Morning tea over crafts: clay art for war widows, defence and veteran families 

Get hands-on at our clay art and morning tea on Saturday 27 June 2026 in Rose Park. This crafty wellbeing activity allows you to spend a relaxed Saturday morning making something with your hands and sharing a cuppa with others war widows, defence and veteran families.

Clay art and morning tea

Facilitated by social workers Lisa and Gabby, attendees will create multiple 3D clay creations using soft air dry clay and fill up a wooden box to display them in. All materials are provided and you will take home your creation. As the clay colours may stain, please wear clothing you’re comfortable getting messy in.

Previous attendees to wellbeing activities said “I really enjoyed the chance to connect with others, try something creative, and step away for a little bit, while sharing simple, meaningful moments together.” 

Event information

• Location: 141 Fullarton Road Rose Park SA.

• Date and Time: Saturday 27 June 2026, 10am-11:30am.

• Cost: FREE for families of veterans.

Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au.

Lava and learning: build your own volcano from home for defence and veteran families

Science meets messy fun in this wellbeing activity! Defence and veteran families are invited to join us online on Wednesday 8 July 2026 to build, paint and erupt their very own volcano using a National Geographic kit posted out to you ahead of the session.

Build your own volcano

You will create, paint, and erupt your own volcano while learning about tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcano formation, volcanic rocks, and other geology and science concepts through a guided educational activity. 

Previous attendees have said “I enjoyed connecting and sharing conversations with others from around the country, spending quality time with my family, and participating in a a different activity.” 

Event information

• Location: Online via Zoom (link will be sent to you).

• Date and Time: Wednesday 8 July 2026, 6pm – 7.30pm (AEST).

• Cost: FREE for families of veterans.

Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au.

Mindful colouring experience for war widows, defence and veteran families

Pick up a coloured pencil, switch off from the day and join us for our latest online wellbeing activity on Thursday 18 June 2026; mindful colouring! Spend an hour creating your own artwork alongside others, sharing the experience and connecting from home.

Mindful colouring evening

If you are a war widow, defence or veteran family, we invite you to join others for a creative evening together. There is something special about doing something creative in good company — the chance to relax, share the experience, and connect with people who understand. Settle in with mindful colour-by-number activities, with a kit provided to support your experience. Facilitated by our social workers, this session offers a welcoming space to connect with peers and enjoy a creative hour together from the comfort of home.

Previous attendees to wellbeing activities said “I enjoyed having something hands-on to focus on, I found it was a relaxing way to unwind.” 

Event information

• Location: Online via Zoom (link will be sent to you).

• Date and Time: Thursday 18 June 2026, 7pm – 8pm (AEST).

• Cost: FREE for families of veterans.

Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au.

Fold, focus, connect: origami workshop for war widows, defence and veteran families

Spend a morning learning the art of paper folding at Queanbeyan Veteran and Family Hub on Friday 26 June 2026. This wellbeing activity is an opportunity to meet other war widows, defence and veteran families and make something with your hands, meet new faces, and take home a jar of paper hearts or stars to keep. 

Origami workshop

Families of Veterans Guild and Queanbeyan Veteran and Family Hub invite war widows, defence and veteran families to learn to fold paper hearts or stars and fill your own jar. This hands-on activity encourages mindfulness, focus, and relaxation. No prior experience is needed, and all materials will be provided.

Previous attendees to wellbeing activities said “I’m grateful for the chance to connect with such an amazing group. It was a wonderful opportunity to engage in self-care while meeting new people and sharing experiences.” 

Event information

• Location: Queanbeyan Veteran and Family Hub, 251 Crawford St, Queanbeyan NSW.
  

• Date and Time: Friday 26 June 2026, 10.30am – 12.30pm.

• Cost: FREE for families of veterans.

Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au

With the recent closure of War Widows South Australia Inc., war widows in the area might have felt worried about losing the connections they had built over the years with other war widows in their community. The unique friendships and strong community that grows amongst war widows and veteran families who share similar experiences, are essential to their wellbeing. This is why we expanded our services to ensure war widows in SA continued to have a home. 

Supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, we delivered our first two wellbeing activities in Adelaide, followed by one in Townsville. Each of these activities has provided an opportunity to get to know the local community and test the need for our support. 

