“It’s hard to talk about”: Mental health awareness at the heart of Ballarat veterans expo

When David George left for Vietnam in 1968, he was just 21-years-old. A rifleman in the infantry, he spent seven months in the warzone before being sent home.

“I don't talk about it very much,” he told the Brolga. 

“I've ended up with PTSD… I was nearly killed several times, I was wounded, a shrapnel wound in the leg.” 

Now, David is working to organise and support veterans and first responders across western Victoria who may have similar experiences, with an expo to be held at the Australian Catholic University Ballarat, on October 25.

Returning soldiers looking towards daily life

David said his return to daily life after returning from war was “extremely difficult” and something that has been hard for the rest of his life since. 

For decades after his return, he said he went by “just trying to stay sane”. 

Building a life with his wife, Lyn, and raising two children, David eventually found connection through the Military Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. 

That group went on to form the Ballarat Vic West sub-branch as well as the Ballarat Veterans Assistance Centre. The sub-branch now organises the Veterans, First Responders and Families Expo, which will be held for the second year running in October.

This year’s event has doubled in size from last year, with 41 ex-service support organisations attending next month.

Groups on hand will range from suicide prevention services to government agencies, including supporters I’ve Got Your 6 Foundation, Lifeline, and March Ahead. 

Lyn George, who is a board member and liaison officer for the IGY6 Foundation, said their goal was to reach more of the estimated 5,000 veterans in Ballarat and western Victoria, as well as first responders who face their own battles with PTSD and burnout.

“We’re trying to get the veterans that need support aware of what's out there so they can get some help,” she said. “Suicide is a big issue.”

David said first responders also deserve the same recognition and pathways to care as veterans. 

“There’s a lot of Victoria Police people who feel they don’t get support,” he said. “It would be nice for people to know there’s someone they can reach out to.”

He noted cultural differences in how the groups process trauma. 

“It's hard to talk about, I know war veterans talk a lot of banter. We don't have too many serious conversations,” David said. 

“The first responders haven't got that culture that military veterans have got. They're a little more serious, so I guess that’s telling on their mental status.”

Diagnosed with PTSD in the early 1980s, David has spent years working with counsellors, initially going to the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service for help, which is now known as Open Arms.

“I'm not in too bad a position at the moment, but it's been a terrible journey.”

He said his advice for anyone struggling is straightforward but often difficult to act on.

“Get help. We can say ‘get help’ many, many times, but it is up to them. We can push them as much as we can, but in the end they have to do it themselves.”

The expo runs from 11am to 2pm and is free to attend. Everybody is welcome.

“You never know what can come out of it,” said David. “Some people who aren’t veterans may know someone who is and can pass the word along. Just getting the word out that there is help.”