The 460km bike ride from Warrnambool to spotlight services for veterans

When Adam Kent left the Australian Army in 2006, he thought he’d find his footing easily enough. Fit, and playing local footy in Warrnambool, he expected life after service would fall into place. 

Instead, he found himself “marking time” - a military drill term for marching on the spot, and drifting without direction.

“I know what it’s like to bottom out and need to pick yourself up,” Kent told the Brolga.

“I’ve gone through that transition of being confused and being angry and not knowing how I fit back into the community.”

A divorce left him isolated in a town where he knew few people.

Kent said it was peer support that helped him realise he wasn’t alone, sparking a passion to ensure other veterans don’t face the same struggles in silence.

Kent is co-organiser of the inaugural Tour de V Centre, a 460km cycle ride from Warrnambool to Box Hill from October 12 to 16. 

The event coincides with Veterans’ Health Week and will spotlight services like Vasey RSL Care’s V Centre in Ivanhoe, which offers safe accommodation and tailored support for veterans navigating the shift from service to civilian life.

Across Australia, around 6,000 veterans are homeless, with suicide rates among former servicemen double that of civilians - and even higher for women.

The five-day event will highlight this confronting reality. Kent said the ride was not about fundraising but driving genuine connection. 

“It’s about community and how we can all work together and learn from each other. We all have something to give, whether you’re a veteran, or whichever group you come from.”

Riders will stop in Ararat, Ballarat and Geelong, as well as smaller towns along the way for lunches and community dinners.

Lifeline: Phone 13 11 14.

More information about health care for veterans here.