What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm

SMEAC Inc., 2315 Steve Irwin Way, Landsborough (2026)

01/06/2026

SMEAC - 24h ULTRA TRAIL RUN
SMEAC – One Tree, 24 Hours, 200 Runners and a Whole Lot of Heart.

Last weekend Camp SMEAC once again played host to the In2Adventure Ultra Trail Run, and what a weekend it turned out to be.

As if to remind us that no plan survives first contact, we woke on Saturday morning to find a large tree had come down overnight, blocking the main pathway into the event area. Before most people had finished their first coffee, Willow had fired up the chainsaw, rolled up his sleeves, and the obstacle was quickly turned into a pile of firewood. Problem solved. Mission on.

Then the runners arrived.
Over the course of the weekend, around 200 competitors, along with their families, supporters and spectators, descended on Camp SMEAC for what can only be described as an incredible test of endurance, determination and stubbornness.

For those unfamiliar with the event, the headline challenge is simple in theory and brutal in practice.
One 5km trail lap. Every hour. For 24 hours.

The winner isn't just the person who completes the most laps, but the person who completes them in the fastest cumulative time.
For many competitors, twenty-four laps was a bridge too far, but there were plenty of other categories available, including shorter challenges such as the 5-lap and 10-lap events, allowing everyone from seasoned ultra-runners to weekend warriors to have a crack.
What stood out most wasn't the competition.

It was the atmosphere.
Kids running around the finish area.
Families cheering on exhausted runners.
Competitors encouraging each other despite being rivals.
People digging deep, lap after lap, hour after hour, refusing to quit when every muscle in their body was telling them otherwise.
It was one of those weekends that reminds you why events like this are special.

Of course, events of this size don't happen by themselves.
When the call went out for volunteers, the response was incredible.
Jed, Willow, Tony, Chrissy, Wh**ey, Kody, Colin, Leanne, Wally and the entire Wotton family—too numerous to mention individually—answered the call.
Like always, SMEAC volunteers simply got on with the job.
Together they produced hundreds of meals and drinks over the weekend, including:
• The famous Wh**ey Works BurgersTM
• Brekkie Burgers
• Beef and Gravy Rolls
• Kransky Sausages
• Surprisingly popular ‘Veggie Works Burgers’
• Gluten-Free Burgers, (Yuk)
• Smoothies
• Milkshakes, and
• Hundreds of coffees in all shapes, form and sizes

A special thank you must also go to Woolworths Beerwah, whose ongoing support of SMEAC continues to make a real difference. This weekend they kindly donated all of the burger and hot dog rolls used throughout the event.
Support like this directly assists us in supporting veterans and allows us to continue providing quality services and facilities to the wider community.
The event also gave many people their first glimpse of Camp SMEAC, our volunteers, and the work that goes on here every day. Judging by the feedback, we suspect many will be back.

The good news?
In2Adventure is looking at doing it all again, possibly in October.
After watching the effort, determination and camaraderie on display, we're seriously considering putting together a Veteran and / or Current Serving Team to tackle the challenge.
Whether that's 5 laps, 10 laps or the full 24-hour madness remains to be seen.
If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, drop us a comment below and let us know.

We'd love to see a team of veterans and serving members taking on the challenge together under the SMEAC banner.
Finally, a huge thank you to Robyn, Simon and the entire In2Adventure crew for another outstanding event.
Great people.
Great energy.
Great community.

And yet another reminder that when good people come together, amazing things happen.
Veterans Helping Veterans.
See you in October.

Cheers
Stomps

30/05/2026

Beautiful Day here at Camp SMEAC hosting “In2adventure” for the weekend.

23/05/2026

On Thursday, Camp SMEAC received an incredible donation from the team at Toro Australia— a brand new Toro Titan zero-turn mower.

To say we are grateful would be an understatement.

The RAEME boys have done it again.

What started as a quick phone call from Nick - ex-RAEME - and mates of Jed and Bales - Ex RAEME, which turned into something far bigger. Nick reached out to Paul from Toro, who then contacted Laurence Bingham, General Manager of Toro Australia. A few more calls were made to Julianna and others behind the scenes before Laurence made the big call…

“Donate a zero-turn mower to SMEAC.”

That one decision will now have a direct impact on veterans here at Camp SMEAC every single day.

