Building new connections in Adelaide and Townsville for war widows, defence and veteran families
With the recent folding of War Widows South Australia Inc., war widows in the area might have felt some uncertainty and concerns 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; in our view it could not cease due to our sister organisation ceasing operations. This is why we have made it a priority to initiate service delivery focusing on social connection and peer-to-peer support for war widows and veteran families in this area and beyond.
We understand that support for widows and families in some areas might be difficult to access, or limited, and we saw an opportunity to deliver services beyond South Australia (SA). After securing a Government Grant to deliver services in specific areas, including Queensland and SA, we were able to deliver in March our first two wellbeing activities in Adelaide, followed by one in Townsville. Our Wellbeing Program has proudly been able to expand its reach beyond Canberra and New South Wales, bringing together war widows, defence and veteran families, many of whom had never been connected to us or each other before.
Adelaide veteran family dinner and war widows walk
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 wellbeing program and activities are all about— a day for you and a day to connect.
Surrounded by gardens, glasshouses and flowers unique to this region, participants 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 folding of War Widows South Australia Inc., an interruption that had stretched on for months, leaving some friendships in limbo. The walk offered a long-awaited chance to pick up where they had left off. “Thank you for bringing us together again”, one attendee shared. 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 attendees 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 veteran family dinner. We were pleased to bring families of current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members, including war widows, together in person. The family dinner gave attendees 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 wellbeing activities to South Australia, offering a space for war widows, defence and veteran families to meet and grow meaningful connections as different generations shared stories. 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 has planned to return to Adelaide twice in May to deliver another dinner and further wellbeing activities. 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 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 the expansion of our Wellbeing Program services is.
We recognise that there is limited specialised support in some areas for family members of current or former serving personnel of the ADF. By delivering this targeted support in both Adelaide and Townsville, we aimed to address an unmet need and hoped to strengthen the wellbeing of the broader veteran family community.
With the support of the same Government Grants, and 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.
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