Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Vetern Bob Shewring has been honoured for service to veterans and their families in the Queen's Birthday list - and he's using his platform to advocate for change

Transcript

NT Vetern Bob Shewring has been honoured for service to veterans and their families in the Queen's Birthday list - and he's using his platform to advocate for change · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Obviously yesterday. I'm not too sure what's just happened with
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: our phone line, but as we know, yesterday a number
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  Speaker 1: of Territorians were indeed recognized as part of the Queen's
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  Speaker 1: Birthday Honors list. I'm sure you would have seen some
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: of those wonderful Territorians that were indeed recognized, and we
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  Speaker 1: just caught up a short time ago, obviously with Saint
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  Speaker 1: John Ambulance, the Andrew Thomas who was recognized. We also
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  Speaker 1: know that Craig Garaway was recognized, as was Talia I
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  Speaker 1: believe is how you pronounce her name, Taliah Dawson. So
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  Speaker 1: wonderful to see phenomenal territorians recognized as part of the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territories Queen's Birthday Honors list. And we know that
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  Speaker 1: the President of Veterans Australia NT Well has received an
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  Speaker 1: Order of Australia, Bob Suring he's been recognized as part
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  Speaker 1: of the Queen's Birthday Honors list for his work advocating
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  Speaker 1: for the mental health of veterans and emergency service personnel
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  Speaker 1: and his time efforts volunteering in the community. And Bob
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  Speaker 1: joins me on the line right now. Good morning to you, Bob, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Katie and your listeners. How are you doing? Oh?
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  Speaker 1: Very well? A big congratulations to you. What was your
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  Speaker 1: reaction when you found out you were going to be
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  Speaker 1: recognized as part of the Queen's Birthday honors list.
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  Speaker 2: I'm both deeply honored and humbled to receive this a
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  Speaker 2: moaning award, It's amazing. I proudly accepted all abit reluctantly
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  Speaker 2: as I accept this award on behalf of those of
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  Speaker 2: veterans Australia and all veterans and their families.
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  Speaker 1: Bob, I know that you do a lot really to
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  Speaker 1: not only volunteer. You give up your time obviously to
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  Speaker 1: advocate for mental health the veterans and also for their families.
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  Speaker 1: Talk us through some of that work that you do.
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  Speaker 2: Well. As a lifetime volunteer, I'm dedicated to helping others
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  Speaker 2: and ultimately I want to make a difference YEP, and
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  Speaker 2: striving for what people could say, what could be, and
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  Speaker 2: to leave this place in the anti vetter shape than
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  Speaker 2: I found it. If I could just step back and
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  Speaker 2: just say, you know why, I'm honitor, If I could
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  Speaker 2: look back at how most of all this stuff got together,
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  Speaker 2: just as a Vietnam veteran. I spent years researching and
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  Speaker 2: lobbying governments at all levels to bring home one of
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  Speaker 2: Norton to his own one Corporal Read Chilly Mid who
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  Speaker 2: was the only anti Vietnam veteran killed during the Vietnam
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  Speaker 2: War that we got knocked back by the government and
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  Speaker 2: this became the catalyst to bring the last remaining twenty
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  Speaker 2: five Australian soldiers from the Vietnam War who were very
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  Speaker 2: overseas fifty years ago. So basically as a result of
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  Speaker 2: Operation Bring Them Home twenty two or the twenty five
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  Speaker 2: were brought home to Australia on the second Adjourney twenty
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  Speaker 2: sixteen yesterday. If I could just add to your listeners,
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  Speaker 2: it was very emotional. I received email and texts from
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  Speaker 2: some of those families who had their relatives brought home,
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  Speaker 2: and I'd like to share one of these messages with
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  Speaker 2: your listeners. Please do Yeah, it just says Bob, many
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  Speaker 2: congratulations and if I were up a bit here or
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  Speaker 2: get emotional, many congratulations on your most deserved award. My
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  Speaker 2: family and I will be forever indebted to you for
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  Speaker 2: bringing our brother number two and five, two and seven,
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  Speaker 2: but Neville Wayne Horn home to his rightful burial place,
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  Speaker 2: and his other sister said, yes, we are very pleased
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  Speaker 2: with your deserve a word. I thank you for helping
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  Speaker 2: bring my big brother home. It was very special to
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  Speaker 2: all of us, along with all others brought home, but
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  Speaker 2: was even more special to know he's near our mum.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, you're making me feel emotional hearing you read that
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  Speaker 1: out mate. That is it's phenomenal what you did say that,
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  Speaker 1: that's one of your proudest moments in life.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. But being recognized I guess previously as the NT
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  Speaker 2: Senior Australia in the year. To me, that's the highest
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  Speaker 2: award that the state or territory can give you. So
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  Speaker 2: I'm very honored to get that, and now to receive
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  Speaker 2: this national award, it's just over at the top. I
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  Speaker 2: just I can't believe it. You to your other question.
