How the Young Veterans Committee plans to take action in support of younger veterans

Two new members of the RSL NSW Young Veterans Committee on how it helps support fellow young veterans, and how the committee works with the RSL NSW Board.

By Lachlan Haycock

At a glance

• The RSL NSW Young Veterans Committee has provided a platform for younger veterans in the community for three years.
• RSL NSW Board Chair Louise Sullivan says it’s not about forgetting the rest of the veteran community, but providing the proper recognition for an under-represented group.
• “Think about what you’re there to do for veterans, and then go and do it,” suggests new YVC member Clay Marks.

In the three years since the RSL NSW Young Veterans Committee (YVC) was established, it has advanced the interests of younger veterans and examined ways to better support them.

The committee collaborates closely with the RSL NSW Board of Directors, an arrangement designed to be mutually beneficial.

The current YVC Chair, Air Force veteran Jye Martyn, was elected following the RSL NSW State Congress & AGM in October. Joining at the same time were Clay Marks and Major Robyn Davis of the Oatley and Port Macquarie RSL sub-Branches respectively.

Marks and Davis shared their experiences leaving Defence, joining an RSL sub-Branch, and becoming part of a committee focused on platforming the needs and interests of younger veterans within the RSL NSW community.

“It was time to join the RSL”

The experiences of former Army Black Hawk aircrewman Marks as he transitioned out of Defence in 2013 proved challenging.

“I wouldn’t use the word harrowing, but it was poorly managed,” he says. “I’d had enough and was burnt out.”

The support provided by an RSL sub-Branch greatly assisted him through the process, as it had during postings to South Australia and Townsville while still in Defence.

Marks is now the President of the Oatley RSL sub-Branch, and the first younger veteran to be elected to the position at the sub-Branch.

Marks looks forward to being a part of the YVC in 2025 because of the opportunity the position brings to provide assistance to peers.

“We’re all here to support one another,” says Marks. “Sub-Branches should keep reminding themselves and members that’s what we’re here to ultimately do. Take away all the outside influences and agendas. Think about what you’re there to do for veterans, and then go and do it.”

Fruits of collaboration

A key function of the YVC is its regular contact with the RSL NSW Board of Directors and its advocacy for all younger veterans, whether they are RSL sub-Branch members or not.

For Board Chair Louise Sullivan, a former Army Reservist with experience in the military police and legal corps, the benefits of the arrangement are obvious.

“When forming the YVC, the Board had a deliberate strategy, in alignment with the RSL NSW Strategic Plan 2021-26, to ensure we developed a better understanding of the needs of our diverse membership,” she explained. “Our purpose is to be here for all veterans of all ages. We needed to make sure we were listening to the voices of all.”

“It’s not that other members of the veteran community don’t have the same voice. It’s about making sure we provide something … that can provide cut-through for this particular cohort.”

Sullivan, who was elected to the Board in 2021 and became Chair in June this year, says she and another Director are invited to regular YVC meetings, which are an opportunity to foster discussion between the groups.

This collaboration is especially vital as the new year approaches.

“As we respond to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide now and into 2025, we need to make sure that the board is connected to the membership, and that we continue to listen to and embrace the unique experiences of younger veterans,” says Sullivan.

“It’s not that other members of the veteran community don’t have the same voice. It’s about making sure we provide something outside the traditional sub-Branch structure that can provide cut-through for this particular cohort, which, in the past, has been under-represented.”

“I bridge the generations”

Davis boasts a 42-year career in Defence, which has not yet ended. She started out as a Reservist before entering the Regular Army, and later returned to the Reserves. She is currently an Education Corps officer.

She says she joined the YVC as a way of enhancing connections between different groups of veterans, some of whom may not “understand” each other because of differing personal circumstances.

“My positions in Defence and the YVC enable me to provide support to Defence personnel while they’re in the system and as they transition out,” she says, adding that she considers herself to bridge the gap between younger veterans still in Defence and the generations of veterans who have already transitioned out – potentially some time ago.

Davis says joining the sub-Branch, and even volunteering her time as the Wellbeing Officer, gives her the ability to be a force for change.

“Veterans who have been sub-Branch members for a while don’t always understand the younger veterans,” she says. “There’s often a difference in lifestyle. Young veterans often have families or are trying to gain employment, and may not be able to leave work at 3:00 for a committee meeting.”

RSL NSW welcomes veterans of any age, background and service length to join the organisation. Access support services and become part of a like-minded community of peers by becoming a member of RSL NSW.