Homebase for the Veteran Community in Townsville

Homebase: relax and meet with peers and friends

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The Oasis Townsville is the Homebase for the veteran community in Townsville and surrounding areas. 

 

Who is a veteran? Although some younger and some older veterans feel less comfortable with the universal use of the term 'veteran', for ease of definition we use the DVA definition: anyone who has commenced the significant commitment to serving in the ADF. This response to a question put to DVA tells the story.

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Who's in the Veteran Community? All family members and close friends of all veterans.

 

10 Veteran Community Needs

 

The Oasis Townsville employs a simple framework to gain a comprehensive understanding of an individual's entire situation. We call it the Veteran Community Needs.

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Transition, Connection, Integration

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Our Homebase is a place for the veteran community to meet and feel safe among peers and friends. We also offer some specific services to support veterans and their families with:

• transition out of the ADF or any other significant transition for that matter,

• connection with other veterans, veteran organisations and the Townsville community, and

• integration into the social and economic life of Townsville.

 

Levels and Type of Support

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Everyone needs some support some of the time, but not all the time. That support can range from helping deal with a crisis; to helping to resolve a few issues that in combination are causing stress on individuals and families; to helping with making some life decisions about the future. 

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• Peer Support. Support from peers and friends experiencing similar circumstances and discussing options and opportunities based on others experiences to help stay on the best path. This is one of the main purposes of the Homebase - a place to meet in comfortable and familiar surroundings.

• Life Planning Support. Assistance with planning for the future and the way ahead to achieve your best life. This is a service provided by The Oasis Townsville via our Wellbeing Program. We are in the process of expanding this capability to enable more service personnel to access the service, especially those who are keen to make the best preparations possible for the day of eventual transition. 

• Case Management. Help to manage a collection of issues that are causing some stress.

• Crisis Support. Managing a crisis is a special capability that we leave to the experts. In the first instance, there are helplines to call that will help identify the best approach to individual or family crises. The Oasis Townsville is not a crisis service.

 

5 Phases of Preparation for Life after ADF

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Which Phase of Life are you in now? 

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We recognise there are differences in the support needed depending on which phase veterans and their families are in. We directly service and support each of these five phases of their life/career:

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1. Early Planning Phase: Joined the ADF but have not thought seriously about transitioning out, just thinking ahead.

2. Immediate Planning Phase: Have largely decided to transition or am seriously considering transition, but have not yet notified Defence of intent to transition.

3. Transitioning Phase: Have completed the AC853 formally notifying Defence of the decision to transition or have been advised of Defence decision to effect involuntary transition, and am still serving in the ADF.

4. Settling into Civilian Life Phase: Have transitioned out of the ADF but am inside the two years since the transition.

5. Post ADF Life Phase: It's been over two years since the transition.

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