Unlike many large international sporting events, when Prince Harry closes the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games presented by Jaguar Land Rover, it will not be the end but a new beginning for the veterans of Australia.
The Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Outreach Program’s Veterans Day celebrated the announcement of the Veteran Sport Australia where the Invictus competitor’s who competed so fiercely now can look forward to making sport a part of the rest of their lives.
They will have a legacy inspired by the spirit of Invictus. The RSL, with the support of Clubs NSW, Australian Defence Force, Department of Veterans Affairs and various ex veterans’ organisations, is combining the two iconic values of playing sport and belonging in a community to create Veteran Sport Australia. The new program has responded to the needs of veterans and their families with the goal of providing a fully integrated sports program across the country.
“The RSL has always had a fine tradition of looking after Australia’s returned servicemen and women since it was established in 1916 and through Veteran Sport Australia we will continue to do so,” says NSW RSL President James Brown.
“In many ways it is back to the future for the RSL. After the second world war the RSL was very active in organising sporting activities for returned service men and women and their families. That gradually dropped away although there are still clubs that are involved with bowls, football in different codes or netball – but certainly not to the former extent.”
“We all know the curative healing power of exercise and sport and this has been already demonstrated on the sporting arenas around Sydney during the Invictus Games.”
“But although our focus here at the Invictus Games is supporting and encouraging our wounded, injured and ill serving members and veterans, the program ensures the provision of sporting and activities programs will be available for all veteran members and their families. This will then also enable them to be connected with the wide sporting fraternity nationally as well as in their local areas.”
According to the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), “Legacy says, ’I’m master of my fate and captain of my soul, I am unconquered.’ That is their spirit. The rest of the world needs to support the practical things that elevates veterans’ quality of life.”
”The Veteran Sport Australia idea is a fantastic thing; it’s all building blocks stuff. We can focus on adaptive sport in the near aftermath of the Invictus Games.”
Veteran Sport Australia will be a national project engaging with veterans and their families who want to play sports and enjoy the camaraderie of their mates. It will be a collaborative effort between multiple veterans groups, enabled by the RSL.
“The Legacy of the Invictus Games is so important. There is now a window of opportunity when the general population is interested in veterans and so we need to use this opportunity to get the public to understand how they can help,” says Hon Darren Chester, Minister for Veterans Affairs.
“This program is about reaching out and embracing veterans to join in grassroots sporting activities. And whilst the public have embraced the spirit of the Invictus Games seeing sport as an important vehicle for recovery, we need to make sure this program gets into our communities now,” emphasised the Minister.
Ensuring inclusivity, it will also run an adaptive sports program which in the coming years is hoping to offer local competition in several sports. Subsidising adaptive sport coaching education is another of their goals. The RSL through Veteran Sport Australia will also continue to be involved in providing pathways for participation in the Warrior, Invictus and Paralympic Games, running camps, selections and training.
“We also realise that connectivity to the wider veteran community is important so we will also be establishing a digital hub for veterans and their families looking for sporting opportunities across a range of ex-service organisations.
“But after the cheering ends and the excitement of the Invictus Games fades, it is the feeling of belonging to an organisation where they are recognised for their service contribution and can enjoy sports that will be for our veterans an ongoing positive legacy of these Games,” says Brown.
More information on Veterans Sports Australia
AnneMarie White
Invictus Games Sydney 2018