$15m mental health precinct for veterans at Glenside named in honour of Kingscote-born Jamie Larcombe, killed in Afghanistan
The new $15 million mental health precinct for veterans at Glenside will be named in honour of Kingscote-born Jamie Larcombe, who was killed on operations in Afghanistan.
- Medal ensures Jamie Larcombe’s memory lives on in Kangaroo Island
- He died for his flag - a tribute to Sapper Jamie Larcombe
A NEW $15 million mental health precinct for veterans at Glenside will be named in honour of Kingscote-born Jamie Larcombe, who was killed on operations in Afghanistan.
The Jamie Larcombe Centre will include an acute inpatient unit, outpatient services, specialist services for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, teaching and research spaces.
It will also have a gymnasium, group rooms and shared spaces, as well as gardens, areas for reflection and private areas for veterans to spend time with their families.
Jamie’s parents Steven and Tricia and three younger sisters Ann-Marie, Emily and April visited the Glenside site today and planted a Lone Pine tree which will be the centrepiece of a new memorial garden.
Sapper Larcombe, 21, was raised on Kangaroo Island and joined the Australian
Army in 2008. He was posted to the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment based in Darwin.
Jamie was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp: International
Coalition Against Terrorism, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Army Combat Badge.
He was deployed on a humanitarian mission to Indonesia following a major earthquake and Operation Slipper in Afghanistan where he was tragically killed by a sniper.
The Jamie Larcombe Centre will retain the expertise, dedication, culture and
traditions of the existing Ward 17 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Health Minister Jack Snelling said during a sod-turning ceremony today.
Schiavello Construction SA will begin work on the centre next week, creating up to 400 direct or indirect jobs through construction, expected to be complete in late 2017.
“The state-of-the-art facility will provide a far more advanced quality of care for veterans than we can currently offer at the ageing Repatriation General Hospital,” Mr Snelling said.
Mental Health Leesa Vlahos said that since 1999, the Australian Defence Force had conducted more than 80,000 deployments and there are about 3000 servicemen and women living with post traumatic stress.
“We need to strengthen our capability to care for young servicemen and women for the next 50 years and help them be productive contributors in the community,” she said.
“Jamie Larcombe served his country with distinction and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Larcombe family said Jamie’s life ambition was to serve his country and community.
“Jamie was a leader and he would be delighted, as we are that his legacy will live on through a place dedicated to helping other Diggers.
“Jamie will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts. This is a proud day for the Larcombe family and all of Jamie’s mates.”