Serving those who’ve served: Honouring veterans in aged care this ANZAC Day

This ANZAC Day, while the nation pauses to honour all Australians who have served, it's important to acknowledge the veterans in our aged care homes.

Queensland based provider Carinity has spent the weeks leading up to ANZAC Day recognising the incredible contributions many of their aged care residents have made over lifetimes marred by international conflict.

We share these stories to honour the men and women whose service remains extraordinary at this time of relative peace.

Jack Campbell

Carinity Wishart Gardens resident Jack Campbell was a Warrant Officer in the Australian Army, serving in peace-keeping efforts in Borneo and the Vietnam War during the 1960s and 70s.

“Over 16 years I travelled to places like Singapore, Malaya, Vietnam, Guam, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and all around Australia,” Mr Campbell recounted.

“At that time the Vietnam War was just starting up, so we all knew when we were finished in Borneo that’s where we were heading.”

“I lost quite a few of my buddies over there in Vietnam, and I remember them every ANZAC Day,” he said.

“We should never forget. Not just the minor wars but we should never forget the First and Second World Wars and what it was for. I think that’s terribly important.”

Doug Young

For Ipswich man Doug Young ANZAC Day brings an opportunity to honour his twin brother Allan, with whom he joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1953 when they were just teenagers, enlisting as apprentice engine fitters specialising in plane mechanics.

Reflecting on the 50-year military career that took him around the world, the now 88-year-old refers to the air force as the “love of his life.”

“When we arrived at a place and the VIPs shot through for their meetings we used to stand guard with the aircraft,” Mr Young said.

“We loaded freight, we loaded munitions, we loaded money, we loaded people. We loaded all sorts of things.

“I became a tradesman one day and a flight attendant the next.”

Joffre Bell

Carinity Brownesholme resident Joffre Bell enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1943, flying missions over France, Italy and Germany as an observer, navigator and bomb aimer.

Mr Bell will celebrate his 105th birthday just two days after ANZAC Day this year, making him one of Australia’s oldest living World War II veterans.

A new generation of veterans

Vasey RSL Care knows the importance of honouring veterans at every age, going the extra mile to ensure all employees are well acquainted with the significance of Australia's military history.

“Every staff member that starts employment with us goes through the induction programme that we run at the Shrine [of Remembrance, as] a lot of them don't understand the type of service that Australia has been involved in,” Vasey RSL Care chief Janna Voloshin said.

While residents have been busy in the kitchen baking ANZAC Biscuits in preparation for tomorrow, the executive team and facility managers make a quiet commitment each year to be present and working on ANZAC Day to attend the commemorative services held at every Vasey aged care home.

“It's definitely a huge day for our organisation,” Ms Voloshin said.

“We often invite a younger generation of veterans, like from HMAS Cerberus, or other currently serving personnel to participate in the service as well, because [...] all of our veterans really like to spend time with the younger [people] who are currently serving, plus a lot of them have either children or grandchildren in the service.”

Ms Voloshin told Aged Care Insite that the organisation is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the next generation of ex-servicemen and women in its care.

“If you look at seven years ago or 10 years ago, the large focus was on our second World War veterans,” Ms Voloshin said.

“Unfortunately, there is very few left. And today is about understanding the Vietnam veterans, that cohort, where they live, where services need to be.

“We've got a lot of research to investigate those current needs of the veterans and trying to adapt and do the programmes that will assist the demographic of the veteran that we're looking today, but also to prepare to what we need for tomorrow.”