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  Speaker 2: At Veterans Australia, which was previously known as Vietnam Veterans Australia,
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  Speaker 2: with our small team of dedicated volunteers, we've provided much
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  Speaker 2: needed advocacy and wellbeing support to veterans and their families
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  Speaker 2: who are suffering mental and physical issues. We are continually
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  Speaker 2: attempting to reduce well the high number of veteran and
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  Speaker 2: family member suicides by early in the vention and provide assistance. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 2: we haven't been so successful as we'd like because many
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  Speaker 2: continue to take their own lives and we currently believe
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  Speaker 2: that to alleviate displight of veterans and families, including first responders, police,
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  Speaker 2: fire and emergency service personnel, and including border force and
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  Speaker 2: immigration people, we're in desperate need of attend beard impatient
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  Speaker 2: facility for Northern Charity, similar to what's built in South Australia,
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  Speaker 2: the Jamie Larkham Center, where veterans are those suffering from
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  Speaker 2: acute PTSD and high depression can receive treatment where they
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  Speaker 2: can get locally, locally treatment from professionals clinical psychiatrist, psychologists
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  Speaker 2: who are ex military and this is the important part,
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  Speaker 2: who understand the military language. Now you might say, well,
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  Speaker 2: please rite it, but they're paramilitary organizations anyway, They are
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  Speaker 2: armed and they sort of are regimented as well, so
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  Speaker 2: there is a special language that you need when you
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  Speaker 2: treat these people, and who can then prevent these high
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  Speaker 2: risk veterans from taking our own lives. Unfortunately, we've had
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  Speaker 2: from Christmas time there's been several taken their own lives,
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  Speaker 2: and then the police, foreign emergency services several and in
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  Speaker 2: the last two days we've had another one. So this
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  Speaker 2: is just terrible and we need to make a far
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  Speaker 2: bigger effort as a country. I believe that these centers
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  Speaker 2: should be in every state in Australia and in regional
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  Speaker 2: centers as well, but open to all, not just veterans,
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  Speaker 2: and so are spare beds and open to the public.
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  Speaker 1: And so Bob, you reckon, we need a ten bed
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  Speaker 1: facility here in Darwin which does not just to those
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  Speaker 1: you know, to form a defense personnel, but also for
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  Speaker 1: those emergency service personnel. And as you've just pointed out,
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  Speaker 1: we've seen real issues in recent times when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to the police force, for example, and you think that,
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  Speaker 1: you know, do you think that something like this will
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  Speaker 1: help in this space?
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  Speaker 2: I will, Like the Veterans Center just had five million
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  Speaker 2: dollars spent on a veteran center for the hard and
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  Speaker 2: jury and that's really good. But that's at the low
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  Speaker 2: end of the market. If you give me, that's where
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  Speaker 2: we can contact people, contact veterans, keep them assistance and
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  Speaker 2: see if we can improve their life. And a lot
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  Speaker 2: right there at the coal face. But it's the people
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  Speaker 2: who are suffering severe depression and PTSD that are at
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  Speaker 2: the end of their tether. We know that the private
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  Speaker 2: hospital has a brand new facility there and they give
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  Speaker 2: excellent service because a couple of our guys have been
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  Speaker 2: in there. But just to give you an example, like
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  Speaker 2: to get a psychiatrist in Darwin and if you're suffering
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  Speaker 2: acute depression and that it's a six months waiting list.
