Construction begins on Nowra Veteran Wellbeing Centre
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee was on site at the Nowra Wellbeing Centre’s permanent home to turn the first sod and officially launch construction works.
Once construction has finished the site will offer a new, purpose-built facility that will provide a range of health and wellbeing services for veterans and their families in the region.
The Australian Government has committed over $40 million to develop a network of Veteran Wellbeing Centres across Australia in partnership with ex-service organisations and state and territory Governments. The Centres focus on the provision of health and wellbeing services, and are designed to be community hubs for veterans and their families.
The Veteran Wellbeing Centre network is expanding to eight locations nationally—Perth, Townsville, Adelaide, Nowra, Wodonga, Darwin, South-East Queensland and Tasmania.
While each of the initial six centres are at a different stage of development, they are all providing much needed services in their communities. The expansion of the network into South East Queensland and Tasmania is also underway with new lead organisations and locations expected to be announced in the coming months.
The centres are available to all current and former serving Australian Defence Force members, including reservists, and their families, and provide individualised wellbeing services based on the needs of local veterans and their families. They are run by organisations who have established relationships with the local community.
This event marks a milestone for the Nowra community with the new permanent facility expected to be operational by mid-2022.
Read more information about the National network of Veteran Wellbeing Centres.