03/07/2026
FROM THE PREZ
SMEAC – Veterans Helping Veterans
It’s a long one... but today that’s how it’s rolling...
Sometimes a message lands in your inbox that just makes you stop what you’re doing and think...pause the battle and take heed.
Over the weekend I received an phone call from an excited Coleen explaining that we had received a generous donation deposited directly into our account. Which as it turns out to be the largest donation from any one individual that SMEAC has ever received.
Initially, we had no idea who it was from. No name. No fanfare. No email. Just a bank deposit...It took a whole lot of detective work by Coleen, (You would know of her as Coleen Volunteer), to discover the identity and contact details of the person behind this extraordinary act of generosity.
It came from a lady who asked for nothing in return. She didn’t seek recognition, photo opportunities nor a stage. She simply wanted to help veterans.
Out of respect, I won’t share her letter as it was written personally to me, but in essence she told me that this wouldn’t be a once-off and that she wanted to continue supporting what we do.
There were many things in her email that struck a chord, but one sentence in particular has stayed with me.
“So much money doesn’t get where it needs to go so badly and to who needs it the most.”
That sentence hit home because that is precisely one of the main reasons why SMEAC exists.
We receive no ongoing government funding to operate our day-to-day services, no one here is paid and every cent goes directly into the fight.
Everything you see happening at Camp SMEAC is made possible not only because of our volunteers but also because ordinary Australians decide that veterans are worth investing in and by putting their faith in SMEAC. Be it individuals, families, small community groups or Local businesses. Just people who simply care.
Every Wednesday our camp fills with veterans seeking connection, medical support, counselling, a coffee, a laugh, or simply somewhere they don’t have to pretend everything is okay.
Right now, our emergency accommodation is operating at capacity and with a waiting list, which is both wonderful and at the same time heartbreaking.
Wonderful because it means veterans know there is somewhere safe to come, heartbreaking because just next to the mess there is Dorm Two another accommodation block in addition to two additional cabins waiting to be completed. Buildings that could house more veterans. More families. More people trying to rebuild their lives.
They’re not empty because they aren’t needed, they’re empty because we simply don’t yet have the funds to finish them and that’s the reality of running a charity where every dollar is stretched as far as it will go. We’ve reached out to those who caused the problem but quite frankly they are too busy donating to the Taliban and other enterprises more deserving...
The amazing lady who sent me that email brought up an interesting point...
People don’t just donate money, they are in fact donating their trust. They place their faith in complete strangers By saying, “I believe in what you’re doing.”
That could be conceived as a potential throw away line but on the other side of the coin that trust carries an enormous responsibility, and I can honestly say we never take it for granted.
From me to this remarkable person - From every Director, every volunteer, every family member, and every veteran whose life will be touched because of your generosity...Thank you.
With all the corruption, incompetence, nest feathering, grandstanding going on out there this is just a poignant reminder that there are still extraordinary people in this country who quietly change lives without ever asking for recognition.
And to everyone who supports SMEAC, whether it’s five dollars, five hundred dollars, volunteering your time, sharing our posts, or simply telling someone about us...
Please know that you are not just supporting a charity. You are helping build a place where veterans reconnect, heal, rediscover purpose, and realise they don’t have to fight their battles alone. You are building this place we call SMEAC.
SMEAC has the best of both worlds yes we are bricks and mortar but, more so, we are a community much the same as our defence force is a community and communities are supposed to look after those who make up their ranks... to us Veterans Helping Veterans isn’t just a slogan.
It’s our catch cry and it’s our community.
And to me that’s something pretty bloody special.
And lastly- i know - that regardless of the amount - some feel it is not appreciated, and the lack of a personal thank you from me is just plain proof of that...it couldn’t be further from the truth.
To put an old soldiers take on it, to me money is am******on, the more I have the more battles I can fight. The reality is that we are wearing dozens of hats and dealing with some extremely difficult, delicate and complicated cases and are limited by hours in the day, days in a week etc...So if this paragraph applies to you...I’m sorry and thank you
Cheers
Stomps
