ADF families

Reflection on the month that was: the $5,000 allied health cap for veterans

The proposed $5,000 cap on allied health services has dominated conversation across the veteran community this month. Below, our CEO Renee Wilson reflects on the debate, the advocates who have driven it, and why the Guild continues to call on the government to Scrap the Cap. This month we saw a lot of debate around the […]

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Advocacy, Awareness, Important UpdatesADF families, ADF Member Families, advocacy, Australian veterans, Australian War Widows, defence families, Defence spouse, Families of veterans, veteran community, veteran families, Veteran Families Survey Report, veteran family support, War Widows, War Widows NSW

August 31, 2026

Sound immersion Canberra - Register now for war widows, defence and veteran families.

80 years of stories: Aileen Watkins OBE

Twenty-one years at the helm: Aileen Watkins OBE and the making of the Guild Part of our 80th anniversary series, honouring the war widows who built this organisation. When the War Widows’ Guild began in NSW in 1946, it had almost nothing. No offices of its own, no housing, no reliable income. What it had was a founding idea

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Member Stories, War Widows ProgramADF families, ADF Member Families, Australian War Widows, connecting war widows, defence families, Defence family, Defence spouse, Families of veterans, peer support, veteran families, veteran family support, War Widows, War Widows NSW, wellbeing

August 28, 2026

August wellbeing tips for veteran families

Sharing our latest wellbeing tips for war widows, defence and veteran families Connection is vital when it comes to shaping our wellbeing. It can grow through shared interests, familiar faces at a weekly activity, or a moment of curiosity about what we’re truly feeling. For war widows, defence and veteran families, where life often involves

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Social Work and Wellbeing, Wellbeing tipsADF families, ADF Member Families, Australian veteran support, Australian veterans, Australian War Widows, defence families, Defence spouse, Family Wellbeing, self-care, social connection, veteran families, veteran family support, War Widows, wellbeing, wellbeing defence

August 13, 2026

War widows social club gathering. Social connection for war widows.

Holding each other close: Muswellbrook Social Club

War Widows Social Clubs have always been a place where friendships are forever remembered, even decades later. From the beginning, our social clubs have existed to make sure no war widow faces life alone. Formed in the tradition set by our founder Jessie Vasey CBE OBE who “welded” widows together so they had voice, companionship and practical support, the clubs offer belonging built on a shared loss that only those who’ve lived it

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Member Stories, War Widows ProgramADF families, ADF Member Families, Australian War Widows, connecting war widows, defence families, Guild social clubs, Jessie Vasey, social club connection, social connection, veteran families, war widow community, war widow friendships, war widow gatherings, war widow support, war widow wellbeing, War Widows, War widows social clubs

July 31, 2026

An object with a story – Patterns of comfort

80 years of the Guild means 80 years of history and memories woven into personal possessions. War widows and veteran families carry pieces of our shared history in their homes, these pieces holding the stories of those who owned them and a reflection of the time they lived in. Through the years, our members have been kind enough to occasionally share items with us so we can pass on those memories and

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Member Stories, War Widows Program80th Anniversary, ADF families, ADF Member Families, Australian Comforts Fund, Australian veterans, Australian War Widows, defence and veteran families, defence families, family history, Jessie Vasey, veteran community, veteran families, War Widows, war widows Australia, wartime knitting

July 31, 2026

National advocacy for Australia’s war widows

80 years ago, Australia’s war widows came together in the aftermath of World War II to advocate for recognition, rights and each other. What began as a small community guild soon became a powerful national movement, one that drove powerful advocacy for war widows across Australia and could not be ignored by the government. That

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Advocacy, Awareness, Important UpdatesADF families, ADF Member Families, Australian veterans, Australian War Widows, defence families, Defence spouse, Families of veterans, National, veteran community, veteran families, War Widows, War Widows NSW

July 22, 2026

Reflection on the month that was: the $5,000 allied health cap for veterans

80 years of stories: Aileen Watkins OBE

An object with a story – Patterns of comfort

National advocacy for Australia’s war widows

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