Veteran, defence families and war widows can learn the ukulele

Has any of your loved ones ever served in the Australian Defence Force? Are you connected to defence service in any way? Whether you’re the partner of a current member, a veteran spouse, widow, parent or an adult child we warmly invite defence and veteran families to join us for four consecutive Ukulele workshops in Canberra on Fridays, starting in February, brought to you by our Wellbeing Program.

Families of veterans and war widows make unique sacrifices during and after service. They balance the many demands of supporting a family, navigating grief and loss, relocations or adjustments, deployments or other absence from home, transition out of service or caring roles due to illness or injury. 

Social connection, peer support and self-care are at the core of our wellbeing events. We acknowledge that veteran families may face barriers in developing and maintaining peer connections due to the unique nature of defence life, increasing their risk of social isolation and loneliness. The purpose of this activity is to encourage the families of veterans to focus on self-care and expand their social network by connecting with like-minded peers.

Ukulele lessons

Defence and veteran families are invited to come together for 4 ukulele lessons over 4 weeks. This short course will give you the basics to be able to play literally hundreds of songs of all genres. No music knowledge is necessary to join this course. Theory is not taught, the emphasis is on doing, and on having fun. You can also borrow a ukulele for the duration of the course so you can try before you buy. All course materials will be supplied. 

Lessons will be conducted by Pauline and Geoff Bairnsfather (both ex RAN), who have many years teaching experience through local ukulele groups and U3A. 

Places are limited. Please only register if you are able to commit to attending every lesson (Fridays 28 February, 7, 14, 21 March)

Morning tea and ukulele will be provided. There is no cost for this event. Your ukulele lessons will be covered by Families of Veterans Guild.

Previous attendees to Wellbeing activities said “I just wanted to express my gratitude for being able to connect with such a wonderful group. It was such a great opportunity to do a self-care activity and get to know some of the other attendees at the same time.” 

Event information

• Location: Downer Community Hall, Unit 4/6 Frencham Pl, Downer ACT 2602
  

• Date and Time: Fridays 28 February, 7, 14, 21 March 9.30am – 11.30am 
  

• Registrations: Open 20 January. Registrations close 21 February

• 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.