Adelaide war widows walk and veteran family dinner 

We held our first wellbeing activity on 27 March with war widows gathering for a morning walk through the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, followed by lunch. The war widows walk gave those in attendance an introduction to what our social connection and wellbeing activities are all about: moments for themselves and to connect with their peers. 

Surrounded by gardens, glasshouses and flowers unique to this region, widows reconnected with familiar faces and welcomed new ones into the group. For many of the women, it was the first time they had seen one another since the closure of their association. The walk offered a long-awaited chance to pick up where they had left off. “Thank you for bringing us together again,” one widow shared with our team. 

The war widows present also shared that they had never met in such a setting before, and that it was wonderful to connect outdoors with both familiar and new faces. The oldest war widow of the group was delighted to share her wisdom and knowledge of local flora, which led to others joining in, asking questions or sharing knowledge as well. This type of engagement from widows reminds us of why the Guild exists: to carry forward the vision of our founder Jessie Vasey CBE OBE, ensuring war widows across the nation continue to feel supported, connected and valued. 

Later that evening, war widows and veteran families came together for a dinner. We were pleased to bring families of current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members, including war widows and mothers of veterans, together in person. The dinner gave families a chance to connect with others who share similar experiences and to meet our team for the first time. 

This dinner marked an important step in extending our support to SA, offering a space for war widows and veteran families to meet and grow meaningful connections. It was also an important step for our team to meet local widows and families and better understand the support they need. Held at Pirate Life Brewing in Port Adelaide, the dinner was relaxed and the atmosphere welcoming and joyful; as one of our young attendee said, “I can see the happiness.” 

The wellbeing team also organised two additional visits to Adelaide in May and delivered another dinner and further wellbeing activities to engage the community. Those visits are being happily welcomed by local widows and families, allowing us to connect with more of them and to reach those who missed out last time, because every widow and veteran family deserves this opportunity. 

Townsville guided meditation 

Further north, Townsville families had a relaxed, calm introduction to their very first wellbeing activity with guided meditation. Held at Inner Light Meditation Centre, the session offered gentle breathing exercises, meditation focused on mindfulness techniques, and peaceful music to relax. 

With positive responses to our activities surrounding mindfulness in the past, we want to continue to host activities like these to create space for veteran families to slow down and take a moment for themselves. 

With 11 family members in attendance, we were able to see firsthand the desire for community and connection with other defence and veteran families in the area, reminding us how important our wellbeing activities are. 

In delivering this targeted support in both Adelaide and Townsville, we aimed to address unmet needs for war widows and veteran families, with the mission to strengthen the wellbeing of the broader veteran family community. 

With the support of the Government Grants, and following attendees’ positive responses to our delivered activities, our team is busy planning additional activities outside of NSW and the ACT. We listen to our members’ feedback and aim to provide activities that cater to a variety of people, ages, and interests. If you are a widow or family member of a veteran, we encourage you to join us at our next free activity in person, and online. Find an activity you like on our wellbeing activity page.

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Afternoon watercolour painting session for war widows, defence and veteran families 

Set aside an afternoon just for you! War widows, defence and veteran families are warmly invited to join us on 6 May 2026 for a relaxed watercolour painting session and afternoon tea in Rose Park, a chance to get creative, and spend time with others who understand what defence life feels like. 

This hands-on activity is facilitated by our Wellbeing Team and is our first popular watercolour activity in Adelaide!

Watercolour painting

War widows, defence and veteran families are warmly invited to join us for a relaxing watercolour painting session and afternoon tea. Enjoy a creative activity in a welcoming setting, meet some of our team in person, and connect with others who understand the unique experiences of Defence life. Whether you’re looking to unwind through creativity, meet new people, or simply enjoy a peaceful afternoon out, we’d love to see you there.

There is no cost for this activity. Your watercolour painting session and afternoon will be covered by Families of Veterans Guild.

Previous attendees to wellbeing activities said “The craft day was a wonderful way to focus on self-care, enjoy a relaxing activity, and build connections with others.”  

Event information

• Location: 141 Fullarton Road Rose Park SA.

• Date and Time: Wednesday 6 May 2026, 1pm – 3pm. 

• Cost: FREE for families of veterans.

Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au.