MEMBER NEWS

The small coastal town of Cardwell, located 165 km north of Townsville, has held its annual Battle of the Coral Sea memorial, a heartfelt tradition organised in collaboration with the Cardwell and Cairns RSL branches.

The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (AAHOF) has unveiled its 2025 inductees and the recipient of the esteemed Southern Cross Award, honouring extraordinary contributions to Australian aviation and aerospace.

In Australia, a ‘veteran means a person who has served, or is serving, as a member of the Permanent Forces or as a member of the Reserves’. This definition is found in the Australian Veterans’ Recognition (Putting Veterans and Their Families First) Act 2019. The extent of this definition provides for any person who has served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), which includes the Navy, Army and Air Force. It ensures that every person who has served in the ADF is recognised as a veteran, whether their ‘defence service means warlike service, non warlike service or peacetime service.’

The Department of Defence has launched a free mobile app designed to support Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and families as they navigate their transition to civilian life.

The Air Force Association (AFA) is pushing forward with fresh momentum, as National President Air Vice-Marshal Joe Iervasi (retd) shared updates from recent engagements in Melbourne, Russell and the Ex-Service Organisation Round Table (ESORT) in June.

A National Commemorative Service was held at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra on 25 June 2025 to mark the 75th anniversary of Australian involvement in the Korean War.

To recognise the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific, the Air Force Band will conduct two commemorative concerts at the Canberra Theatre Centre on 14 August 2025 to honour the service and sacrifice of those who contributed to the victory during the Second World War.

The Air Force Association (South Australia) recently hosted the Hon Joe Szakacs, Minister for Veterans Affairs in South Australia, in Adelaide for the monthly Combined Ex-Services Mess in Veterans Lunch and to present two 60-year AFA Membership Certificates to 100-year-old South Australian World War 2 Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force Veterans.

The Air Force Association (South Australia) recently joined with RAAF Edinburgh in celebrating the centenaries of three World War 2 Air Force veterans as part of an ongoing local program to recognise the service of our World War 2 veterans who turn 100.

Defence Community Dogs (DCD), established in 2014 by the Defence Bank Foundation, trains and provides assistance dogs at no cost to serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members.

The Air Force Association Queensland Division has held its annual Bomber Command Commemorative Service, a solemn tribute to the Royal Australian Air Force’s enduring traditions.

The annual National Ceremony commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea, a defining World War II victory, has been held at the forecourt of the Australian-American Memorial in Canberra. Immediate Past Vice President of the Air Force Association (AFA), AIRCDRE Peter McDermott AM CSC (Ret’d), attended the ceremony, representing the AFA and laying a wreath to pay tribute to the Allied forces’ heroism.

The Australian Veterans’ Children Assistance Trust (AVCAT) is offering tertiary scholarships for 2026, providing $4,000 to $6,000 annually for up to three years to children and grandchildren of Australian ex-serving veterans.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Korean War, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) will honour the occasion with a National Commemorative Service on 25 June 2025 at the Australian National Korean War Memorial on Anzac Parade, Canberra.
The event honoured Anzac and commemorated the 80th Anniversary of VE Day in early May.