For organisations like SMEAC, support from businesses isn’t just about equipment. It’s about belief. It’s about companies backing veteran-led organisations and understanding that practical support on the ground directly impacts the lives of veterans every day.

Camp SMEAC sits on a large property, and maintaining the grounds is a constant battle. Grass doesn’t stop growing just because funding is tight, volunteers are stretched, or another veteran arrives needing support. Every dollar we don’t have to spend on maintenance is a dollar that instead goes back into helping veterans reconnect, rehabilitate, retrain, and reintegrate.

Toro has a proud heritage, both in the United States and now here in Australia, of supporting veterans and veteran organisations, and we are incredibly proud and humbled to now be part of that story.

A huge thank you to Darren Millard and the entire Toro team for not only donating the Toro Titan 76550TA, but for taking the time to visit the camp, see what we do firsthand, and genuinely get behind the mission.

One thing is already very clear though… Willow has not been off the thing since it arrived. We strongly suspect he’s already trying to work out how to mount a torch on the front so he can keep mowing well into the night.

In all seriousness, this is exactly what community support looks like.

Businesses supporting veteran organisations.
Communities backing veterans.
Practical help creating real outcomes.

From all of us at SMEAC — thank you Toro. Your generosity will have a direct and lasting impact here at Camp SMEAC.

Veterans Helping Veterans.

22/05/2026

Food for thought.
From Becky our amazing Veteran Case Manager from (Evolve Addiction) has passed on this information for your reading pleasure regarding changes to DVA service payments starting 1st July.

Buckle up.
From 1 July 2026, the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence related claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) will close to new claims for rehabilitation and compensation and DVA will consider claims submitted from that date under an improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA).
What are incapacity payments?
Incapacity payments compensate veterans for economic loss due to the inability (or reduced ability) to work because of an injury or disease that has been accepted as service related under the MRCA or the DRCA.

What will happen from 1 July 2026?
From 1 July 2026, all new claims for incapacity payments will be assessed under the MRCA. All veterans will be able to claim under the MRCA, even if their condition/s were accepted under the VEA or the DRCA.

Additionally, existing DRCA incapacity recipients will be transitioned onto MRCA incapacity payments. MRCA incapacity payments are calculated differently to DRCA incapacity payments and are more beneficial for veterans. Veterans may see an increase in their payments.

No veterans or family members will experience a reduction in the payments they are already receiving.

Current MRCA veterans
The eligibility and application process for incapacity payments will remain the same for veterans under the MRCA.

Current DRCA veterans
From 1 July 2026, all claims for incapacity payments will be paid under the MRCA.

If you are already receiving incapacity payments under the DRCA, DVA will transition you onto MRCA payments. You will not need to re-claim incapacity payments (unless your payments have already ceased and you need to reapply).

Current VEA veterans
From 1 July 2026, you may be eligible for incapacity benefits under the MRCA if you are prevented from undertaking remunerative employment and are still of working age.

If you are receiving Disability Compensation Payments (DCP) under the VEA immediately before 1 July 2026, these payments will continue to be paid and you may also be eligible for incapacity payments – you will be able to receive both payments at the same time.

Whilst you can start the process of gathering documents to apply under the MRCA, only claims from 1 July 2026 will be considered under this expanded eligibility. If you need financial support in the meantime, you may consider claiming an increase to your DCP, Loss of Earnings Allowance, or Service Pension under the VEA. You can contact your advocate or DVA for help.

Current TPI veterans
If you are receiving DCP above the general rate (e.g. the Special or Intermediate Rate) immediately before 1 July 2026, these payments will continue but you can also claim MRCA incapacity payments.

In many cases incapacity payments will be paid at a higher rate than TPI, as incapacity benefits are based on actual earnings – they are not paid at a fixed rate like TPI is.

Currently, any incapacity payments a veteran receives will reduce (offset) the amount of DCP they are paid. However, from 1 July 2026 these offsetting rules are changing – only ‘above general rate’ pensions will be reduced because of incapacity payments. Offsetting ensures that a veteran does not receive two types of compensation for the same loss (e.g. loss of earnings).

Veterans who receive both an ‘above general rate’ pension and incapacity payments will only have a portion of their DCP reduced, rather than the entire pension. As such, they will continue to receive a DCP amount equivalent to a ‘general rate’ (0-100% depending on their impairment levels).

Once incapacity benefits cease (for example due to reaching retirement age) DCP is no longer offset by the incapacity benefits.

