The Veterans' & Families' Centre

14/09/2026

💗 Sometimes the right words arrive at exactly the right time.

Here at the Veterans’ & Families’ Centre, we are incredibly lucky to have an amazing team. People who care deeply, who show up for one another, and who stand beside our veterans and families through the good days and the really hard ones.

Today, a wonderful friend of our Centre dropped in a copy of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Such a simple, thoughtful gift and one that already feels very at home here.

Today’s words from the book that mean so much to us are:

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.
“Help,” said the horse.

Those few words capture so much of what we believe.

Asking for help takes courage.
Accepting help takes courage.
And sometimes simply walking through our door takes more courage than anyone else will ever know.

We are proud to be a Centre where nobody has to have all the answers, nobody has to pretend everything is okay, and nobody has to walk the difficult parts alone.

We are incredibly grateful for the beautiful people who remind us why this little Centre and the community around it is so special. 💗

It’s okay to say, “Help.”
We’re here.

13/09/2026

Sundays done right. 🌺

Being present. Getting hands-on. Having a yarn. And making something pretty special together.

Today at Gravelly Beach Metal Works, 18 veterans and friends joined us across two sessions to create three beautiful metal poppies.

Each poppy will have its own story and destination. Some will find a home in gardens, some will become part of the Tasmanian Veterans Association retreat poppy garden, and others will be available for purchase through the Veterans’ & Families’ Centre Poppy Shop.
Tasmanian Veterans Association

But today was about much more than making poppies.

It was about connection.

We met new veterans, caught up with familiar faces, worked alongside one another and, importantly, had conversations about what veterans and families would like to see happening in the veteran space.

Sometimes the best conversations don’t happen around a meeting table. They happen while your hands are busy, the coffee is flowing and people simply have the time and space to talk.

18 people. Two sessions. Three beautiful poppies. Plenty of conversations and new connections.

That’s a Sunday done right. ❤️🌺

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and to Gravelly Beach Metal Works for creating such a welcoming space for our veteran community.

Gravelly Beach Metalworks
Tassie Metal Art

11/09/2026

💙⚓ How bloody proud are we of this incredible woman!

A huge congratulations to Amy Vickers Navy veteran, founder of Well Beyond Service, and the 2026 Tasmanian AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner! 🇦🇺

After 26 years of service in the Royal Australian Navy, Amy has continued serving others in a completely different way.

Through Well Beyond Service, she has created something incredibly special in regional Tasmania a place whether you’re transitioning from Defence, emergency services and volunteer service can step away, reconnect, rebuild confidence and rediscover who they are beyond the uniform.

And now that work has been recognised on a much bigger stage.

Amy received the Tasmanian Award and a $15,000 Westpac grant to help expand Well Beyond Service and reach even more women across regional Australia.

For those of us in the veteran community who know Amy and understand the heart behind what she is building, this recognition is so deserved.

We are incredibly proud of you.

You served.
You transitioned.
And now you’re creating a pathway for others coming behind you.

That is service beyond service. 💙

⚓ Bravo Zulu, Amy.

Amy Vickers spent 26 years in the Royal Australian Navy, rising to ...

11/09/2026

Saturday 12th of September- Burnie

Feel like drawing your bow and aiming for the Bulls Eye?

Due to its popularity in other locations, our Beginner Archery is the perfect introduction to archery for all ages. Learn from experienced instructors in a safe, supportive environment before putting your new, or existing, skills to the test.
No experience required and all equipment is provided. Whether you're joining as a family, with friends, or alone, everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the experience. Sandwiches will be available after the archery.

Where: Romaine Park Primary School Oval, Cnr of Mount Street & Roslyn Ave, Burnie 7320
Time: Archery 10am–12pm, Lunch / Sandwiches 12pm-1pm
Date: Saturday 12th Sept 2026
RSVP: [email protected]

10/09/2026

🎂 DATABASE? CRM? KNOWING YOUR CLIENTS?

Who needs all that when you have a TILLY! ❤️

“Hey Ian!”
“Hi Shane, morning! How are the kids?”
“Helen! How are you going?”
“Long black, Torben?” ☕️

Names remembered. Families remembered. Coffee orders remembered. Stories remembered.

Today is a date that carries enormous significance for so many in our veteran and military community.

