Veterans Tim Cuming and Ray Carson establish charity to give other veterans purpose
Two veterans with an intimate understanding of PTSD have a tangible plan to reduce veteran suicide. And backing is growing for their grassroots charity.
At the funeral of yet another fellow veteran who died by suicide, Tim Cuming couldn’t shake a troubling thought as he stared at the coffin containing his mate: “that looks so comfortable”.
“I just wanted to be in there,” the ex-paratrooper said. “Sitting there at a funeral and looking at the coffin of your mate who was one of the best guys in the world, the most happy, vivacious go-lucky guys thinking why the f**k did he whack himself?
“And I know why. I was in a bad way myself. I live with PTSD and at times it’s been really bad, so the whole veteran suicide problem, I get it, I’ve been there and now stopping these guys killing themselves is my main mission.”
Along with former reconnaissance soldier Ray Carson, Cuming – who was medically discharged from the Army in 2008 after serving 25 years – established SMEAC Inc. in 2019, a not-for-profit aimed at getting “veterans helping veterans to help future generations”.
Both men decided enough was enough after the veteran suicide rates continued rising each year – more than 600 Australian veterans have been lost to suicide since forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001, a number 15 times higher than those killed in combat during the same period.
SMEAC – a military acronym for giving orders that stands for Situation, Mission, Execution, Admin and Communication – will facilitate certification courses and veteran-run youth programs to establish meaningful employment pathways with tangible outcomes.
Cuming said they were currently in an awareness and fundraising phase to complete a purpose-built veteran training facility on the Sunshine Coast, with plans to expand programs nationally.
“We need support to get this going, it’s going to cost $2.5 million to get the camp refurbished and we are working hard to raise that,” Cuming said.
“The government puts millions and millions of dollars into training military and giving them all these really cool skills that when they get out, just goes to waste. Where’s the return on investment?
“What we are trying to achieve with SMEAC is getting this untapped resource of hundreds of thousands of veterans and giving them a sense of purpose by getting them to work with disadvantaged kids by running pathway programs from primary school upwards, until we find them employment.
“This way they get mentors for life, then as adults they can come back into the program and start telling their story.”
Cuming said they recently met with the mayor of Palm Island to discuss integration of their programs into schools and support was growing as more people and organisations learned of their plans.
The Council to Homeless Persons Qld executive officer Stephen Simpson said the SMEAC philosophy and plans resonated with him and had started an alliance between the two organisations.
“Through the work I’ve done over many years in community service centres – I started in youth work and have worked in domestic violence centres then a lot in men’s health and suicide prevention – a lot of the people I was meeting were ex-military,” Mr Simpson said.
“The vast majority of people experiencing homelessness have military backgrounds so everything SMEAC does resonates with me.
“I do think the need for a well thought-out intervention for young people is really necessary, here in Qld, but also across the country. That response would go a long way if it was done through people with experience, like SMEAC and veterans.”
Visit smeac.org.au
OPEN ARMS: 1800 011 046
DEFENCE FAMILY HELPLINE: 1800 624 608
LIFELINE: 13 11 14
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