Mates4Mates veteran support hub opens in Stuart Park, Darwin

A new centre providing specialised support and unique social connections has opened for the Territory’s 10,000 serving members and veterans.

A new Mates4Mates veterans and families hub has opened in Stuart Park, Darwin. Picture: Helen Orr / Supplied

A one-stop shop for Territory veterans and their families to seek support has opened in Darwin.

The new Mates4Mates Veteran and Family Wellbeing Centre officially opened in Stuart Park on Monday.

It marks the second support hub of its kind in the Territory, after Mates4Mates in Palmerston opened two years ago.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh flew to the Top End for the occasion and to spruik the federal government’s $5m investment in the building.

Veterans' Affair Matt Keogh and Mates4Mates general manager Emma Whitehead have officially opened the new Mates4Mates hub in Stuart Park. Picture: Helen Orr / Supplied

“We’ve got 7,500 serving personnel and veterans right here across the Darwin region, as well as more than 10,000 across the Northern Territory,” he said.

“This is going to be a hub that provides access to a range of support services right here, as well as referrals to other services that are available to support our veterans and families across Darwin and across the NT.”

The centre is open weekdays and provides veterans and their families assistance with transition, employment, legal services and mental and physical health, with both a doctor and psychologist on site.

With about 100 people visiting the Palmerston Mates4Mates per week, it is expected the new Darwin location will provide even greater access to specialised support.

Jeremy Little, who's in the Air Force and has been serving for 19 years, uses the centre as well as his family. Picture: Annabel Bowles

Jeremy Little, an Air Force member at RAAF Tindal who has been serving for 17 years, said there was a need for such services in the Territory.

“The staff here are extremely supportive and create a very focused family atmosphere, whether it’s for veterans or for their families alike,” he said.

“If I’m away I know that if my family needs anything, they can come in here to see the liaison officers or majors.

“The liaison officers are amazing … they’ll sit down, have a coffee with you and listen to you and maybe they can push you in a direction that your family needs to go.”

Mates4Mates general manager Emma Whitehead, who also runs support hubs in Queensland and Tasmania, said the centre had already welcomed people with a range of backgrounds and needs in the few weeks it had been open.

“Everyone’s different, but I think one of the things that we observe is that the social connections that people make are a real enabler in feeling supported, feeling purposeful and part of a community,” she said.