The family that found a home by giving back

For Kirsty Claassen, what started as a practical decision to find part-time work after having a baby has become something far more meaningful – a community for her whole family, and a way to honour the service of the veterans she holds closest to her heart. 

Kirsty is the part-time admin officer at Sunnybank RSL Sub Branch, a role that quickly expanded into volunteering as the Sub Branch's Board Secretary. Her husband Jason, an Army veteran himself, volunteers alongside her, helping with everything from traffic management on ANZAC Day to stacking chairs after events. And increasingly, their daughters are getting involved too. 

"When we left Defence, we lost that community that you have," Kirsty remembers. 

"We got posted down to Enoggera from Darwin for personal reasons and, in a flash, lost our community. The intention was to take a job that was part-time and supported my kids, but it also gave me that community I had been missing so much after leaving Darwin."

A place that feels like home 

That sense of belonging means everything to the Claassens. Both Kirsty and Jason come from small families, and the connection to service that once grounded them disappeared when Jason discharged from the Army in 2012. Joining Sunnybank RSL Sub Branch changed that.

"My girls walk in here and half a dozen people hug them and ask them how their day was," Kirsty says.  

"It's creating an extended family that we don't have. I also get the half a dozen hugs, and it's a really nice feeling that I feel very valued for my contribution here."

Kirsty and Jason Claassen

Kirsty's ties to the Defence community run deep. Her husband, Jason, is an Afghanistan veteran, her grandfather served in World War II, and Jason's father, Harry, is a Vietnam veteran. He is also the reason why they’re involved in Sunnybank RSL Sub Branch, where he is Vice President and has been a member for more than 25 years. It is that personal connection to service that drives her commitment to the Sub Branch – and to the veterans who walk through its doors. 

"I haven’t served, but it's a nice way to give back to those that did," she reflects.  

"I was there when Jason was deployed and I saw what we went through as a family. It's really important that as a community, we are supportive of our veterans." 

Without volunteers, there’s no community 

Sunnybank RSL Sub Branch sits in one of Brisbane's most multicultural communities, and Kirsty is proud of how the Sub Branch reflects that. 

Thousands of people turn out each ANZAC Day, drawn to a place that has worked long and hard to honour those from different backgrounds who served alongside the Australian Defence Force. 

The Sub Branch includes a Memorial Garden with plaques for every Sub Branch member who has passed away, as well as monuments to both Australians of Chinese Heritage and of Indian Heritage, and is a welcoming place for everyone in the local community. On any given day, the hall is busy – home to bingo, bowls, cards, crafts, and weekly lunches that give members a reason to connect.

"There's a number of people who are socially isolated for health or physical reasons," Kirsty says. "The idea that they know they can come down here and I will always sit and have a cup of coffee with them – I really like that." 

Jason on active duty in the Army

For Jason, volunteering is about honouring a legacy and keeping it alive. He and his father share a bond that goes beyond the ordinary – Jason deployed to Afghanistan in exactly the same role, in the same troop, 40 years after his dad served in Vietnam. Now they serve together again, this time at the Sub Branch.
"It's about community and doing things for the greater good," Jason says.

"Without volunteers, there's no drop-in centre, there's no community events, no Friday lunches, no support network for people. Without members who volunteer, there's no community."

Raising the next generation of volunteers

It is a lesson the Claassens are deliberately passing on to their daughters. Volunteering, Kirsty says, is a core value of their family – not something they do occasionally, but something they are.

"We are trying to teach the girls that it's really important to give back to your community," she mentions.

The Claassens are raising their family to value volunteering

"They've got a really great life, and I think it's important to teach them that not everybody has the same experience. Whether they choose to keep volunteering here or find another worthy cause, volunteering will always be a part of who we are as a family."

With National Volunteer Week upon us, Kirsty has a simple message for anyone considering giving their time: you will get back more than you give.
"I've got more out of it than I thought," she reflects.

"I know people are time poor – it is really hard to carve out that time. But I think it's too important not to. Even an hour a month makes such a difference. I don't think people realise how valuable an hour is."