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  Speaker 2: The same as prior to this, we had one of
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  Speaker 2: our sent one of my guys to Jamie Larkin Center
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  Speaker 2: and to the other Australia and we rang up to
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  Speaker 2: make the appointment and they said, yeah, in six months time,
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  Speaker 2: we'll have a bed.
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  Speaker 1: And you think six months people can't afford to wait
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  Speaker 1: six months.
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  Speaker 2: Well not when they're in the fetal position on the floor,
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  Speaker 2: determined to harm themselves. And you know, with the Royal
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  Speaker 2: Commissions into veterans suicide, which is fantastic, we believe quite frankly,
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  Speaker 2: that there should be an equal sum of money sitting
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  Speaker 2: there right now doing something now. And one of the
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  Speaker 2: ways we believe we could alleviate this problem. We can't
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  Speaker 2: say that we can solve it because we're not doing
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  Speaker 2: a good job now, but it could be better for
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  Speaker 2: those people. So, but not in that for all of
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  Speaker 2: there are a large number of rural people who are
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  Speaker 2: ex noor force people in particularly indigenous ones, have no
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  Speaker 2: idea about Department of Veterans Affairs or any medals they
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  Speaker 2: could be entitled to or facilities available like this that
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  Speaker 2: can help them. But for all veterans and their families,
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  Speaker 2: not only that, we've had several of veterans families, sons
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  Speaker 2: and daughters take their own lives. Now go figure like
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  Speaker 2: it's terrible.
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  Speaker 1: It is absolutely shocking. But Bob, you know what I
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  Speaker 1: very really really respect about you is the fact that
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  Speaker 1: you know, obviously you have received these Queen's Birthday honors
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  Speaker 1: yesterday and you know you're still even this morning. You've
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  Speaker 1: really taken the opportunity to actually raise the concerns that
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  Speaker 1: you've got in this space, and I think that it
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  Speaker 1: just goes to show you exactly, you know, why you
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  Speaker 1: have been recognized in the way that you have been,
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  Speaker 1: but how important the work that you do really is.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you very much, And to your listeners, I'd
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  Speaker 2: just like to.
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  Speaker 3: Say, you know, we've got a slogan or a motto
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  Speaker 3: in our thing that says, honored the dead, fight like
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  Speaker 3: hell for the living, lest we forget.
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  Speaker 1: Bob, thanks so much for your time this morning, mate,
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate it. And a massive congratulations to you
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  Speaker 1: obviously for receiving that Order of Australia recognized yesterday as
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  Speaker 1: part of the Queen's Birthday honors list. Thank you so
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  Speaker 1: much for your time today.
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  Speaker 2: Ye Katie, just before it goes well, I've got the
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  Speaker 2: opportunity if anybody wants to help the out with Veterans
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  Speaker 2: Australia or become a member. You don't have to be
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  Speaker 2: a veteran, just want to help out and do things,
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  Speaker 2: and go and visit hospitals and do those sorts of
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  Speaker 2: things that we have people who need to do that
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  Speaker 2: or all of those small little things that you might
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  Speaker 2: be able to do. Jump in your car and just
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  Speaker 2: take a box of chocolates to somebody in need at
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  Speaker 2: the hospital, all of those things. If somebody would like
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  Speaker 2: to give us a call, that would be appreciated.
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  Speaker 1: Bob. Good on you.
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  Speaker 2: Contact us at Veterans Australia into Mate.
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  Speaker 1: We will talk to you again in the near future.
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  Speaker 1: Please keep in contact with us like I say, I
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  Speaker 1: think the work that you're doing is incredibly important stuff.
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  Speaker 1: You know, even what you've just spoken about there, that
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  Speaker 1: ten bed facility and some of the battles that people
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  Speaker 1: are going through right now, I think is so very important.
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  Speaker 1: I appreciate your time, and I'm really proud that a
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  Speaker 1: territory and like you's been recognized.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Katie and your listeners. Thanks Bob,
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  Speaker 2: extremely honored and humbled.
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  Speaker 1: Good on you mate. Thank you so much for your
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  Speaker 1: time this morning.