National Chairman’s AGM 2024

Australian Special Air Service Association Hon Martin Hamilton-Smith

“Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”

Fitzhugh Dodson

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General

The ASASA has just completed one of its busiest and most successful years. State Branches are flourishing. WA Branch have received a grant for a carpark redevelopment now underway and has with National Executive support, succeeded with DVA BEST grants including for advocacy and veterans’ welfare. All other Branches are running active programmes for commemorations and welfare for members and families. National Executive has made major submissions to government on advocacy, veteran suicide, DVA claims performance and the functions of the IGADF. We are taken very seriously by government at ESORT, on the OWP and on the Younger Veterans Forum. Through ADSO our parent veterans ESO we are part of the national conversation and plan of action to improve veterans’ entitlements. The ASASA is punching well above its weight on veterans’ policy. We have been out in the media defending the good name of the Regiment and its people. We are providing comradeship, information and services to veterans and their families. The more we engage, the more relevant we remain and the more likely we are to attract new members. I commend State Branch Presidents and their committees for the sterling job they are doing.

Goals

When I was elected as National Chairman three years ago, I set myself several goals. First to take action to ensure that the ASASA publicly supported the Regiment and our people in the face of the government’s outrageous treatment of SAS veterans at the hands of the IGADF Report, the OSI and other provocations. Our challenge has been to both educate Canberra and the commentaries about our comrades’ service and to lift the spirits of our SAS Afghan veterans who are today's ANZACs. I think we have made significant progress, but there is so much more to be done.

Second; I wanted to breathe new life into our journal, Rendezvous Magazine. We have found new publishers who have taken on much of the detailed layout, presentation and editorial tasks previously carried out by our hard-working editor Rick Simpson. We have pressed more people to write for the journal to record our history. We veterans of earlier campaigns need to tell our stories to the current crop of serving soldiers. I am pleased to report we have moved to three RVs per year and that the quality and quantity of editions have improved, and costs have been reduced. Financial ASASA members are entitled to a copy whenever RV is published, so please read it, collect it, share it with your families and spread the word. I encourage every veteran with a message or a story worth telling to submit an article to the editor, the Secretary Gary Kingston or myself! RV is a chronicle about the courageous service of all SAS veterans, their lives and families post transition.

Third; I wanted to improve communications within the Association by fixing and resetting our ASASA website. Although good work had been done in the past, we never had a fully functioning website. We now do. Have a look at www.sasassociation.org.au We are using it to keep members informed and to pass on to veterans what government is doing on their behalf, particularly in regard to advocacy and veterans entitlements. You can also see what the Branches are up to, where people are and what is going on. Finally, the website is a way to remember the fallen in action, in service and after service. Fourth, I set a goal of correcting and updating our ASASA Constitution. The original is three decades old, much amended, does not reflect our federal structure and is not really fit for purpose. The Branch Presidents and the National Secretariat are working on a completely new Constitution for a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, registered with ASIC as a national entity, which reflects current law. I thank everyone within the branches who has helped work on the draft which we hope to finalise at this 2024 AGM for subsequent approval and ratification by the national membership later in the year. Our finances at the National level and within each State Branch are in good shape, and we are a well-governed Association. The new Constitution will take that to a new level.

Our Proud History of Service, Mateship and Sacrifice

The bonds which tie us during service continue after transition, and it is important for everyone’s mental and emotional health and well-being that this continues. 2024 has given us an opportunity to shine the light on the proud history of SASR over its 60-year record of service to our nation. Our Regiment followed in the footsteps of the SAS Company within the Royal Australian Regiment and before that, was built upon the foundations laid by the Independent Commando Companies from WW2, by Z and M Special Units and by Special Operations Australia (SOA). Our Diamond Jubilee in September this year celebrates the establishment of the Regiment on the Australian Army Order of Battle. In wars from Malaysia and Borneo, Vietnam, IRAQ and Afghanistan, the Middle East more broadly and in countless other countries and places, our Regiment has accounted for itself in the best traditions of ANZAC.

