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Our Wellbeing Program continues to offer a variety of activities for war widows, defence and veteran families, creating spaces for connection, creativity, and care. We aim to balance beloved repeated activities with new experiences based on community feedback, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Alongside our regular favourite activities, we’ve introduced some new experiences based on this feedback combined with our goals to always try out new things, making our activities all the more exciting.

In this post, we cover activities that we hosted in the recent months that encouraged defence and veteran families to get out and about with activities for the family or just for themselves. Don’t miss a thing by subscribing to our Wellbeing Newsletter to be notified for upcoming activities in your area.

Wellbeing walks

In January we attended a guided tour of the historic Middle Head Battery in Sydney with war widows and veteran families. Walking along beautiful bush paths, the group explored gun emplacements, cannons and communication signals used across Sydney Harbour. Participants were also given access to one of the tunnels, where they learned about the “tiger cages” used for conduct courses before soldiers were deployed to Vietnam. The tour concluded with lunch at Middle Head Café, where attendees enjoyed time connecting over a shared meal. 

Surrounded by Australia’s unique native flora, our February wellbeing walk was at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. Participants could choose between a guided tour of the gardens or a trip on the Flora bus, making the experience accessible and enjoyable for all ages. After exploring the gardens, the group continued their conversations over lunch at Pollen Café.  

A sunny stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens in early February saw Sydney families enjoying nature and fresh air. Strolling along shaded paths and open green spaces, participants enjoyed the harbour views while taking in blooming flowers and the sounds of the many birds throughout the gardens. Conversation flowed as the group walked before continuing their time together over lunch at Piccolo Me. 

In early March we had an outing to the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour. The walk through the garden’s pathways provided participants with an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the traditional Chinese landscape design and feeding the koi fish in the pond. The Chinese Garden of Friendship is a place to get lost in for hours and is known as one of the best things to do in Sydney, making it a great location for our wellbeing walk. The activity ended with a cold drink for everyone at a café nearby. 

New experiences and activities 

In February, a group of war widows and a veteran family joined us at the Museum of Contemporary Art for a self‑guided tour through the galleries, our first museum tour in Sydney! Attendees had the opportunity to walk through three levels of the exhibition, taking in a wide range of artworks and engaging with pieces that resonated with them. This activity encouraged conversation with many sharing personal stories of the artwork on display that evoked fond memories of childhood and past experiences.  

Laughter and friendly competition filled the room during a table tennis wellbeing activity in early January at the Table Tennis Collective in Fyshwick, followed by a lunch at Capital Brewing Co and Brodburger. Participants of all ages enjoyed spirited games and laughter, mentioning how it was so nice to switch off, have a laugh, and connect with other defence and veteran families over a game of table tennis. 

In late February we came online for our very first Trivia Night, families enjoying an evening filled with fun, laughter, and friendly competition! Participants tested their knowledge across a variety of categories including animals, food, Olympics, movies and television shows, and general knowledge. Each participant also received a snack pack from us to enjoy during the activity. “This is so much fun I look forward to the next round!” one participant said.

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! 

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Australia in 2026 bears little resemblance to Australia in 1950. Most women now work, lead, earn, parent, care and contribute in ways that would have been unimaginable when many of our veteran family policies were first written. Yet those policies still assume a world where women are dependants, secondary actors, or invisible altogether. 

Defence and veteran partners are still predominantly women. They are the ones who move repeatedly to support service, who absorb career disruption, who manage households through absence, injury and transition, and who carry the emotional and practical weight of service long after uniforms are hung up. What was once framed as “supporting the serviceman” has become a system that relies on women’s unpaid labour for it to function. They do this as contributors in their own right, not as an extension of someone else’s role. Our support system does not recognise that reality. 

International Women’s Day is about calling out systems that no longer reflect how women live. For defence and veteran families, including widows of veterans, the gap between lived experience and policy design is stark. Despite decades of social, economic and workforce change, family policy in the veteran system has barely moved. The result is a framework that recognises women only when crisis strikes, or when loss occurs, rather than acknowledging the cumulative impact of service over time. 

This is an essential question of relevance. When systems fail to keep pace, responsibility shifts from institutions to individuals, turning structural gaps into personal sacrifice, most often carried by women. 