***deprevention

08/05/2026

For those wishing to visit our Website use smeac.org.au
Besides that well said Bale's.
Cheers
Stomps

30/04/2026

SMEAC – Veterans Helping Veterans
We’re pack animals.
We fight in packs.
We’re trained in packs.
We survive in packs.
And we don’t do well fighting on our own.
Achtung! Long Post.
Last night I was talking to Coleen—or as most of you know her, Coleen Volunteer—when she asked me a question that genuinely caught me off guard.
And for a second, I didn’t really know how to answer it.
Not because it was a hard question…
But because it had never even occurred to me that it was actually a question.
To me, it was just… obvious.
And no—it wasn’t about rocket science or quantum physics.

It was this:
“When you were in the Army, where did you sleep at night?
How did they get your beds to you… how were you safe?”
Wow!!!
Generally, we just didn’t have beds. There—so there is problem solved, question answered.

But it got me thinking. And quite quickly it’s becoming obvious that a lot of our supporters and followers, even volunteers—although many are ex-service—many of you are not.

The reality of that question is that situations and experiences vary, especially between services, and what I am about to discuss may be as alien for some veterans as it is to the rest of the uninitiated.
The reality for me was that when we went bush, or when on operations, you almost always slept on the ground. That was it.
Dirt, rock, mud, sand—whatever.

Flat ground, mountains, wrapped around a tree to stop sliding down, or wherever you were placed tactically to prevent the enemy gaining a line of approach orto provide an advantage, or as a base to conduct nighttime operations.

But one thing for sure—you were never placed in a particular area for comfort.
Figuratively speaking wherever you placed your head for the time being… that was your home.
Infantry can sleep anywhere. You learn that very quickly. Not because it’s comfortable—but because there is really no other option.

For instance, there were times whilst on patrol in Timor where I’d sleep sitting up. Pack pushed up against a tree, leaning back into it, chest rig loosened, draped in a poncho liner, eyes closed, looking out, weapon across my lap pointed outwards into the dark.
And to be honest, my biggest concern wasn’t always what was out there—because I could deal with that / them.

It was what I might do in my sleep that bothered me.
I used to worry about accidentally firing my weapon whilst gonking. That dream where something’s happening resulting in you squeezing the trigger. That thought sat heavier with me at times than whatever might have been outside the wire.

Another time, years ago in Malaysia, we were harboured up—defensive position—in a rice paddy.
During the night it started raining. Pi***ng down.
The paddies filled up. By the end of it, we were lying in water, trying to sleep with just our heads up on the little mounds around the palm trees so, to be honest… we didn’t drown.

Not particularly unusual. Just another night.
Usually, though, we’d stop wherever required for operational reasons, harbour up, and set a defensive position.
Where you slept had nothing to do with comfort. It had everything to do with where you needed to be if something kicked off.
Didn’t matter about the water running through it.
Didn’t matter if it was full of rocks or roots.

You slept where you needed to be—because waking up alive was more important than the quality of sleep.
Then you get somewhere like Baghdad, or compounds in Afghanistan—and that was a different story. Not better… just different.

There were beds, or cots. We had rooms, of sorts. We were generally working out of a base of some sorts.
Usually in section or platoon lots—30 blokes, or so, crammed into old buildings, connexes, dongas, mud buildings, containers usually in groups of 10—whatever was available.

Troops, weapons, piles of ammunition, and personal effects everywhere.
If you’re thinking barracks blocks—forget it.
Organised chaos.
Nil privacy.
Great camaraderie.
Communal living on steroids.

I’d always sleep with my pistol under my makeshift pillow. All my gear—grenades, equipment—laid out right next to the bed so I could react at a moment’s notice.
Back in Timor, when we rotated back into base every couple of weeks, that was as close as you got to a reset.
Yank stretchers.
Mozzie nets.
Makeshift rooms in buildings we’d patched up ourselves.
Most of the roofs had been torn off—militia, Indonesian soldiers—so we rebuilt what we could just to make it liveable.
It wasn’t comfort.
It was just… less uncomfortable.
And that was enough.
But here’s the thing.