11 September became a day that would shape the military journeys of so many who served in the years that followed.

But years before that day became etched into our history, 11 September gave us our Tilly. ❤️

And perhaps there is something particularly special about celebrating someone who brings so much kindness, care and humanity to our veteran community on a day that carries so much weight for many of us.

Tilly is one of the kindest humans you will ever meet.

She remembers the person, not just the appointment. She knows the family behind the veteran, notices when someone isn’t quite themselves, remembers how you take your coffee and somehow keeps all of us moving in the right direction.

No database or CRM could ever replicate that.

Tilly, you quietly hold up so many people who walk through the doors of the Veterans’ & Families’ Centre . including all of us.

On a significant day for our veteran community, we also get to celebrate something pretty special.

❤️ Happy Birthday, Tilly.

We are incredibly blessed to have you holding us up.

09/09/2026

💛 R U OK? Day | Thursday 10 September 2026

For our veterans and families, asking “Are you OK?” can mean more than we realise.

Behind the uniform, the service, the transition to civilian life, or the everyday responsibilities of family life, there can be challenges that others may not see. Some days are harder than others, and you don’t have to have all the answers to make a difference.

A simple conversation can be the beginning of someone feeling heard, supported and connected.

💛 Ask R U OK?
💛 Listen without judgement.
💛 Encourage action and support.
💛 Check in again.

Whether it’s a mate you served with, a veteran who has become a little quiet, a partner carrying the load at home, or a family member who seems to be struggling, take the time to reach out.

You don’t need to fix everything. Sometimes being there, listening and helping someone find the right support is enough to make a meaningful difference.

At the Veterans’ & Families’ Centre, we believe connection and support should be available every day, not just on R U OK? Day. Our doors are open to veterans and families who need a conversation, a connection, or help finding the right pathway forward.

If you’re thinking it, ask R U OK? Any Day.

If you or someone you know needs immediate support, contact Open Arms on 1800 011 046, available 24/7 for veterans and families. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000.

08/09/2026

Let’s go Amy! We are beyond proud of all you have done to support Veterans Well Beyond Service

A huge good luck to Tassie's finalist at the National Rural Women's Award tonight! 🏆

Amy Vickers is truly one of the best of us, doing fantastic work for our veterans out in the regions.

Go well!

07/09/2026

A couple of spots have opened up for our Metal Flower Workshop at Gravelly Beach Metal Works on Sunday 13 September.

If you were thinking about coming along, this is your chance to grab a spot.

11:00 am

1:00 pm

No experience is needed.

Veterans can register for themselves and one guest.

Adults 18+

Bookings essential

Book your session:

11:00 am:

https://theveteransandfamiliescentre.org/events/gravelly-beach-metal-works-gravelly-beach-1100-am/⁠

1:00 pm:

https://theveteransandfamiliescentre.org/events/gravelly-beach-metal-works-gravelly-beach-100-pm/

06/09/2026

🐴 So… our Manager Jo disappeared for a few days recently and now we know where she went! ❤️

How special to see Remount featured on ABC Landline.

Remount brings veterans and first responders together through horses, connection, time on the land and the simple opportunity to slow down and reset.

Jo was fortunate enough to experience Remount firsthand, and seeing the program and the wonderful people behind it shared with Australia today made it even more meaningful.

Sometimes support doesn’t happen in an office or around a table. Sometimes it happens beside a horse, around a fire, out in the paddock, and in conversations with people who simply understand.

What Remount provides is very special.

Congratulations to the entire Remount team on a beautiful Landline story and thank you for the work you do supporting our veteran and first responder community, beautiful act of service. 🐴❤️

Now, Jo… we understand why you didn’t want to come home!

Remount

ABC Rural News provides authoritative coverage of the business and politics of Australian farming, livestock, forestry, agriculture and primary production

05/09/2026

💙 To all our dads this Father’s Day…

To the dads, grandads, stepdads, adoptive dads, foster dads, dads-to-be, puppy dads, and the special people who may not have the title but have always been there like a dad and our deployed dads today we celebrate you.

We also know today can bring a mix of emotions.

Some will spend the day surrounded by family, laughing and making memories. Others will be remembering a dad they would give anything to have one more conversation with, missing a child who once called them Dad, or quietly thinking about what might have been.

We hope you find a little time to remember the good stuff the laughs, the stories, the terrible dad jokes, the adventures and those little moments that somehow become the ones we treasure most.

Look after yourselves and each other.

Happy Father’s Day from all of us at the Veterans’ & Families’ Centre. 💙