The NSW Government is hosting the Defence and Veteran Community Forum in Coffs Harbour today as part of its commitment to supporting veterans and their families.
The forum provides an opportunity for the region's veteran community to connect with services provided by the NSW Government, Federal Government, community and ex-service organisations.
With more than 7,700 veterans living in the Mid North Coast region including Coffs Harbour and Grafton, the forum is also an opportunity for the NSW Government to listen to the views of local veterans, their families, service providers and the broader community.
The agenda includes presentations from the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs, the Australian Government Department of Veterans Affairs, Open Arms, the National Centre for Veterans Healthcare, TAFE NSW, Service NSW, Families of Veterans Guild, RSL NSW, Veterans Wellbeing Network, Coffs Coast Legacy and other local service providers and community groups.
Holding annual veteran community forums is a key deliverable of the NSW Government's Veterans Strategy 2025-2030, to ensure veterans receive support, no matter where in the state they live.
The Coffs Harbour Veterans Forum is taking place at C.Ex Coffs from 10am. The forum follows past forums in Orange, the Central Coast and Shoalhaven.
Minister for Veterans David Harris said:
"This forum is a great opportunity for Mid North Coast-based veterans and their families to share their experiences and ideas on how the NSW Government can continue improving support services for them.
"The forum also enables organisations that support veterans and their families in the region to come together to discuss what they provide and collaborate on what else could be done.
"I am proud to be part of a government that is committed to the wellbeing of our veterans across NSW."
President of the Veterans Wellbeing Network Mid North Coast Warren Sowter said:
"I am excited about this forum as it helps to ensure that the services we provide to veterans and their families in the Coffs Coast area are more closely aligned with their needs.
"The Veterans' Wellbeing Network Mid North Coast will present to attendees on the various services available and also identify with attendees where there are gaps that we can all work together to fill. "We are grateful for the tremendous support provided by the NSW Minister for Veterans and staff from the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs."