Change begins by listening to women who live this reality every day. It means modernising policies so they reflect contemporary families, shared economic responsibility, and the real impact of service on partners and children. It means recognising that supporting defence families is not a by product of veteran care, but a policy responsibility in its own right. 

Get involved

• Keep up to date with our Advocacy work by subscribing to our Newsletter.
• Share your experience with us – email to guild@fov.org.au.
• Support our work here. 

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The beginning of a new year can be a time for reflection, renewal and looking ahead. Through our Wellbeing Program, we continue to create opportunities for war widows, defence and veteran families to come together in supportive spaces that nurture creativity, connection and personal wellbeing. 

From all types of craft kits to reflective writing sessions and vision board workshops, our recent activities have encouraged participants to slow down and set positive intentions for the months ahead. Whether joining online or attending in person, each wellbeing activity for the months of 2026 so far have been focused on setting a good pace for the year with reflections, calm and connection. 

In this post, we look back at some of the activities that started our year, highlighting the ways participants explored new beginnings, shared experiences and supported one another across our community. 

Creativity and crafts 

In early February, war widows and families of veterans came together over Zoom for an evening of Gem art! All hands meticulously worked on picking up and placing colourful gems onto corresponding numbers on the coasters. A participant described it as ‘being in the zone’, feeling as if they could do it all night. It was able to provide a setting to talk with each other mindlessly during the process and then leave attendees with a customised art piece to use at home. 

January’s virtual seashell painting session invited war widows and veteran families to get creative! The session opened with participants reflecting on what they hoped to be mindful of in the new year, followed by a grounding activity to set a calm scene. As participants experimented with different colours, patterns and designs, conversation emerged about the memories associated with seashells. For some, they evoked recollections of visiting the beach to collect shells where families were posted in new locations; for others, they represented travel, keepsakes and moments of peace.  

At the Queanbeyan Veteran and Family Hub in February, a morning of hands-on craft activities brought families together! Each attendee was provided a kit of their choice; gem art, painting sea shells, candle making, or clay art. With the variety of crafts going on, everyone had a chance to make a unique creation and see the other kits being made alongside some morning tea and chatter. 

Our first paint by numbers session in March offered a calming and creative evening for families present. The session began with focus as participants settled into their artwork, with conversation gradually emerging as everyone worked through their canvases at their own pace. By the end of the hour families showed their artworks that came to life and expressed their appreciation for having freedom to use colours and techniques they liked.

Spaces for reflection and healing 

Our popular Writing Through Grief sessions continued in January, with war widows and families of veterans coming together online for a reflective writing session focused on foundations and new beginnings.  

Through short list-writing exercises, participants reflected on what helps them feel steady, the challenges they may be facing, and what they hope for in the year ahead. Optional sharing created moments of connection as participants listened respectfully and supported one another through shared experiences and vulnerability. The session closed with a shared sense of steadiness and reassurance, these feelings of contentment often felt after our writing sessions, a heavy reason for it becoming such a loved activity. 

In January, families of veterans also joined an online vision board session designed to help participants reflect on their goals and intentions for the year ahead. Vision boards offer a creative way to visualise aspirations and stay connected to personal goals throughout the year, allowing you to transfer everything from mind to paper. Making a visually appealing board of your goals and intentions is an incredible way to kickstart any new year! During the session, participants explored the theme of identity through different sections of their boards, allowing for personal interpretation and creative freedom. 

As they created their boards, participants also learned digital design techniques that can be used beyond the session. Those who felt comfortable shared parts of their vision boards with the group, sparking thoughtful conversations about identity, growth and the importance of prioritising wellbeing. Each board reflected something unique about its creator and their hopes for the future. 

“I really enjoyed this activity and how it is not super structured and I can make it my own and I am looking forward to doing more things for myself and seeing how I can explore my identity,” one participant shared. 

In January, defence and veteran families gathered in Canberra for a calming sound healing session at Flow and Food Yoga and Ayurveda. Participants of all ages were guided through a restorative experience, immersing themselves in soothing sounds and vibrations designed to promote relaxation and mindfulness. 

The peaceful setting allowed attendees to recharge and reconnect. Sessions like these provide a different pathway to wellbeing, encouraging participants to focus mostly on rest, reflection and self-care, giving everyone a moment to ask themselves, ‘what does self-care look like for me?’ It is a great question to ask oneself, as self-care can be different for everyone, and practiced differently. Ask yourself, what does self-care look like for you? 

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! 

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