New Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs open in Adelaide and Queanbeyan
RSL LifeCare Chair Sangeeta Venkatesan, Deputy President of the Repatriation Commission Mark Brewer AM CSC and Bar, RSL NSW Central Southern District Council President Richard Peter Lipscomb, and RSL LifeCare CEO Janet Muir cut the ribbon at the opening of the Queanbeyan Hub.
Hubs are offering veterans and families support closer to home, with 2 new sites open and 5 other locations revealed.
Veterans and families will soon have more places to access tailored support, with 2 new Veterans' and Families' Hubs opening their doors in Northern Adelaide and Queanbeyan, and Hub locations confirmed in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
A new Hub servicing the Northern Adelaide region is now open, offering a range of integrated services and support to around 11,000 local veterans and families. Operated by Lives Lived Well, the Hub is conveniently located within the Playford Health and Wellbeing Precinct at 44–46 John Rice Ave in Elizabeth Vale, close to the Edinburgh Defence Precinct.
On 15 April, veterans and families attended the opening of the new Queanbeyan Hub at 251 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan NSW. RSL LifeCare operates the Hub, working in partnership with RSL NSW and other local ex-service organisations. Services will soon be available in Canberra by appointment only from a smaller ‘spoke site’ located at 26 Archibald Street, Lyneham ACT.
RSL LifeCare is also establishing new Hubs in the Hawkesbury, Hunter and Tweed/North Coast regions in NSW.
The Hawkesbury Hub will be established at 288 Windsor Street in Richmond, involving the adaptive re-use and restoration of the historic Richmond Courthouse. Around 20,000 veterans and families live in the Hawkesbury region. While construction at the site is underway, veterans and families can access support via a temporary Hub at the Windsor RSL, located at 36 Argyle Street, South Windsor.
The Hunter Hub will be at 48 Ken Tubman Drive in Maitland. Following significant renovations, this site will serve the region's 22,000 veterans and families. Interim services will continue from the temporary Hub at 984B Hunter Street, Newcastle West.
The Tweed/North Coast Hub will be at 145 Wharf Street, Tweed Heads. The Hub will be established on a dedicated floor of the building and offer exclusive rooftop access. Interim services are currently available from a temporary space within the same building until the Hub floor is complete.
The Southwest Perth Hub will be at 65 Dickson Road, Rockingham, WA. RSL WA is leading the comprehensive redesign and refurbishment of the space. When completed, more than 8,000 veterans and families, along with some 4,100 serving members located at the HMAS Stirling Royal Australian Navy base will have improved access to support services.
These new Hubs are part of the Australian Government’s $46.7 million commitment to establish 8 new Hubs, ensuring even more veterans and families can access the support they need, closer to home.
For more information, visit www.dva.gov.au/vfhubs.