Five years of Peers - Dion

Open Arms’ Community and Peer Team Leader Dion knows a thing or two about perseverance. 

His message to his fellow veterans is simple.  Even on your darkest days, never lose hope and reach out for support, it can change your life for the better.

Here is his story, in his own words. 

I joined the Army at the age of 17 looking for an adventure and a fulfilling career. During my service, I was lucky to deploy a couple of times. 

The ADF gave me some amazing memories and I learnt skills that will stand the test of time, along with some not-so-great experiences that will also stay with me forever. While things may have not gone to plan, my service played a huge part in shaping who I am today. 

Separating from the ADF with undiagnosed PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and MDD (Major depressive disorder), initiated a journey of extreme hardship and suffering, but happy to say on the flip side, also an inspiring tale of perseverance and rehabilitation. 

For 10 years, I navigated mental and physical health issues, cognitive and emotional decline, sporadic homelessness and learnt many hard lessons from poor decision making. After more than 30 hospitalisations, countless counselling sessions, many courses of medication and trying all sorts of therapies, I began to feel hopeful and see positive growth. 

During my climb back up over the next decade, I became heavily involved with the local veteran community in South Australia whilst parenting my five young children solo. In the beginning, I volunteered as the coffee guy for a Vietnam Veterans organisation and then stepped into a mail runner role at another veteran organisation. It was here that I built up my confidence, focussed on my personal growth and became educated in the complex space of ex-service organisations (ESOs), making connections, becoming known and strengthening relationships within that community. 

Slowly climbing what now seems like a ‘random’ ladder, including driving a veteran bus, doing general labour tasks as well as offering support to all who asked. As my children started to become more independent, I would take on bigger goals with higher aspirations, studying and gaining qualifications to complement a pathway to paid employment. 

At the same time, I was using my lived experience to mentor veterans going through some very dark times. When I proudly became the CEO of a non-for-profit military rehabilitation centre, I connected with the newly formed Open Arms community engagement team (CET) in South Australia. 

Previously, I had received life changing counselling from Open Arms, formerly known as the Veterans and Veterans Family Counselling (VVCS). Seeing Open Arms CET staff at local events and forums, I got to know them well and built a good professional relationship. I took part in the in the Warrior Swim Project (now known as the Henley Grange Swim Project) created by another Adelaide based Community & Peer Worker.

During this time, I was also developing my own business to mentor young people and train them in interpersonal and practical life skills. Just as I was about to launch the business, an opportunity arose to become an Community & Peer Worker in South Australia, I decided to put my best foot forward and apply. I was honoured to join the Open Arms team in May 2023. 

Working as a Community & Peer Worker has been life changing for me, every day I get up motivated and feel passionate about going to work, striving to make a difference. Bringing my lived experience to the table equips me to offer empathy and insight to clients as we sit down and troubleshoot what is happening in their world. Sharing common ground, we understand each other and can set and achieve goals that prove effective and beneficial in overcoming the issues at hand. 

It’s not always about ticking off the goals though, I love so much that people entrust me with their stories so I can support them with understanding and respect. Not much can trump the feeling of seeing people succeed or when their mood changes from sad to glad, frustrated to calm or unsure to confident. Being very much a high five guy, I find great joy in seeing people winning and will always promote that with a high level of enthusiasm.

Open Arms is such an amazing place to work. The job can present some big challenges but I am part of a team that draws on so many different experiences and supports one another to unpack and manage any challenges. 

Also, working as part of a team which delivers group treatment programs, takes part in engagement at community events and tells people about services that are available to them is where I find great enjoyment. Recently, I have had the great honour in stepping up into a new role as a Community and Peer Team Leader. 

If someone was to ask me for some quick advice when doing it tough, what I hope  would resonate with them would be: “Doubt your doubts - where things may seem too much, perseverance is key! Lean into services, supports and opportunities available to you, then before you know it, what once was hard, will have become a tool for what now, is best.”