Robe 2 Recovery

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (16:58): I rise to highlight and pay tribute to the organisers of the trailblazing Veteran Respite Program called Robe 2 Recovery and in particular a long weekend of events for ANZAC Day 2021. Robe 2 Recovery was started in 2015 by local Robe farmer and photographer Jacqui Bateman after she had a chance meeting with returned veteran Justin Brown. During an informal chat, Justin told Jacqui about the struggles being faced by many veterans who were trying to re-adapt to civilian life. These stories prompted Jacqui to think about what she could do to help and, not long after, Robe 2 Recovery was born.

The concept is simple: offer holiday accommodation in Robe for free to veterans and his or her family who need a break, fill the house with vouchers for local food and activities, leave personalised notes thanking the veteran for their service and give them as much space and time to recharge.

Six years on and approximately 15 veterans per year are supported through the Robe 2 Recovery program and 40 accommodation options have been donated. It has now expanded to Phillip Island, Cobden, Port Lincoln and hopefully soon Albany in Western Australia. Robe 2 Recovery has also fostered a new referral relationship with the Wounded Heroes initiative who made it possible for three veteran families to come from Queensland and be guests at the ANZAC Day event.

On Thursday night, the football and netball clubs had their guernsey and dress presentations ahead of Saturday's match of the round between arch rivals Robe Roosters and the Hatherleigh football clubs. These had been specially designed with the ANZAC theme and were presented to players by visiting and local veterans. The guest speaker was Afghanistan veteran Nathan Bolton, who spoke about his service, his struggles with mental health and the road to recovery and how he is now helping others.

On Friday, the golf club hosted the Veterans Ambrose Golf Day when 27 teams of four signed up for a hit on the Robe Golf Course. The club says the event was the most successful they had ever hosted and they were keen to make it a feature on their calendar and attract more veteran involvement.

Saturday's Mid South Eastern Football League and Netball Association match of the round was a huge success. Around 1,300 people turned up to watch. The club says the crowd and atmosphere was better than they expected for a grand final game. The Robe Roosters Facebook page summed it up when it said, 'Occasionally there are moments in your life when you stop for a second and remind yourself to take a good look around because you know that moment is special.'

I was honoured to be asked to be an umpire for the A-grade football game on that day. I was also privileged because one of the South Eastern umpires, a fellow called Darren, was a veteran and, as it is an umpire's prerogative, we opted for him to be the umpire officiating the start of the first quarter and throw the ball up at the beginning of the game, and he was honoured that he was allowed to do that. There was also the spectacle of the football being delivered by four or five parachutists on the day. The Light Horse Brigade was also there and the atmosphere was absolutely terrific.

On Sunday, ANZAC Day, the day dawned clear and fine and around 400 to 500 people attended the march and service organised by the Robe RSL sub-branch. Plenty of guests and visiting veterans joined the march down Robe's main street, including members of the Veterans Motorcycle Club. Guest speaker and veteran, Nathan Bolton, spoke remembering not only the fallen but those who have returned, a key point that resonated with all who attended.

Members of the Robe 2 Recovery committee, president and co-founder, Jacqui Bateman; secretary, Mick Trevitt; treasurer Lonny Peel; and others, Scott Fennell, An Tran, John Fenton, Kristina Alexander, Kerry Boyd and co-founder Justin Brown are buoyed by the success of the 2021 event. They say it would not have been possible without the generosity of the community of Robe. When they asked for help, no-one said no.

The success of the event has created an even greater awareness of veteran mental health. It has shone a light on what a small town with such a big heart can do and what it can achieve. Two things stood out to me on that day. The first was that one of the footballers in the first minute of the first quarter collided with a knee, got concussed and broke his jaw. One of the first things he said when he got to hospital was, 'You're not allowed to cut my jumper off,' because he wanted the jumper preserved. The second thing was that I learnt on the day that veterans really do enjoy and need that time to recover after serving our country, and it does take a long time to heal and reconnect with community. I wish Robe 2 Recovery continued success and thank them for giving their support to veterans now and into the future.