Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Veteran and Mad Snake Café owner Sam Westin says most people he’s encountered who’ve left the Defence Force feel they’ve been let down in some way

Transcript

Veteran and Mad Snake Café owner Sam Westin says most people he’s encountered who’ve left the Defence Force feel they’ve been let down in some way · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know that the Royal Commission's seventh hearing is
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: going to be held at the Hilton Darwin Hotel from
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: tomorrow and Commissioners Nick Caldas APM and doctor Peggy Brown AO,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: along with the Royal Commission staff last week went to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Larichie Defense Precinct. They also went to HMAS Koonawara. This
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: week they are due to go to the Raft based
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Tindall and Well and Catherine today. We also know though
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: that the Commissioner also headed to a number of different locations. Well,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: you know, real grassroots, I think you'd have to say,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: towards the end of last week. And joining me in
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: the studio this morning is Sam Weston. Now he is
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: indeed a veteran and also the owner of the Mad
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Snake Cafe, a place where many current and former defense
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: personnel meet and really support each other. He joins me
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: in the studio right now. Good morning to you, Sam.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Morning now, mate, you had the commissioners in your cafe
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: on Thursday last week, didn't you.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: I had both of them come in meet a couple
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: of US veterans and it was really nice to meet
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: them and they were so down to earth and I
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: guess that. Yeah, I think there's that little bit of
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: worry amongst veterans to meeting them and talking to them,
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: and you have my word on it, veterans out there
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: that they are here to help us get through this.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Why do you reckon there is that worry.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: I think a lot of veterans have just been shafted
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: and by you know, so many people. Now that's just
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: here we go again type of thing, you know, and
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: maybe and I understand that, but like.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: I said, these guys are here to help us.
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: This is our chance to you know, you can put
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: in a submission, you can go and chat to them.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: This is our chance to get it out there. So
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: I really recommend all veterans out there or family members
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: of veterans.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: That's the other one.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: You know, this has affected a lot of families as well, wives, husbands, kids,
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: have a chat, put forward your thoughts and obviously from
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: this they're going to come up with an outcome and
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: hopefully that changes for a positive.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Sam. I know that there's heaps of people that listen
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: to the show that would know just how you know,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: how massive the defense representation here in the Northern Territory is.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: There are others that maybe don't have a real clear understanding.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: But you know from your perspective at the Mad Snake,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: and you know through what you do in terms of
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: veterans and also current personnel meeting there and chatting with
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: each other. You know, what is the sense amongst our
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: defense force and those that have left, you know, how
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: are they feeling with the way that the system.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: They're let down? Like I'm not, It's not just a
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: couple of bit of twisted. This is the majority of
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: people I speak to have been let down in some way,
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: whether it be from the Defense Force or the Transition deva,
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: the claims, all the stuff that's going to come out
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: in this Royal Commission is exactly why veterans and their
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: families have been in you know and not listened to.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: And like I said to Commissioner Pegney when Peggy I
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: had an interview with her, and I said, what's going
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: to what came out in the intim report was exactly
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: what I've moaned and bitched about for the past five years.
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: It's all of this is stuff that we knew was
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: and it's finally taken a commission or Royal Commission for
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: them to actually do something about it and bearing your mind.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: You know, a lot of people did on this Royal Commission.
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: Devia didn't want it. Some of these those didn't want it.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: Even the government at the time didn't really want it.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: So we will.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: It's almost like we've been fighting for something which you know,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: you look at your DVA. These are claims. These are
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: things people are entitled to. We've asked people for twenty
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: two years now to go to war multiple times. Some
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: of these people have gone, and then when they come
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: back we can't look after them.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: That's really poor formed.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: So that's why I've been quite passionate and vocal and
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: annoying because I feel.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Like there was a stage of thought. I was the
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: only one that was that actually gave a whot about.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah and Sam. The thing I suppose that a lot
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: of people probably weren't realize is that unless you've had
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: to go through that system as well, you have no
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: understanding of how difficult it is then to try and
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: get what you're actually entitled to.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and this is where I think it's not just me.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: I've got a group of us that hang around the cafe,
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: all veterans. If we can help people with the things
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: where we didn't have help at the time or guide
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: them or you know.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Speak to the right people.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: That that's where we're at the Mad Snake with counseled
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: Australian veterans, just trying to help people, you know, with
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: the supper I went through, you know, learn from my
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: mistakes and hopefully we can help, particularly Darwin. It to
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: me because Northern Territory is so small, there's only so
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: many of US veterans up here. We shouldn't we should
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: all know what's happening up here. And so that's why
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: I feel we've let them down up here. So big changes,
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: I hope.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: What was it like for you when you did leave
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: the Defense Force and then transitioning back into normal everyday life.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: Well, I mean at the time reflection now, I obviously
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: mental health, my mental health wasn't right. I was drinking
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: a lot, I was probably doing a fair bit of drugs,
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: but I wouldn't have known at the time. That was
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: how I dealt with it because obviously the Army didn't
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: help me with my.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Transition.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Transition, yeah for sure. So yeah, I went I went hard.
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: I had a good couple of years, but I went mentally,
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: I went hard, and looking back now that wasn't a
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: good thing. And you know, I speak to guys that
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: have done twenty thirty years getting out now that really
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: is a big step. And this is where we maybe
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: we're lacking a bit also up here is you know,
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: trying to hard. It's so hard to explain, like joining
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: the army is just a different world. And then you
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: just get well, my generation, we just got kicked out.