Within the ranks of SASR, those of our number who were killed in action or in training for war, or who were wounded or who came home and live on, and the families who supported them and waited at home, were not rewarded with victory parades. From Korea to Afghanistan, the governments who committed our country to war have at times been quick to forget them after the fighting was done. But we who paid the piper, have not forgotten. That is why this 60th birthday of our Regiment:s foundation is important to our Nation, to the ADF, to the Australian Army and to each of us, and to our families. On these footings, SASR stands as one of the finest and accomplished Australian fighting Regiments to have ever left our shores. It is a proud story, and we need to tell it. I encourage everyone with a story to share to send it to RV. Talking about things can be good for the soul.

Veterans Welfare and News

Your Association has prioritised your health and wellbeing. We are a benevolent organisation which exists to help each other out. Updates from our team on Veterans' entitlements, pensions, medical and mental health care, commemorations and a host of other matters designed to assist you after transition will be in every RV and our ASASA website. The government, under current Minister Matt Keogh and the Department of Veterans Affairs under the leadership of Secretary Alison Frame have made a big investment in people and funding to support us. There is genuine goodwill and they are working through the backlog of claims, providing financial support, reforming legislation and trying to provide better services. Our own network of volunteer advocates across the country is helping with your claims. The Military Art Program described here is helping veterans in a special and very effective way. The SAS Resources Fund update by Chairman Wally Walsh reminds us of the outstanding backup being provided to those in need, particularly the children from the volunteer Board, staff and the donors who provide financial support in our name.

The War in Afghanistan and The Special Prosecutor

Allegations about possible unlawful killings in war have arisen in every war Australia has been involved in from the Boer War. What I have found disappointing about the Afghanistan conflict is the way Canberra dealt with allegations, the manner in which the Brereton Inquiry was conducted long after the war ended, and the way HQ ADF handled the matter from the outset. Much of the negative publicity and pain for all involved could have been averted if the ‘credible evidence’ found by IGADF had been given directly and first to the police, and not to the media. The Ministers and governments who designed this war have taken no responsibility for it, nor have we seen the advice Ministers received from Service Chiefs. Instead CPLs, SGTs, and relatively junior Squadron and Task Group Commanders have been subjected to a media circus and blamed as if guilty before trial. The many have been made to suffer as we work through allegations involving only a few.

The stoic Afghanistan veterans who had the courage to raise these concerns and those who are defending themselves from the allegations, were all in my opinion all ‘thrown under a bus’. Politicians and Generals were very happy to take the credit when the war was going well, but since the war crime allegations have arisen, they are nowhere to be seen. This is an interesting and disappointing development in Australian leadership. Where in Canberra during the design of the war in Afghanistan after 2005 during Operation Slipper Part 2 was the leadership of intelligence, trustworthiness and humaneness of which Sun Tzu spoke? Your Association has taken this up at the highest levels directly, and through the media when requested. We have the back of every veteran involved, regardless of where they stand on the substance of the matter.

The Special Prosecutor has been provided with $129.4 m over two years from 2023-24 to investigate whether there were any unlawful killings in Afghanistan based on and IGADF finding by Justice Brereton that there was ‘credible evidence’ warranting due process. One of our number Oliver Shultz has been charged with murder. A charge is not a conviction. Oliver is getting a lot of support from the SAS family, as will others. The sooner any further charges are laid the better so that the truth can be established and veterans involved can clear their names. Fairness and truth are unlikely through the nonsense of trial by palpably ambitious journalists using populist media, or through defamation proceedings where ‘probably’ rather than ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ is the standard of proof. The fact that laying credible charges is taking the OSI so long suggests they are having trouble making their case. I think a line needs to be drawn in the sand with a date established for the OSI to either charge people or be defunded. This can’t go on indefinitely. I will be asking the AGM to support a unified ASASA position to that effect.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide (RCDVS)

Sadly, despite our explicit request the Royal Commission chose not to invite our Association to give evidence, preferring to talk to individuals. Rule ‘101’ with Royal Commissions is to listen to those who ask to be heard. Soldiers have no union to protect their workplace and industrial conditions, but they have their veterans’ associations. For reasons I explain in the submission, the RCDVS decision to close us out was a mistake. The Commissioners are good people, and the process will deliver some positive outcomes, but it seemed to me that it was being run by lawyers and that presentations by associations likely to ruffle feathers in Canberra were excluded. Not good enough. The RCDVS is due to deliver its final report late this year. I am not at this point convinced they have taken the issues being faced by SAS veterans broadly or seriously enough. Let’s see what they have to say.

