Forty years of Open Arms
This year marks 40 years of Australia’s dedicated veteran and family support service, Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling.
DVA TV has produced a video marking this milestone, which you can view on YouTube.
The milestone has also provided an opportunity for current and former staff to reflect on the history of the service, and acknowledge the Vietnam veterans who fought for the establishment of a dedicated counselling service four decades ago.
Events have been held around the country throughout the year, bringing together people who were instrumental in establishing the service with current staff, and clients who have benefited from Open Arms support.
Like many staff throughout the history of Open Arms, counsellor Kathy Michaels shares a lived experience of military life. She is the daughter of a Second World War veteran, her daughter went to Iraq in 2009, and she began her nursing training in the Citizens Military Force.
Kathy joined the South Australian team in 1993, when the service was known as the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service, and spoke at a recent event to commemorate the opening of Open Arms first office in Adelaide.
Kathy recalls that when she joined, the office consisted of five staff and no computers, and the after-hours service was staffed by the regional director.
Kathy co-facilitated the region’s first veteran lifestyle program in 1996. This program gave veterans and their partners an opportunity to get away from everyday commitments and meet people with shared experiences on an overnight camp.
‘In 2006, that first group invited me out with them,’ she says. ‘They were still getting together ten years later.’
While she never expected to still be working in the same organisation three decades later, the opportunities that have come with working for a service that makes a difference in the lives of veterans has ensured she remains passionate about the role.
‘There have been sad times, fun times, frustrating times, and a lot of banter. But most of all, I feel privileged that veterans share their stories with me.’
Open Arms offices in Canberra and Townsville will mark their 40-year anniversaries in 2023.
To learn more about Open Arms service and its history, visit openarms.gov.au.
For specialised, free and confidential Australia-wide support for veterans and their immediate families, call 1800 011 046.
You might also wish to read: Veteran and Family Counselling Centre Officially Opens in Melbourne | Department of Veterans' Affairs (dva.gov.au)