Hello all,

Welcome back to the TA22 podcasts - this is in fact the last interview from TA22, recorded in Feb/Mar 23.

TA23 wrapped up in Timor a few weeks back and TA24 is kicking off next month on the Gold Coast.

Lucky last from TA22 is Bronson Mitchell, a 20 years Army medic who, at the time of the interview, was on long service leave and separating from Defence.

He had a very involved career, having served in Darwin, Townsville, Brisbane and Canberra, with multiple postings and instructor positions - Kapooka and RMC.

He hasn't wasted any time getting involved in the ESO community and will be dropping anchor in Maryborough with his family.

Bronson shares great tips on transition, such as to engage with coaches early and avoid hasty decisions.

A great listen indeed, thank you for your insights Bronson and thank you for your 20 years service.

Enjoy listeners.

VCA Team

Welcome back listeners,

Continuing with our chats from TA22, this week we speak with former Infantry soldier Sean Skelton.

Sean served in 1RAR and saw service in Kabul with Op Highroad (formerly Slipper), leaving Defence in 2017 after 5 years in the green.

He shares his insights on how to stay positive when navigating physical injuries in a combat unit, of which he had his fair share.

Having to face no shortage of mental battles post separation, Sean shares his surprising strategy of getting out of a funk.

He felt quite well supported during transition and in the years since, with some shout outs to some key organisations.

Vulnerability and practicing daily gratitude have been key steps in his road to recovery and post service life.

A great listen indeed.

Enjoy listeners

VCA Team

Good day folks,

The team is nearing the end of it's tour to Timor Leste, with many a yarn to be shared in the coming weeks.

We are full steam ahead on our TA22 captured podcasts (Feb/Mar 2023, Gold Coast).

This week we chat to Luke Hilton, former Army medic and nurse, who served in Timor during INTERFET and UNTAET.

He has been out of the military for some time, and has had his fair share of success in life and business, as well as personal struggles.

His key message - everybody has a unique story that we should be invested in hearing, without judging a book by its cover. This was a lesson he learned after returning to Balibo with Timor Awakening, where he spent many months while on operations.

Cheers for a great chat Luke

Enjoy Listeners

VCA Team

Welcome back listeners,

We are picking up where we left off from the last episode, with the second part of the John White talk...

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John is with a Vietnam veteran and Australian Army Training Team Vietnam officer John White.

John was the commander on the ground during as the Battle of Ngok Tavak in Vietnam in 1968.

He talks through the events of the battle and talks in detail about the flow on effect that his time in Vietnam had on his physical and mental health, as well as the impact on his family. He wasn't diagnosed with PTSD until he was in his early 60s, and he had experienced no shortage of moral injury and social isolation over the decades since the war.

A very insightful talk indeed.

As mentioned, we will break John's talk into two Parts, this being the second.

Do yourself a favour and have a listen.

Enjoy

VCA Team

Welcome back listeners,

We are charging ahead with the TA22 content, this time with a Vietnam veteran and Australian Army Training Team Vietnam officer John White.

John was the commander on the ground during as the Battle of Ngok Tavak in Vietnam in 1968.

He talks through the events of the battle and talks in detail about the flow on effect that his time in Vietnam had on his physical and mental health, as well as the impact on his family.

He wasn't diagnosed with PTSD until he was in his early 60s, and he had experienced no shortage of moral injury and social isolation over the decades since the war.

A very insightful talk indeed.

We will break John's talk into two Parts, this being the first.

Do yourself a favour and have a listen.

Enjoy

VCA Team

Welcome back to the to our next iteration of podcasts.

With TA22 having recently wrapped up, we are going to start off with an update on recent VCA / TA activities, along with what's coming down the pipeline, with VCA President Gary Stone.

Gary takes us through the most recent key events, both domestically and abroad, along with what exciting programs are scheduled throughout 2023.

Recorded at the St Georges Holiday Suites in Cooloongtatta, at the conclusion of TA22.

Participant interviews to follow..

Enjoy listeners

VCA Team

Welcome back listeners, we are closing off our podcasts from the Veterans Retreat run late in 2022.

Last, but certainly not least, we are having a good chat with Ted Chitlam, a former Infantry Commanding Officer.

Ted went to Duntroon at the age of 16, in 1955 and had an illustrious 22-year career. Kicking off in Armoured Corps and soon transferring to Infantry, Ted served in 1RAR, 9RAR and 8/9 RAR, as well as numerous instructional, overseas and staff postings.

He served during the Malayan Emergency, and Vietnam in 1968 and become intimately involved in the veteran advocacy space. He was involved in the formation of the Alliance of Defence Service Organisations in 2009.

Ted refers to himself as a ‘so-called retiree’, Ted has done anything but put his feet up, and remains an active advocate between veterans and Government.

Fascinating listen Ted, cheers for the chat.

Enjoy listeners

VCA Team

Welcome back listeners, we are back for our next podcast episode from the VCA Veterans Retreat. This time we are chatting with David Freeman, from Freeman’s Organic Farm.

Those who have done a Gold Coast based program will most likely have had the opportunity to visit David’s organic farm in Currumbin.

Following the recent passing of his father, who was a fighter pilot in WWII and highly decorated man, David finally resigned to coming on the program as a participant, to receive a much-needed respite.

After 28 year’s service in the Army and deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan as a Legal Officer, David has had his fair share of personal challenges, and has trouble slowing down. He shares some fascinating insights regarding the importance of per groups, getting back into hobbies and coming clean to yourself about current physical and mental health after years of non-stop work.

Having beaten cancer as a young 31 year-old, David is passionate about organic farming and the importance of providing nutrient dense fruit and vegetables for people, and showing folks how to grow their own.

A great chat indeed.

Cheers David.

Enjoy listeners

VCA Team

Happy New Year listeners, welcome to 2023 and our next round of podcast interviews.

With the next Timor Awakening coming down the pipeline in Feb 2023, we have some additional interviews to share with you that were recorded during the Veterans Retreat from Oct/Nov 2022.

Next can off the rank is Adrian Humphries, a veteran of 15 years, most of which was spent in the Special Forces community.

Adrian joined in 2002 and after passing selection, joined 4RAR / 2 CDO REGT in 2005. He served in 7 deployments, including Solomon Island, Pakistan, Timor Leste and multiple SOTG rotations to Afghanistan.

For five years he was in the wilderness of medical challenges, both physical and mental, and has some great tips for other veterans regarding how to approach claims and the DVA process.

Adrian has a successful return to Timor as part of the Timor Awakening program, where he was able to get some closure that he was unaware was even needed.

Nowadays he is involved with some high profile film productions where his expertise is sought as a military advisor on set.

Great stories and insights, cheers Adrian for a great interview.

Welcome back listeners, we are edging closer to the end of 2022!

Today we have a chat with VCA’s own President, Gary Stone (version 4.0).

Gary has recently returned from a 2-month supervised sabbatical in an around his

He has returned a full rejuvenated man, the best he has felt in years.

The key elements of the sabbatical were disconnection from technology, journaling, personal reflection and being in nature.

Great insights that teach us all the importance of slowing down sometimes, to enjoy a well-earned break.

An the best is yet to come.

Cheers Gary and enjoy listeners

VCA Team