Gwen Cherne, director of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia NSW, has called for greater understanding of the challenges faced by defence personnel, who often grapple with public misconceptions after returning from active duty.
Cherne’s husband, Pete, ended his life last year, devastating her and the couple’s two young children. She spoke to journalism student Emma Bendall about the positive impact she believes sport can have through events such as the Invictus Games.
“Being a soldier is who they are first, and it can take them a long time to accept that they’re injured,” said Cherne, who is also an Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Clubs NSW Ambassador.
Such “crisis of identity” can hit hard, she said, exacerbated by superficial understanding by those around them of the difficulty dealing with the mental and physical results of service.
“I think there might be a bit of a discrepancy between what the Australian public thinks a soldier is and what they actually are. This lack of understanding is a contributor to the stigma surrounding returned soldiers, and some have even found themselves shifted out of jobs because their bosses weren’t able to understand what was going on.”
It’s a delicate balance raising awareness and changing perceptions, as much of the work done by service personnel is confidential, as it was in Cherne’s husband’s case. Being unable to discuss his activities raised tensions and feelings of loneliness.
“There was much confusion as to why he was away for such long periods of time and why he was away for my daughters’ birth,” she said.
Confusion also set in for Cherne when there was little acknowledgment of Pete’s loss, as it did not occur in the field. It prompted her to speak out, in memory of Pete and in the hope of helping others.
“I’ve learnt that being able to talk about my story has unlocked a jail for other people,” said Cherne.
Part of that story has been to become more involved in sport. Last year Cherne completed a marathon in the Blue Mountains, which she found hard, painful and challenging, “yet amazing”.
“[Sport] takes you back to your roots,” she said. “I think, culturally, it takes you beyond yourself. It can provide that mental health relief.”
Much like competitors at Invictus Games Sydney 2018, training for the marathon gave Cherne a reason to get out of bed, do something for herself and socialise with others.
“The Games encourages resilience. They can take something very tragic and do something really good with it and grow from it, like gain acceptance and purpose. They can find support from their community that they didn’t think was there.”
Gwen and her daughter Emily featured in the filming of the William Ernest Henley poem Invictus.
David Sygall
Invictus Games Sydney 2018