about US
The Goorambat Veterans’ Retreat (GVR) is located in a small and quiet country town, about 20km northwest of Benalla in Victoria and was established in late 2019 by contemporary veteran and current Goorambat Veterans’ Retreat Chairman, Phil Thomson, a qualified and experienced Advocate for Veterans. Phil, saw a great need for a facility that could provide time out / crisis accommodation and support for veterans struggling with personal hardships including health related issues such as post-traumatic stress.
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The Retreat is located on the site of the old Goorambat Primary School that previously operated from 1908 to 2010. The 3 acre overgrown site and boarded up school buildings were purchased from the Victorian Education Department in 2019 and the transformation began.
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The Goorambat Veterans’ Retreat is managed and operated by a team of dedicated volunteers and is progressively increasing its capacity and capability to provide:
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• Wellbeing support to assist Veterans in times of personal crisis, such as homelessness and financial distress;
• Assistance and representation with regards to compensation and injury claims;
• Information campaigns & activities relating to Veterans’ health, both mental and physical;
• On-site one and three day workshops for veterans or veterans and their partners; and
• Referrals to other 3rd party and Ex-Service Organisations Wellbeing support measures as is necessary.
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GVR has been established in a serene and natural environment and we are progressively building our individual on-site short term crisis accommodation capacity which, combined with our now completely renovated communal areas, allows veterans, with or without their partners, to focus on their wellbeing while reconnecting with social and support networks if necessary.
Peer to peer networking and support is encouraged by allowing the grounds to be used as a recreational campground by ADF Veterans and their families.
A small fee is charged for recreational stays to assist with offsetting some of the ongoing utilities cost.
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There are a number of projects to continue to enhance the capability and capacity of the Goorambat Veterans’ Retreat and the overall policy on project work is to, where possible, combine the efforts of volunteers with the use of locally procured tradespersons and materials so the local economy can also benefit. Your donations of money, materials or time will allow us to complete the GVR facilities.