Former special forces commando taking on a different battle to help veterans

The youngest ever president of RSL NSW, former special forces commando, Mick Bainbridge is prepared to “ruffle a few feathers” to get things done for veterans.

For a former commando used to sleeping on his own body bag on tour in Afghanistan, “ruffling a few feathers” as the youngest ever president of RSL NSW should be a walk in the park.

Mick Bainbridge will be drawing on his own experience of transitioning out of the special forces after four tours of Afghanistan to make the RSL more relevant to the needs of younger veterans.

“I am not afraid of ruffling feathers,” Mr Bainbridge said. “My focus is to get young members in … so we can put funding towards lobbying for their issues and outcomes.”

He is the RSL’s youngest ever president at just 39-years-old and already a busy man before taking on the unpaid role. He has a legal practice in Wollongong, two young children by his first marriage and a partner with two children of her own who is keen to see him again once the Anzac Day commemorations are finished.

RSL NSW President Mick Bainbridge with his children Mason, 9, and Matilda, 7. Picture: www.negphotography.com.au

“People say the RSL is the graveyard of good intentions,” he said. “People may think I’m brash and brazen in my approach but it is all about making decisions and moving forward.”

Later in the year The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide will hand down its findings and Mr Bainbridge is already aware of the enormous issues facing veterans.

“These people signed on the line. They risked life and limb for their nation. And we owe it to them as a nation to make sure that their needs are met and that their families are looked after,” he said.

He does not intend to be a figurehead with time to spare at “cake cutting ceremonies” but wants to get in the back room and make effective changes to funding to help and recruit the next generation of veterans. That means making sure every charitable dollar goes towards helping veterans “while also holding the government to account”.

RSL NSW President Mick Bainbridge.

Like all special forces soldiers in Afghanistan Mr Bainbridge carried his own personal body bag “which was actually quite comfortable to sleep on” and never knew if he would be coming home. It has left him with a sense of urgency to make changes that will help veterans as they transition out of the military.

The flow on from that would be “more people want to join the defence because it is the right place to work and they know that they’ll be looked after,” he said.

Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell at the Royal Commission in Defence and Veteran Suicide sitting in Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

That has not been the case in the past. Under outgoing Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell morale has slumped and special forces soldiers who served in Afghanistan have been left in limbo for years as inquiries grind on.

“Families carry the burden of their loved one’s service and to see them held in limbo for these last few years is a terrible outcome,” he said. “I think Angus Campbell should be ashamed of himself for putting our members at risk. Regardless of what the allegations are they’re still entitled to a fair process.”

Between 1997 and 2021 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found there were 1677 deaths by suicide among serving and former members of the Australian Defence Force.

Families bear the brunt. The 2018 Family Wellbeing Study, released as part of that Royal Commission, found almost half of spouses and partners found their family member’s service had a negative impact on their mental health and more than half felt it had negatively impacted their own careers.

“These are the people we are here to help,” Mr Bainbridge said. “The benefit is we’ll end up with a healthier, veteran network. We’ll end up with hopefully less injuries and more families staying together.”

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