That question—“where did you sleep?”—it’s such a simple one.
But it opens up a much bigger reality.
Because it’s not just about where we slept.
It’s about how we lived.
What we ate.
How we spoke to each other.
How we shared everything.
A coffee wasn’t yours—it was shared.
A smoke wasn’t yours—it went around.
A meal wasn’t individual—it was split.
I cleaned the gun you made the feed.
Everything was about the team.
We lived as one.
We moved as one.

And above everything else—we looked after our mates, we weren’t the first and we aren’t the last its just the way it is and at SMEAC we are still doing it.
That was the norm.
And I think that’s where the real disconnect is.
Because for us, this was just life.
We assume everyone knows this stuff.
But they don’t.

To most people, it’s completely foreign. Almost hard to believe.
And then one day—it stops. Just like that. It’s over.
One minute you’re part of the closest team you’ll ever be in.
The next—you’re out. You’re not.
And suddenly you’re by yourself.

No team.
No structure.
By yourself.
And people wonder why that transition is hard.
At SMEAC, this is exactly what we’re trying to rebuild through the reconnection phase of the 4 Rs.
Because the truth is—we’re pack animals.
We fight in packs.
We’re trained in packs.
We survive in packs.
And we don’t do well fighting on our own.

So, when someone asks a simple question like “where did you sleep?”—it’s easy to give a simple answer.
“We slept on the ground.”
But the reality behind that answer…
That’s a whole different world.
Interested to hear your individual experiences in the comments.

Cheers
Stomps

share your sleeping yarn below

26/04/2026

SMEAC, ANZAC Day at Camp SMEAC – Earned, Not Owned
What a day.
Our third ANZAC Day here at Camp SMEAC—and the first standing in front of our new Memorial Wall—and it didn’t disappoint.
The turnout was massive. Far more than we expected. Veterans, families, supporters… people coming together for the right reasons. The Gods did us proud and the rain held off, almost like it knew to stay away until the last words were spoken.
The service itself carried exactly the tone it needed to.
The address was delivered, followed by a minute’s silence that you could feel right through the crowd. Then Andrew stepped forward and delivered Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen in full the last paragraph being the Ode—no shortcuts, no fluff. Just truth. And it hit exactly the way it should.
Behind the scenes, Jed cooked up a storm and somehow managed to feed everyone—even with the unexpected numbers. That’s the sort of effort that doesn’t get seen, but makes all the difference.
And as always, Navy Dave and the rest of the volunteers just got on with it. No fuss and no desire for recognition. Just doing what needs to be done.
And to be honest this is what this place is about.
SMEACs ANZAC Day wasn’t about pomp and ceremony. It wasn’t about VIPs or ticking boxes.
This was about our people.
About those who raised their right hand.
About those who stood beside us.
About those who came home—and those who didn’t.
And for many of us, it’s about our mates those lost in combat, in training, and far too often… after the uniform came off.
That’s why days like this matter.
Because ANZAC Day isn’t owned.
It’s earned.
And if it’s going to mean anything moving forward, it has to be about more than remembrance. It has to be about action—looking after our own, addressing the real issues in our community, and making sure no one gets left behind.
To everyone who came along—thank you.
It means more than you know.
Lest we forget.
Cheers
Stomps

23/04/2026

SMEAC runs on volunteers. On private donations. On blood, sweat, steel—and bloody good people.
People like Coleen—keeping me honest, remembering names I should remember, answering messages, doing the books, and all the other things that keep this place moving that most people never see.
Then there’s Bales—think rockabilly sideburns—looking after all the boring but critical camp stuff. Maintenance, policies, safety… all the things no one in their right mind would trust me with.
And Jed—knocking up one feed after another. Meals that not even Laura, our nutritionist, can fault. Whether it’s fixing a ride-on, rewiring a car, or producing something special in the kitchen—Jed’s your man.
We’ve got Chrissy keeping the place looking schmick. Chris travels up from Sydney and just gets on with it for days at a time. I keep telling the politicians I’m responsible for the room styling—but no one’s believed me yet.
I’m not going to speak here about the executive or the digs currently going through the programs—but I am going to talk about the Brothers Coombs.
John and Chris Coombs will probably hate me for this, as both are pretty private blokes.
Chris and I served together in Anti-Armour Platoon, 3 RAR. John lived across the road—in a battalion we don’t talk about… alright, 5/7 RAR and one we do 2/4 RAR.
These two are, without doubt, the biggest private supporters of SMEAC. Financial support, raffle items, donations, BBQ pits—whatever’s needed, they just get it done.
A couple of days ago, we got a frantic call from the Landsborough Post Office—their storeroom was chockers with parcels. Yep… all sent from John Coombs.
Care packages he’d personally put together for homeless veterans marching in. Eight boxes, four plus kilos a pop, full of gear—and at over $50 postage each, all at his own expense.
Both have served their country. And both are still serving—just in a different way, both no less dangerous.
Two absolute cracking humans—and two people I so proud to call them my mates.
We’re surrounded by generous people at SMEAC. But in this instance, I just want to call out the Brothers Coombs for going way beyond the Pale.
On Kapyong Day and ANZAC Day, I’ll be raising a glass to these two out of the port barrel in the RAR Bar—yep, the one they donated.
You both rock.
Cheers,
Stomps

