Buddy Up Australia
Buddy Up Australia connects Veterans and First Responders to their communities through physical fitness, social activities and purposeful volunteering.
Whether you are still serving or are transitioning to civilian life, Buddy Up Australia provides you with a continued sense of identity, connection and purpose. We’re here to help our community thrive and feel the support and inspiration of being part of our tribe.
Carry On Victoria
Carry On (Victoria) in an Ex-Service charity which has been providing support to Veterans and their families for over 85 years. Carry On (Victoria) supports Ex-Servicemen and Women, and their families, across all divisions of the Australian Defence Force veteran community. We provide support for the veterans themselves, as well as for their partners, children, and grandchildren. This multi-generational approach acknowledges the lasting impact of experiences had during service, not only on the individual but also on their closest companions and family members.
Call 9629 2648
Department of Veteran's Affairs
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is a Government agency that provides support and provide information for:
- veterans and their dependants
- Australian Defence Force personnel
- war widows/widowers
- Australian participants in British Nuclear Tests in Australia
- members of the Australian Federal Police, and
- students, teachers and historians.
Call 1800 555 254
DVA have launched their Family and Domestic Violence Strategy 2020 - 2025. You can read the strategy here.
Legacy
Legacy is a charity providing services to Australian families suffering after the injury or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service. We currently care for around 70,000 widows and 1,900 children and disabled dependants throughout Australia.
Call 8626 0500
Lifeline
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Somewhere in Australia there is a new call to Lifeline every minute. People call Lifeline’s 24 hour crisis line 13 11 14 about:
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
- Personal crisis
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Abuse and trauma
- Stresses from work, family or society
- Self-help information for friends and family
Lifeline is a national charity and relies on community support.
Donate online now or call 1800 800 768.
Open Arms
Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling (formerly VVCS) is Australia’s leading provider of high quality mental health assessment and clinical counselling services for Australian veterans and their families.
We are focused on meeting client needs through a combination of proven clinical practices and new and emerging evidence-based approaches.
The Vietnam War was a difficult chapter in Australia's history. For those who served, the experience forged strong bonds and a commitment to look out for each other. This deep sense of mateship led Vietnam veterans to lobby for a specialised counselling and support service for veterans and their families.
The result was the Vietnam Veterans’ Counselling Service (VVCS). VVCS was established by the Australian Government in 1982.
Since then, access to VVCS has been extended to veterans of all conflicts, their families, and other members of the ADF and ex-service community. In 2007 the service was renamed VVCS – Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service.
Eligibility has further expanded and, in 2018, VVCS became Open Arms.
Call us 24Hr 1800 011 046
Partners in Wellbeing
Partners in Wellbeing provide support for your mental health and wellbeing during the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Read more about the support that they can offer via this link.
Suicide Call Back Service
Suicide Call Back Service is a nationwide service that provides professional 24/7 telephone and online counselling to people who are affected by suicide.
Get immediate help now by calling 1300 659 467
You can also get online or video chats - see their website
Trans-Civ -Defence Transition
Trans-Civ (Transition to Civilian) assists former Defence Force personnel to transition into the public workforce. The business was formed by three ex-Defence people who understood the challenges faced in both the method and marketing of someone with a Defence background to anyone outside Defence circles.
Vasey RSL Care
Vasey RSL Care offers Home Care, Independent Living and Residential Aged Care, with a strong tradition of supporting veterans and war widows.
Vasey RSL Care is a not-for-profit organisation guided by our two major stakeholders, the War Widows Guild Australia (Vic) and the RSL Victoria.
We are proud of the care we provide and the support we offer. Our residents and consumers are why we are here: we strive to enable them to live their best possible life, confident in the trust they place in us.
Call 9810 5500