Supporting those who support veterans

Comrades in care 

It's not always easy to ask for help, or know how to find it. When a veteran in the community is struggling, there are professional services ready to provide expert support, but it often takes a crucial community-based role to connect people to much-needed care. 

Wellbeing Support Officers are vital members of RSL Sub Branches who volunteer their time, expect no recognition, and previously received little training for the situations they face.  

That was until Bob Ikin stepped into the role of District Wellbeing and Advocacy Officer at RSL South Eastern District in 2023. As he looked at improving wellbeing objectives, the key obstacle he identified was a shortage of volunteers. 

Bob Ikin is focused on improving wellbeing objectives in RSL South Eastern District.

RSL South Eastern District supports 30 Sub Branches, with a range of paid and volunteer Advocacy teams. Wellbeing Support Officers support the Advocates by helping with broader social needs and engaging with veterans in the community. 

They mow lawns, take widows to do their shopping and visit veterans in hospitals and aged care homes. It is during these daily activities that serious issues can be witnessed or shared. That's when Wellbeing Support Officers report back to Advocates, ensuring that professional support and advocacy is provided. 

Kilcoy RSL Sub Branch Wellbeing Support Officer doing one of the everyday jobs that mean so much.

"Without Advocates and Wellbeing Support Officers on the ground working hard, many of the individual voices of veterans and their families would never be heard,” Bob says. 

“I have been working to emphasise how important these people are, and that they actually save lives."  

Carrying a burden 

Talking to Advocates across his District, Bob identified three key issues: lack of recognition, questions about Advocate value within the organisation and burnout.  

"Advocates and Wellbeing Support Officers are not trained social workers or counsellors, but some of the stories they deal with are horrendous," Bob says.  

"Through their everyday interactions with the veteran community, they carry a burden. We need to acknowledge that burnout is a big issue, and to better support these people.” 

For Wellbeing Support Officers, the perception of not being valued within the broader RSL was also contributing to attrition. Due to the impact of their work not being understood, volunteers were not being provided with the support they needed. 

Learning and connection 

Bob launched Wellbeing and Advocacy Workshops to support these volunteers and keep both trainees and experienced Advocates up to date. The goal was to address these challenges – particularly burnout and regular exposure to confronting situations – by ensuring those working towards better veteran wellbeing felt valued, supported and equipped with the confidence and information to perform their role effectively. 

Each year, a range of expert speakers are engaged for the workshops, which focus on advocacy training and wellbeing support, with input from RSL Queensland, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and other organisations. 

Manly-Lota RSL Sub Branch Compensation Advocates Mark Gallagher, Kendall Morrison and Michael Muir. Kendall says she, “always gets so much out of the training sessions”.

A priority in 2026 has been ensuring all Wellbeing Support Officers and Advocates are kept up to date with recent legislative changes that have streamlined the process of veteran claims.  

“I am very grateful for the time and effort that went into educating us about the upcoming legislative changes,” a workshop attendee says. “Having this clarity is essential for our roles moving forward.” 

Workshops are also run on finance, where speakers talk about how to write grant applications and apply for RSL funding mechanisms, such as the Charitable Objects Fund. 

"I’ve noticed that members are often unaware of what’s available through RSL Queensland – so these kinds of workshops give them useful information to assist their initiatives,” Bob explains.

An Advocacy Workshop held in May 2025.

Sharing solutions 

Since 2023, 100 Wellbeing Support Officers have been trained within RSL South Eastern District, and more than 15 workshops and information sessions held for more than 250 attendees. The 2026 program is well underway, with an Advocacy Workshop with speakers from DVA and RSL Queensland delivered to a record number of 33 attendees in February.  

Workshops also attract attendance from other Districts and Sub Branches, and are now recognised as a unique and valuable offering within RSL Queensland.  

The other impact Bob has noticed is that when people with similar roles in their Sub Branches get together in person, the networking is “simply incredible”. 

"There’s sharing of ideas and sharing of solutions," Bob says. "People are recommending resources to each other and swapping business cards. Workshops provide more than training – they create connection, networking and peer-to-peer problem solving." 

A Wellbeing Support Officer with the South Eastern District at work.

Advocacy and Wellbeing Workshops have also helped improve the issue Bob identified when he first started in his role; increasing numbers of people are now taking on volunteer Wellbeing Support Officer and Advocate roles. 

For Bob, this means a true community culture of RSL Queensland values. As he says, "While commemoration occurs on key days, care and camaraderie are supported year-round through initiatives like these workshops." 

For more information or to register for an upcoming Wellbeing and Advocacy Workshop, please contact Bob on WellbeingandAdvocacy@sedrsl.org.au