Women veterans providing mutual support
Ramon Fenton co-founded the Women Veterans Network Australia (WVNA) in 2013, a year after she was medically discharged from the Army with a severe back injury. She’d joined the ADF at age 17, served for 16 years and been deployed to East Timor twice, Iraq and Afghanistan.
‘When I was discharging, I felt very prepared and I was told I’d have no problems transitioning,’ she says. ‘But about six months after I discharged, I was feeling lost. I’d lost my identity, my security, my income, my friends. I discovered I had PTSD, depression and anxiety. And I was a single parent. I tried to join ex-service organisations (ESOs) but they were largely male dominated and didn't have the same understanding of women's needs.
‘After chatting with a few female friends online, we found we all had something in common. We decided we needed to put together an organisation for women veterans.’
In 2016, the WVNA became incorporated, and since July 2017 they've been a not-for-profit charity. The WVNA mission is 'Connecting past and present women who have served in the Australian Defence Force with social support, resources and information'.
‘Things have improved but even now, you can march on Anzac Day and some bloke will take you aside and say, “You’ve got your medals on the wrong side”. This happens even here in Townsville – the largest garrison city. We’ve fought so hard to have the same recognition.’
Natalie Watson, who is WVNA regional coordinator for north-west Victoria, agrees: ‘We don’t get recognised the way that the men do. Getting on the committees of ESOs, taking part in Anzac Day – it’s an uphill battle. Some ESOs are a real boys’ club. They don’t make you feel welcome.
‘A lot of women are too scared to attend Anzac Day marches. So when we march, we march as a group and we’re trying to get the word out there that you can join us in doing that.’
Like Ramon, Natalie joined the ADF at 17, specifically the Air Force, and served for 20 years. She also served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both women are very glad they served but both felt alienated when they transitioned, as do many of the WVNA’s members.
‘People have reached out and said, “You’ve saved my life. I’m going through the same thing”,’ says Ramon. “Thanks to you, I’ve now got a circle I can relate to. I can now communicate with other female veterans”.
‘We’ve got women from all ages, serving and ex-serving, speaking the same language. And it doesn’t matter what service you were in, whether you deployed or not, or what rank you are or were. Everyone’s equal.’
The WVNA organises monthly catch-ups and has a strong Facebook presence. It has a forum page, which is open to female veterans only, and has about 3,000 members.
‘These pages are a great opportunity for women to ask any questions they want without being judged,’ says Natalie. ‘It’s a way of sharing your journey or experiences, and you often find that other women are going through something similar. We can share our knowledge, such as how to make claims through DVA, how to get a White Card.’
Individual regional coordinators organise specific events, and other ESOs including RSL sub-branches, have started contacting the network to invite them to get involved. The WVNA also gets involved in Veterans' Health Week and the 10,000 Step Challenge.
Last year, the WNVA held yoga, cooking, woodworking and pottery classes as well as Tai Chi, hikes, walk & talks, tours of military barracks, axe throwing and other events.
Each year, the Western Sydney group holds a service the Saturday before Anzac Day. An all-women event, it’s an opportunity to showcase women in Defence, past and present.
Ramon also represents the WVNA at DVA’s annual Female Veterans and Veteran Families Forums.
In addition, the WVNA attends transition seminars. ‘My advice is that you should start your transition journey from the day you join the ADF,’ says Ramon.
For both Natalie and Ramon, it’s all about connection and being among supportive people who understand the issues you’re facing, many of which are specific to women veterans. In their view, this is so important for women who’ve transitioned out of the ADF and find themselves without friends or support of any kind. And it applies to serving personnel too.
Ramon mentions a female member of the RAAF who as a single parent was posted to Townsville where she knew no one. She got involved with the WVNA and soon afterwards was hospitalised. She was able to call on Ramon and others to get her to and from hospital, pick up her two-year-old from childcare and babysit her for a while.
'As soon as I put our blue WVNA shirt on, I feel like I've got my identity back,' says Ramon. ‘I volunteer for the RSL and for Eat Up Australia (a charity that makes school lunches for vulnerable children) and I find helping others helps me with my mental health issues.'
Membership costs $10 and you can join via the WVNA’s website. You can also find the WVNA Forum on Facebook.
Image: WVNA Townsville's 2023 Christmas party at the Townsville RSL, sponsored by the Townsville City Council