She said the night was her gift to the first responder community. Toni Childs played in Mackay as part of a concert hosted by ReNew Mackay and PTSD Frontline in support of the Daily Mercury s Hub for our Heroes campaign. Picture: Heidi Petith
âI think itâs a really important thing to say thank you, to let people know that we really do care about whatâs happening to you and how your lives and families can be affected by (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other thingsâ Childs said.
âSo many men are feeling like they canât really vent or share what theyâre going through for fear of losing their jobs, or being judged.
Vietnam Veteran Leslie Palmer officiating the Mackay Anzac Day Main Service. Picture: Heidi Petith
Mr Palmer said despite Mr Payne living in Mackay for 40 years, it was only the third time the oldest surviving Victoria Cross recipient had made a hometown service as he was in high demand.
Photos
Mr Payne shared a touching story for the first time of a woman finding her ‘Gallipoli stone’ while he visited Turkey in 2015 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine. Vietnam War veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne with his wife Florence at the Mackay ANZAC Day march 2021. Picture: Lillian Watkins
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Subscriber only A Mackay father says Australian Defence Force personnel are banding together to prevent their mates from taking their own life as the system falls short. West Mackay resident Phil Rutherford said while his son had served in mainly peacetime deployments for 11 years as an engineer, he, as well as many in the ADF, had been suicidal. Mr Rutherford s father-in-law also witnessed four decades of trauma at the frontline as a paramedic. He then left the profession to study psychology so he could help his former co-workers after they attended fatalities. Their experiences are why Mr Rutherford is backing the Daily Mercury s
âThat (day) affected me and I know it affected some of the other boys as well.â
He now experienced mood swings and anxiousness in large crowds but could not explain why, and nor did he need to in the company of veterans. East Timor and Afghanistan veteran Mark Preston at the Mackay Remembrance Day commemorative ceremony at Jubilee Park in 2020. Picture: Zizi Averill
âYou canât compare Vietnam to the Middle East to East Timor or any other conflict ⦠each has its own experiences,â Mr Preston said.
RSL Queensland state president Tony Ferris said the communityâs need for the organisationâs support was âfar greater and more complex than ever beforeâ.
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Subscriber only More than half of the patients who visit Mackay GP Kerry Summerscales are veterans or first responders because she knows first-hand the trauma of being on the frontline. Dr Summerscales served in the Australian Defence Force for 30 years including at Bougainville, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands. She helped save countless lives abroad, and has turned that dedication to ensuring fellow Australian veterans survived civilian life. Dr Summerscales has thrown her support behind the Daily Mercury s Hub for our Heroes campaign to develop a social club in Mackay and a first responders and veterans wellness and treatment centre at Kinchant Dam.