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DRSC National Meeting 21 st April 2012
Report to DRSC Council on ‘Family Focus' Workshop.
Facilitator: Leonie Christopherson AM.
My qualifications for this portfolio are 52 years married to the army, and two out of three sons have served, plus a daughter-in-law in the Air Force. Three out of those four were Regulars and one Reservist. Three have been deployed overseas.
The first thing to debate is should ‘DRSC get involved with families?' Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. But we do need to define ‘family' as in Orme and Kehoe's excellent research we heard today. They have shown that the next of kin listed. is often the reservists' parents, not spouse or partner and children.
Families have huge influence - because they either make or break the Reservist's retention
To demonstrate the pressure they are under, we have here the reservist, (I co-opted Brig. Bill Sowry and placed him in a chair on the podium) the Commanding officer is behind (Uniformed Major Jacquie Kingston) – on one side is the employer ( Randolph Alwis) , on the other the partner. That's me. They all want a piece of this Reservist.
Partner: ‘FOUR months, you mean you'll be away for four months! AGAIN! But you'll miss
• Sonny Jim's first Football match!
• Little Dorabella's ballet concert!
• Your mother's birthday AGAIN.
• Our wedding anniversary.'
( The partner takes out large lace handkerchief and weeps).
‘I know you love service life, I know it is addictive, but you're going to have to choose between it or us – and furthermore – we're pregnant again. AND ITS TRIPLETS!'
And away goes defence's investment in the Reservist.
(Bill was then supposed to get up clutch his head in horror and walk out of the room but he missed his cue. However the fifty or so DRSC Committee members and staff were laughing so much they didn't notice.)
Partner: Could we have a round of applause for our actors please. (Wild applause).
Families are also a brilliant breeding ground for recruits. Take a moment and think of the number of service families you know where sons and daughters have chosen to follow their parents career choice.
There is great stuff done by DCO and DFA. I can attest to this because in 1993 one of our sons served for twelve months peacekeeping in the Sinai and as next of kin I received an excellent information kit. Then someone would phone me every month, for that twelve months: ‘Was I alright? Anything they could do.?' Just this Easter we received the offer through DFA of 10% off all items if we shopped at Coles and showed Veterans' ID. There is also a Defence Family Helpline 1800 number and a News Reserve electronic Newsletter. This should all be readily available to the families – but not intrusive.
However, we must differentiate between this sort of social welfare which swings in when people are deployed or already in some strife – and camaraderie or mateship. It is this companionship that the service families need all the time, not just on deployment. We need to engender pride in being a family that is part of service life.
Our suggestions. All of which should be in place before deployment and as often as possible in partnership with employers.
• Increase awareness of Defence Families of Australia (DFA) Defence Community Organisation (DCO).
• Acknowledgement of family on every possible public occasion.
• Family days and unit BBQs.
• Encourage Reservist ‘home towners' articles and pictures in local papers.
• Lapel pins, recognising people – only $6 from the Army Shop in Canberra .
• Bracelets (Camouflage) and Bumper stickers as suggested by Marcus Blackmore last October.could advertise in the school parking lot, on school bags ‘We're Reserved!' ‘Be Reserved!' ‘I'm Reserved!' Kids love to boast about their father or mother or grandparents. ‘My Dad's an Airforce pilot with his Own plane!' ‘Well, MY Mum's a sea captain with her Own Ship!'
• Demand accreditation for Reservist subjects in other institutions nationally. The mother of a 17 year old non-academic reservist said to me ‘If only his Reserve subjects could be recognised by VCE – he would have topped the State!'
• On National Vounteer Day 27 th August, ask our supporting Corporates to acknowledge publicly the community contribution of Reservists along with their employees who may be members of CFA and SES. Make it trendy to give to the Community. Quite often mentioning community service on your CV will get you over the line in a job application.
However, none of this will be of any use – if further up the food chain from the unit level, middle management and the higher ranks are pooh-poohing the importance of family. The attitude of gratitude needs to come from the top down. Remember that phrase – attitude of gratitude.
Let's look into the future.
Most of our Vietnam Veterans, forty years on are TPI. Totally and Permanently Incapacitated and unfit to work more than 10 hours a week. Their main carers 24/7 are their partners who do a magnificent job in managing these somewhat difficult people - IF THEY HAVE STAYED. I have heard their partners say ‘We're fine. So long as he takes his medication.' It is the interests of everybody in this country that those partners stay in the family to see he or she does.
If there are no families - who is going to look after the veterans with PTSD and Gulf War Syndrome from Afghanistan, East Timor, and the Solomons forty years from now?…Australia owes them.
In Summary: Families DO matter. They are vital in retaining Reservists. They are a breeding source of recruits. They are the carers of future veterans.
There is a difference between welfare and camaraderie/companionship.
An attitude of gratitude from all levels will engender pride in being a family in Defence of Australia and dispel resentment. And guess what – it doesn't cost a cent.
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