Ex army gunner
Kiel Goodman: “I
went downhill,
real quick.”and 10 early birds are working out in a
basement gym in the inner-Brisbane suburb
of Milton. Several, such as the square-jawed
Kiel Goodman, train with the prowess of
professional footballers. Others appear tight
and sore – as though they’d be better off on a
physiotherapist’s table.
There is more happening here than meets
the eye. “These sessions aren’t really about
fitness,” the instructor, Brett Taylor, tells me.
What, then? Bringing the men together.
Having them puff and banter as a group.
Having them repair to a café up the road
afterwards. Keeping them optimistic
and mentally balanced. And, not to
overdramatise, keeping them alive.
This is a space reserved for members of
Mates4Mates, a support organisation for
Australian Defence Force veterans who are
injured or ill as a result of their service. Those
guys who looked stiff doing lunges? One, Gary
McMahon, served in Malaysia in the ’70s.
His ankles, knees and back give him hell as
a result of making roughly 6,000 parachute
jumps. Another, Martin Turnbull, blew discs
in his back and wrecked his knees lugging
army equipment for 23 years, which included
a deployment in 1979-80 to the hotspot we
know now as Zimbabwe.
This Mates4Mates centre – and others like
it in Townsville and Hobart – is a godsend
considering Australia is in the grip of an
emergency: upwards of 50 veterans killed
themselves last year, according to military
insiders, more than the 41 who died in
combat in Afghanistan over 13 years.
“The time for simply talking about
veterans’ mental health, of falling back on
grand slogans of sacrifice, is over,” says John
Bale, co-founder and CEO of another veterans
support group, Soldier On. As this article goes
to print, a Senate investigation is exploring
not only what’s behind a phenomenon that is
as complex as it is disturbing, but also what
can be done to arrest it.
New statistics from the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare shine some
light. They show that being in the military
protects men from suicide for as long as
they’re serving. Compared to civilians, full-
time servicemen are more than 50 per cent
less likely to kill themselves. Being part of the
reserve is almost as protective.
Suicide risk soars, however, in the yearsIT’S SUNRISE ON A FRIDAY MORNING
Upwards of 50
veterans killed
themselves last year,
according to military
insiders; more than
the 41 who died in
combat in Afghanistan
over 13 years
114 MAY 2017
RUSSELL SHAKESPEARE