RAA Liaison Letter 2024 - 2025 Edition

RAA Liaison Letter 2024 / 2025 Edition 3 “Once a Gunner Always a Gunner” T HE RAA N ATIONAL M EMORIAL E XTENSION P ROJECT N EEDS EVERY G UNNERS F INANCIAL S UPPORT . The RCC, HOR and RMG explain why your support is critical …. The Memorial is an important national place of reflection and commemoration for us. It provides tangible recognition of service, a meaning for all Gunners and their families, and serves as a place of connection. But, as you know, the Memorial has not been updated to include recognition of the significant post-Vietnam service of the Gunners, and hence its meaning has potentially eroded. As the recent Royal Commission found, recognition, such as that provided by the Memorial, is critical for the mental health and well-being of veterans, whether retired or still serving. Extending the Memorial in this way will ensure that respect and recognition is extended to our most recent veterans, … This is why the Regimental Committee agreed to extend the Memorial to enable our most recent service to be added to those conflicts and campaigns already recognised. It is envisaged that Somalia, East Timor/Timor Leste, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peace Operations and Domestic Operations will be added along with sufficient space to allow for the easy recognition of service in potential future campaigns and operations. Extending the Memorial in this way will ensure that respect and recognition is extended to our most recent veterans, and that the Memorial continues to resonate with contemporary Gunners and enable the Memorial to continue to be a place of enduring connection that spans the generations of proud Gunners for years to come. The Memorial also serves as an important place for the wider Australian community to understand and commemorate their nation’s history and the significant role the Gunners have played in it since 1871, so it is important that our story is displayed in full. Outside of delivering current and future artillery capability, we believe there is no more important an undertaking for our community over the next few years. We have briefed the Chief of Army who recognises the importance of the project and is supportive. Since November, the volunteer Project Team has developed the key plans and governance structures necessary to establish a sound foundation for the project. As the recent Royal Commission found, recognition, such as that provided by the Memorial, is critical for the mental health and well-being of veterans, whether retired or still serving. Our initial estimate is that the extension will cost about $460,000. While the Project Team is working on options for RAE support, no direct Defence funding is available and the reality is that, as a Gunner community, we will need to raise the required money ourselves, as was the case with the original Memorial. We seek your financial support no matter how small to enable the Royal Regiment to achieve this extremely worthy goal on every Gunners behalf. In these challenging economic times you may wish to band together with a group of mates or an organisation or association and collectively raise funds – no doubt you know best what will work in your local area. You may also have broader fundraising ideas or suggestions about potential high-value individual or organizational benefactors from within your own network. We would welcome you sharing these ideas with the Project Team or your assistance in making introductions. D ONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND DETAILS ON HOW TO DO THIS ARE AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE INTHIS L IAISON L ETTERAND CAN BE FOUND AT WWW . RAANM 2027. COM