DEWC Scholarship Presentation
DEWC staff with AVCAT scholar Cooper Schahinger (centre) AVCAT scholar Cooper Schahinger was awarded the DEWC Scholarship in a presentation on-site at DEWC in Adelaide. DEWC staff are hands-on supporters of the DEWC Scholarship, attending the presentation, meeting Cooper and organising fundraising activities. Len Russell, AVCAT CEO, says ‘This is...
Welcome Len Russell – CEO
AVCAT CEO Len Russell Len Russell joins AVCAT as CEO having an extensive mixture of experience from both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Len began his corporate career in sales and marketing roles within the heavy earthmoving and automotive equipment industry sectors. He also spent over a decade working within...
Joan Hughes Thanked for Service by Repatriation Commissioner
Joan Hughes AVCAT CEO AVCAT CEO Joan Hughes has been awarded a Repatriation Commissioner’s coin in a vote of thanks for her dedication, commitment, and service to the children of veterans and the veteran community. Joan states, ‘It’s been a thrill to be acknowledged by the Repatriation Commissioner, Don Spinks...
AVCAT Welcomes New Sponsor
AVCAT welcomes new scholarship sponsor DEWC DEWC provides Electronic Warfare (EW) and related technological support to the Australian Defence Force and its allies. DEWC is passionate about keeping Australia’s Defence Personnel safe through cutting-edge EW applications and extensive knowledge and experience. DEWC’s three separate businesses are owned and managed by veterans...
Squadron Leader Eric Easterbrook OAM (Retd) joins the AVCAT Board
Eric joined the AVCAT Board in November 2020. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 20 years and then as a Defence Public Servant in all three branches of the military for another 22 years. Eric was a farm labourer prior to joining the Air Force and on...
Our CEO Joan Hughes is Retiring
Joan Hughes - CEO From the Chair of the Board of AVCAT – Major General Bill Crews AO (Retd) Joan started as CEO of AVCAT in early 2016. I have worked with Joan since joining AVCAT as Chair in May 2017. Her previous experience as a High School Deputy Principal...
Joan Hughes Presented with Governor-General’s Medallion
Joan Hughes and Bill Crews Their Excellencies the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley gifted AVCAT with a Governor-General’s medallion to thank AVCAT for our work to ‘help people, uplift those around us and make our community better’. Major General Bill Crews AO (Retd), AVCAT Chair, presented AVCAT CEO Joan Hughes with...
Safe
Second Prize in the AVCAT Essay Prize 2020, 'Safe' by Jane Wotherspoon. By Jane Wotherspoon “Posttraumatic stress disorder may be one of the most important explanations for the effects of deployment on the sons and daughters of military personnel reported on here.” “Sons and daughters have been found to constantly...
The 30th of April 1975
The winning essay of the AVCAT Essay Prize 2020, 'The 30th of April 1975' by Jade Washbourne. By Jade Washbourne The 30th of April 1975, a distant memory to many but also an unforgettable one, its significance has lingered on despite the decades that have passed because for many it...
A Christmas Message from Joan Hughes, CEO AVCAT
What a year 2020 has been! Joan Hughes CEO AVCAT From years of drought for people in rural and remote areas to the bushfires and then the pandemic, 2020 has been a year of readjustments and uncertainty. We have learnt the importance of connection and finding new ways, often simple,...
2020 AVCAT Essay Prize – Winner Profiles
We are delighted to introduce the winners of the inaugural AVCAT Essay Prize. The essays will be first published in the next issue of Debrief Magazine, and here on AVCAT’s website. First Prize – Jade Washbourne Essay: The 30th of April 1975 I’m a 22-year-old from the beautiful Bega Valley...
AVCAT Essay Prize Judging Panel
AVCAT is proud to announce the judging panel for the inaugural AVCAT Essay Prize is Paul Livingston, Karen Blackwell and Major General Bill Crews AO (Retd). The panel reports that the judging process was difficult due to the high quality of the entries and the moving stories they told. Paul...