by Col Hennessy Last Saturday I was invited to the presentation ceremony and luncheon for the Iluka -Woombah hub of veterans from the armed forces. I was there to watch a cavalcade of old cars and bikes (from Lismore) arrive at Club Iluka after they had driven through town. They were still talking about the fun everyone had while playing golf on Friday. I was in uniform for three years but only as a school cadet so I could not talk about my service, but I was welcomed as a supporter of their cause which has a lot of merit. We all need to acknowledge the recent findings of a Royal Commission which stated quite clearly that veterans do suffer from mental health issues, and it should not be ignored. This weekend was a step in the right direction. The weekend will be even bigger next year as the support is real and is valued. It took me a while to establish what is going on with this movement compared to the traditional goals of the RSL clubs. They are not in competition, but hubs like this one (and there are many others) see themselves are more responsive to the needs of veterans whereas the clubs per se are more worried about their members (most are not returned servicemen) and making a profit. All the funding to support the local veterans and causes comes from the weekly raffles and monthly BBQ’s and not a cent from any grants or support from a mother club. To begin with there was a nice slide show espousing the core values of such hubs. The group has the logo that “We are here for you” and as such identify the needs in our local community and as a result engage and honour local vets. A classic example of this was when a presentation was made to Brian Murphy who had been ‘lost’ in the records of our armed services (names were spelt incorrectly it seems). However, ‘spud’ could remember his rifle number and with dedicated staff and the tenacity of local coordinator Bruce McIntosh they were able to get the service medals he was entitled to and his white card which will assist him with medical matters. It was quite an emotional scene as someone who ‘was once lost and is now found’. Other plaques were presented to John Barriball and Kev Harding for their service. John remembers fondly finishing his service working as a chef in the domain of the Governor General. In previous monthly get togethers two of Iluka’s most respected elderly citizens Brian Thomas and John Collis were given plaques and they certainly appreciated such marks of respect. This hub has been operating now for some 18 months and has welcomed families and friends connected to any servicemen. There are ‘no conditions attached’ according to Bruce and certainly not lack of medals or overseas service which often spoils some veterans’ participation. Bruce believes there are almost 200 veterans in his hub area here and possibly some 1200 members in the Clarence Valley as a whole.