ASASA Policy Issues

At this AGM and the General Meeting which follows we need to discuss several issues. We will receive a message from the Minister and both the Secretary DVA and the Repatriation Commissioner will be meeting with us. Following a General meeting to approve the content, we have made an ASASA submission to the Senate Inquiry into Military Awards and Decorations, a matter closely felt by ACT Branch and others who have asked for our support. We need to agree on a policy regarding who has the authority to award and approve the wearing of the SAS Beret in service and after transition on ANZAC Day and at commemorations, an issue which has arisen in QLD Branch. We need to revisit our ASASA Strategy document, and we need to agree on a common set of rules for membership of Branches, to ensure we have a common membership standard.

ASASA Unity, Hard Work and Collaboration

Our National Association comprises the National Executive and six State Branches. Veterans who join a Branch are automatically members of the ASASA. One day I hope we will have a Tasmania Branch and a Northern Territory Branch. Defence and SASR are national institutions and prefer to work with like national entities. Commander SASR has asked that communications with the Regiment come through the Chairman or National Secretary. They are busy and can’t respond to requests from all states. Similarly, DVA and Federal Government do not work with State Branches but with national organisations on policy band consultation.

Defence and DVA have zero tolerance for division, and they expect us to work together. We are the SAS. We treat each other with respect, and we work as part of a team. No Branch is better or more important than any other, regardless of size. We are equals and we work together to get things done. We all share the load, we all pay our way and we all mutually support one another. We sort out any differences of view by negotiation. We do not spit the dummy, and we respect the majority view. Together we are strong but divided we are a rabble. I want to thank all Branch Presidents and their Committees and all members for being part of the national SAS veterans’ team.

A few people warrant special mention. Our retiring Vice Chairman Rick Moor has served three years and has been a stalwart support to us all. Because of Rick we may get our CT SR fallen onto the War Memorial Roll of Honour, and there has been so much more from Rick on our behalf. New National Secretary Gary Kingston and National Treasurer Bob Colligan have been shining stars, hitting the ground running in their roles. Rick Simpson editor at RV-great job. Troy Simmonds as Assistant National Secretary covered the gap after Charlie Stewart’s passing and continues to serve on. All Branch Presidents have been a delight to work with; thank you for your leadership. I commend Wally Walsh, Chris Johns, and the Board of the Resources Fund for the brilliant work they do. Finally, the leadership demonstrated by the Commander, Colonel LS and his team who could not have been more supportive of the ASASA and our veterans and their families. Together, we can achieve anything.

The Future

We work best when the ASASA National Executive and its State Branches collaborate as one. Only a little over 6,000 people have served in SASR since its inception, about half badged and half in supporting roles crucial to the accomplishment of our mission. Much has been asked of the few. The overwhelming majority of us have transitioned from service fit, strong in body and mind and better people because of the honour of our service in this Regiment and to this great country and its people. We had the privilege of serving shoulder to shoulder with some of the finest comrades our nation has ever produced. On the 60th anniversary of the Regiment’s formation we honour the fallen, the wounded and those who are facing challenges resulting from their service. Through our Association and one on one, we will all help each other across the line in the years ahead.

Vietnam, Timor and CT/SR veterans have jumped the same hurdles as the younger veterans from IRAQ and Afghanistan and vice versa. It took some years for many Vietnam veterans to join the ASASA after the way the nation treated them on their return from war. It will take time also for many of the younger SAS veterans from recent conflict to come to join us for the same reasons, but they will come. We need to welcome them. With humility and good cheer, we can all help each other in many ways. As we get older the people and the relationships we forged when we were young become ever more important. That is equally true for spouses and children. Our lives are like a book; we need to learn how to gracefully go from one chapter to the next never lingering for too long on the early chapters, never looking forward with too much anticipation or trepidation to those chapters yet to unfold; just grateful for the moment. Such a moment is SASR’s 60th Diamond Jubilee, a story in which each of has played and still plays a part.

Lest We Forget

Martin Smith

Hon Martin Hamilton-Smith

Australian Special Air Service Association