Veteran advocate among last Australians to be awarded OAM by Queen Elizabeth II

Kevin Winkleman has dedicated his life to helping the veteran community

The Townsville local received his Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division in recognition of his services to veterans and their families in Australia’s largest garrison city.

Mr Winkleman was one of 51 Queenslanders awarded an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in June 2022, placing him among the last in the nation to receive the honour from Queen Elizabeth II. 

He assists veterans and their families with claims to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in his current role as Pension Officer and Advocate at the Townsville RSL Sub Branch.

His passion for advocating for the needs of veterans stems from his lived experience as part of the Defence community, with several of his family members having served with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

“The satisfaction is there, helping them to achieve ongoing help, which is a result of their ADF service. We’ve helped them get the help they needed,” Mr Winkleman said.

RSL Queensland State President MAJGEN Stephen Day DSC AM said he was grateful to Mr Winkleman for his lifetime of commitment to service, which was representative of the RSL’s core values.

The investiture in Townsville - Image Governor of Queensland via Facebook

“On behalf of RSL Queensland, I would like to extend our congratulations and give thanks to Kevin for his long-standing dedication, generosity and advocacy work, which has enriched the lives of countless Queensland veterans and their families,” MAJGEN Day said.

“Kevin represents the commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our veteran community, which is central to everything we do at RSL Queensland.”

Mr Winkleman said he almost did not accept the OAM, with the news of the honour arriving on the same day as one of his referees had passed away.

“I hummed and harred about whether I would accept it, but he would actually want me to go ahead and do it, so I did,” Mr Winkleman said.