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: See you later. And it's probably taken me fifteen years
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: to deal with that, to be honest with you, And
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: it's been a massive learning curve of me. Helping other
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: veterans you know, has helped me as well, Like they're
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: helping me. Don't tell them that, but they're helping me
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: here as well, so you know, And it's just getting
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: that word out there for me, the Royal Commission. I
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: want the public to know what we've been winging and
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: moaning about. And also the parents of veterans that have
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: killed themselves, like they've been pushing this for years. We
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: haven't listened to them. It's almost like we've all been
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: a pain in someone's rear.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: We just care about We generally care about veterans and
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: you know, we want to stop. It's not just suicides,
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: it's the mental health, it's the alcohol, the drugs, the
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: marriage breakdown. Like it's so much about it. Sometimes you
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: feel like you're hitting your head on that wall. And
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: I think that's where a lot of veterans feel. But
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: I'm just letting people know now, these guys seem to
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: be here to help us, and please get involved any
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: way you can.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: I really hope. So Hey, you know, honestly, I'm not
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: looking at it very much from the outside in. I'm
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: not involved. You know, I don't have any veterans in
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: my family. I'm very much looking at it from the
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: outside in. But you know, when you look at the
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: parents of those who've taken their lives, who've fought for this,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: you know, for such an incredibly long period of time.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: When I speak to people like you, I've had other
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: veterans you know who've spoken to me before. You know,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: the reeling for veterans mob and the wonderful work that
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: they do. But when you look at how tough it's
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: been for so many of our young Aussies and what
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: you've had to then try to do to get yourselves
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: right after you've been serving our great country, it just
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: shouldn't be that way.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: No, it's pretty sad, isn't it. And I think we
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: all need everyone needs to take a bit of responsibility
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: for what we've done. And yeah, it is upset. That's
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: why I've been caring. It's why people think I'm a
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: crazy pork job and I am crazy, But this is
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: why I've been doing it because I felt like veterans
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: haven't had a voice, particularly in Darwin. Yeah, you know,
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: we've had three veteran suicides up here this year. We
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: all take that personally every time one of these things happen,
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: and you know, yeah, I hope the community and people
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: like yourself can understand what we're going on about now
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: and the problems.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: Mate.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: I don't think you're a crazy pork chop. I think
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: what you do through the cafes excellent. Actually, I think
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: it's really great the way that you help other people out,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: and like you said, you know it helps you as well.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: But I think it's fantastic. And you know, you see
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: how many people are rolling in there all the time.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: I see the photos on the socials. You guys are
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: there all supporting each other.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good. It's such a good little setting. Down
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: there as well. And it's not just me, there's so
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: many people involved. Like it's just and.
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: Again it's veterans out there that are having a hard time.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: Come in on a Friday for a coffee or just
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: get in contact with us and we'll find a way. Fishing, cycling,
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: we'll find something to try and help you at that moment.
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: But yeah, thank you mate.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: What just before I let you go, what do you
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: hope that you see from this Royal Commission? What are
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you genuinely hoping we see change in Australia when it
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: comes to this.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: I think obviously the DVA in the claim system needs
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: a complete overhaul. I was talking to Jesse Bird's mum.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: She came into my cafe last year. He was a
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: young veteran that killed himself and you hear his story
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: that morning he rang up DVA begging for he had
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: no job, mental health. They were pretty much nothing we
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: can do for you, and then unfortunately he killed himself.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: So if we can alleviate that for me personally, I'd
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: like someone to come out and just say I'm sorry,
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: like someone in a high position, and go the way
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: you guys were treated over the past so many years,
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: We're sorry for that, and I think.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: That would me personally. That's what I'm looking.
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: For also with the mental health thing, I think the
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: breakdown of mental health, Like I think we're slowly talking
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: about it. Yeah, it's okay to be and again to
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: your viewers, it's okay to be messed up everyone, because
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: I've been there.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: You know, we've all been there. There's just it's how
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: you move on from that.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: And I think the more we talk about it, the
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: more we interact, the better it's going to be from
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: the mental health community.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: So yeah, that's what I'm hoping.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, we'll be keeping a really close on it.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: I know that you'll be keeping a very very close
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: on things jar and you'll be there. I mean, is
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: that the message for people as well? Just make sure
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: that you do have your voice heard by these commissioners.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you can either so you can have a sit
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: down chat with them, or you can do a submission,
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: or you can go and see you can go in
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: for two weeks, you can go and watch it. And again,
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: even if you don't want to write it, there's people
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: that get paid to write it up for you. Like
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: we have been really supportive of this commission. So yeah,
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: if anyone needs to put in and you hear some
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: people what's it going to do? And it's like, well,
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: maybe this is the thing that is going to make
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: a difference. You know, this is the most positive thing
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: that I've seen in regards to veterans. So I think
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: we should take it serious. And yeah, I please everyone
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: that can, particularly you know, the bad not the bad experiences,
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: but just what they think we can change. The more
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: people they're going to hear about the same thing, all right,
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: that's what we can fix.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: I agree.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: I agree with you, and I think you've got to
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: make sure that your voice is heard. I know that
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: you must feel as though it's you know, it's taken
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: so long to even get to this point and you
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: just want something to change. But you've got to make
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: sure that you have those voices heard. And they have
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: to listen. How can they not, you know, really, when
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: you've got this volume of former current family members coming
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: out saying something's got to change, they have to listen. Yeah.
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's ten years overdue, but it's happening. So let's
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: take advantage of it as much as we can.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Sam Western, good to speak to you this morning.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time and good on you continuing
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: to run that wonderful cafe.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you,