Creative writing session focused on grief for war widows, defence and veteran families
Who is this free activity for and why?
Has your loved one ever served in the ADF? Are you connected to defence service in any way? Whether you’re the partner of a current or former serving ADF member, a veteran spouse, parent, adult child or a widow of a veteran, we warmly invite all war widows, defence and veteran families to join us for our writing through grief session at the Chatswood office or join us online on 24 July 2025, 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 activities. 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.
Writing session
War widows, defence and veteran families are invited to come together for a session of creative writing with a focus on grief. Facilitated by social worker, Gabby Steel, you will explore creative writing as a therapeutic tool which can take many different forms including poetry, short stories, letters, and reflective journaling. As a group we will explore the theme of grief which may be experienced in the defence community in a variety of ways including bereavement, deployment, transition, relocation etc.
It is important for participants to be informed that we will be exploring themes of grief in this activity and are advised to participate at their own discretion. This is not a counselling session however our qualified social workers can explore referrals to such supports as needed.
There is no cost for this activity. Your materials 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: Families of Veterans Guild Office, Level 1, 9 Help St, Chatswood, NSW, 2067 OR online (Zoom link will be sent to you)
Date and Time: Thursday 24 July 2025, 12pm – 1pm.
Registrations: Open NOW. Registrations close 22 July.
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.
