Vet Direct Australia

Would you like to see Vet Direct back up in action? Did it ever help you?

“I've been suicidal and I've called Open Arms at midnight absolutely a wreck, ready to take my life. And the person that I've spoken to is that person on the frontline.
And yeah, I just wanted to say thank you to those people. To be honest, I wouldn't be here without those people because those are the people that have really helped me and got me through.” Matt, Navy veteran.

When Matt transitioned from the Navy to civilian life he found himself isolated and unstable.

Substance abuse, grief, relationship issues, and a lack of social connections paired with a PTSD diagnosis made for a dangerous combination.

In and out of hospital, he tried many different options to get on top of his mental health, until something clicked with an Open Arms counsellor.

Now he’s sober and feeling well, Matt channels his energy and experiences into making memories with his family and helping others.

You can listen to Matt’s story as part of Open Conversations, an audio series where veterans share their experience seeking mental health support.
https://www.openarms.gov.au/resources/audio-series-open-conversations

If you feel like you need support, our military-aware counsellors are available 24/7.
☎️ 1800 011 046

Hey all I’m sorry for the lack of social media posts as of late! As you know the website is doing fantastic and I have each and every single one of you to thank for your continued support for that!

Just an update on why I have been so quiet, so it has always been an interest for me to be out in the veteran community and physically working in the veteran space instead of always working behind a screen so in past few months I have been working with the Correctional Officer for Veterans for South Australia supporting him and basically just fitting into helping veterans where I can upon release from incarceration. We are slowly working toward making this something bigger and more sustainable however we are just testing the water and working together when we can at this stage but it is very promising!

I’ve also been working behind the scenes within my community to bring awareness of veterans and veterans support and the lack of support in Gawler and the Barossa so working with local ministers we are working towards bringing veterans services to our suburb!

And the last thing is I have applied to join the veterans group of The Jamie Larcombe Centre, this group is the voice for veterans who become inpatients at JLC and give a different perspective to the centre doctors/coordinators etc so that the centre can be run to best serve the veterans.

Stay tuned as these things develop I will do better to post selfies and pictures to keep you all up to date! I appreciate all your support!