23/04/2026

ANZAC DAY EARNED NOT OWNED
SMEAC Veterans Remembering Veterans
I’m hearing a lot of my veteran mates, on social media, talking about different forms of protest this year—skipping the Dawn Service, not wearing medals, civil disobedience… call it what you like. And I’m hearing quite a few veterans talking about not participating because, “It’s not for them”.

At the end of the day, they’re YOUR gongs and it’s YOUR life. You’ve earned the right to do as you see fit.
But—and it’s a big but—ANZAC Day isn’t owned by any organisation, or any group. It belongs to YOU.

Those medals are yours. The Dawn Service is about us commemorating our mates—those who raised their right hand, who waved good bye to families, usually in the dead of night, those who stood beside you whilst doing picquet on foreign lands, who attacked and repelled attack who patched wounds, carried casualties to the DUSTOFF, and who attended the ramp ceremonies or carried the flag draped coffins.

ANZAC is about those who stood beside us, who came before us. In many cases, those who never came home. For us these are not cute phrases recited by politicians these words are real, they are a part of our make-up.

There’s real frustration out there, and rightly so. We’ve all seen it, permission for veterans playing Two-Up, denied and come to think of it remember during COVID when VIPs who’d never served were prioritised while veterans were turned away.

There’s also a growing belief that certain organisations “run the show.” From where I stand, that’s not how most veterans see it.
Because the truth is simple—this day is ours. And if it becomes more about pomp and ceremony at the expense of the digger who literally can’t face the music, then we’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.
War is a real sh*tfight. It brings out the worst in humans—but it also brings out the best, and the Australian current serving and the veterans who went before them by and large are top notch.
If people want to “own” ANZAC, then own the rest of it as well.

Step up and fix the problems that are still breaking our community—veteran mental health, homelessness, and su***de.
Ask yourself this:
Why are hospital mental health units calling SMEAC when they’ve got a veteran who needs help? Why are our SMEAC homeless dorm full of blokes who’ve slipped through the cracks?
Why are veterans being lied to, by certain ESOs, in relation to coming to SMEAC, about communication, about availability and about garbage that simply isn’t true? Why would a hotel be provided in Brisbane for a veteran on the Sunshine Coast after asking to come to SMEAC?

There is a real mess out there—and throwing more money at the same broken system, or spending millions on marketing, isn’t going to fix it any time soon.

So, for your mates’ sake don’t Forsake—dust off your gongs, grab your hip flask, and either head to a formal service, come down to SMEAC, or make one of your own.
YOU / WE own ANZAC. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Cheers,
STOMPS
________________________________________
KAPYONG DAY – 24 APRIL
Location: RAR Bar, Camp SMEAC
Time: 1800h start
• Light bar snacks on arrival
• BBQ to follow
• A few quiet refreshments
All welcome—especially ex–3 RAR.
A chance to reconnect, reflect, and remember.
________________________________________
ANZAC DAY – 25 APRIL
Location: SMEAC Memorial Wall, Camp SMEAC
Dawn Service: 0530h
Arrive: 0500h for a 0530h start
Parking available—proceed to the SMEAC car park and follow directions.
Following the service:
• Gunfire breakfast provided
• Refreshments available
________________________________________
LOCATION
Camp SMEAC
2315 Steve Irwin Way
Landsborough QLD
Enter through the car park opposite the Big Kart Track and then denter through the yellow gates and follow the gravel track for approximately 400 metres.

SMEAC Inc.

01/06/2026

30/05/2026

23/05/2026

22/05/2026

08/05/2026

30/04/2026

26/04/2026

23/04/2026

23/04/2026

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