Defence and Veteran Services Commission should be amended to specifically include veteran families.

If implemented by the government, this will be the first time that veteran families have been specifically included in legislation governing the veteran sector. We are at the starting blocks when it comes to properly caring for and supporting the needs of veteran families in Australia, and this important step not only sends an important signal to the families of veterans, it also creates an obligation to include them.

Why this matters for veteran and defence families

While Australia has seen significant reforms in the care of veterans—and rightly so—their families have been left behind. The model of care for defence families and veteran families has barely changed since the end of WWII.

Without families specifically being included in the legislation that governs the system, there is no obligation to support them or inquire into their needs. The majority of families remain largely invisible and the impacts that defending Australia has on them are left unmitigated.

A shift from rhetoric to action

While we have seen rhetoric change in the last few years and the word family included in initiative and policy titles; it hasn’t translated to practical, impactful and meaningful change for them.

This recommendation by the Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee however, could start to change this. It would mean from the very start the Defence and Veteran Services Commission has an obligation to include families and inquire into the impacts of service on them. It has an obligation to make recommendations in their interests that go further than helping Defence and DVA to hear more from them.

Our contribution to the review

As part of the inquiry, we made a submission highlighting the urgent need for the explicit inclusion of families of veterans in the legislation. We argued that families are currently left out of veteran-related legislation, giving them limited standing in the system despite carrying the ongoing impacts of service. Schedule 9 presents an opportunity for Parliament to change this by ensuring families are visible and properly recognised.

Our submission also called for a stronger object for the new Commission—one focused on reducing the incidence of suicide and suicidality among veterans and their families, rather than simply improving suicide prevention. We recommended that the Act include a clear definition of “family” based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics framework, recognising the wide range of relationships affected by service. We also reinforced the need for independence, accountability and transparency in the Commission to rebuild trust.

Our CEO also appeared at the Senate hearings to provide evidence, highlighting the lived experiences of defence and veteran families and advocating on their behalf. 

The road ahead

We have a long way to go when it comes to providing support for all families of veterans in Australia. By implementing this recommendation, the government has the opportunity to they are listening and most importantly demonstrate that the families of veterans matter. 

Learn more:

• Watch the hearing here

• Read the final report here

• Read our submission here

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We know that is simply not true.

This model fails to reflect the lived realities of today’s veteran families, including war widows, who often face significant challenges long before bereavement.

We know this because families and war widows have been telling us this for decades, they have been telling Government departments, Ministers, Royal Commissions, researchers and the media that this simply isn’t true.

The message is clear: the current system does not meet their needs. With widespread reform underway across the veteran support sector, now is the time to make meaningful, lasting changes—both strategically and practically.

Enshrining support in legislation: making families visible

At a strategic level, it is critical that the needs of veteran families, including war widows, are formally recognized in all legislation governing veteran support. Currently, families are not included in the Defence and Veterans Acts, including the most recent version. Without a legal obligation to support families, their significance can only be acknowledged in sentiment rather than through practical interventions that reduce the burdens of service.

With this foundation, things can start to change for families. That’s why we need to start here. By embedding family support into legislation, we lay the foundation for real change. This also ensures that the unique experiences of veteran families and war widows are not overlooked but instead are central to the evolving support system.

Practical solutions for better wellbeing

Immediate, practical reforms can significantly improve the wellbeing of veteran families and war widows. Data shows that compared to the general population:

• Veteran families are 25% more likely to experience suicidal ideation.
• Children of veterans are 9% more likely to experience childhood distress.
• Parents and partners of veterans are 14% more likely to experience psychological distress.
• Veteran families are 21% more likely to experience financial hardship.

To address these challenges, we are advocating for:

• Expanded access to mental health services for all veteran families, including war widows and children.
• Extension of non-liability white card arrangements (mental health support) to families of veterans.
• Removal of time-based barriers to the Acute Care Support Package, ensuring families and widows can access crisis support when they need it most.

These changes will help mitigate the long-term impacts of service on families and provide the safety net they deserve.

Advocacy in Action: Our Priorities for the Year Ahead

Our advocacy efforts this year are focused on four key priorities:

1. Inclusion of veteran families in all relevant legislation, ensuring their needs are formally recognized.
2. Extension of non-liability white card arrangements to families of veterans, including children and war widows.
3. Removal of time-based restrictions on the Acute Care Support Package to allow timely crisis support.
4. Raising awareness of veteran families’ needs and building a network of community champions to amplify their voices.

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