Sir Peter Cosgrove has joined the mother of fallen soldier Lieutenant Michael Fussell to open Sydney’s first centre providing assistance to veterans of Australia’s recent military campaigns.
The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, has joined the mother of fallen soldier Lieutenant Michael Fussell to open Sydney’s first centre providing assistance to veterans of Australia’s recent military campaigns.
Located at Milson’s Point, the Michael Fussell Reintegration and Recovery Centre is Soldier On’s third facility offering support for servicemen and women, including PT sessions; community and family events; free enrolment in educational courses and links with many other support services.
Madeline Fussell said the whole family was honoured to have the Centre named after her son Michael, who was killed in Afghanistan in November 2008 while serving with Australia’s Special Operations Task Group.
John Bale, CEO of Soldier On, said the death of his friend Michael sparked the founding of the charity.
“When Michael was killed, his family was provided with fantastic support by a range of organisations,” John said.
“However, when I looked for organisations to support those who were wounded in the same incident that killed Michael, I found there was a gap in the services and facilities supporting veterans of contemporary operations, both wartime and peacekeeping, who were affected by their service.”
The Centre, situated at Milsons Point, will offer the widest range of services of any the organisation has opened so far.
Sir Peter Cosgrove has joined the mother of fallen soldier Lieutenant Michael Fussell to open Sydney’s first centre providing assistance to veterans of Australia’s recent military campaigns.
