15/08/2026
I was absolutely delighted to meet Mr & Mrs Wally in the store today.
What initially caught my attention was their wonderful project — raising money and awareness around mental health while supporting the charity Soldier On.
You can learn more about Dr J. Michael Davey and his work here: Dr J. Michael Davey’s website https://jmichaeldavey.com.au/about-michael/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/354733530134352/
But what really captured my interest was the project they are raising funds and awareness of - Soldier On.
Their work is about supporting people through transition, particularly the transition from military life back into civilian life. And that really resonated with me because it aligns so closely with the work I am doing through my studies and developing through The Compass Project — exploring how we can better support people through life's difficult transitions.
Soldier On is a not-for-profit organisation delivering holistic support services to current and former Australian Defence Force personnel and their families, helping them to build meaningful civilian lives. Their work includes free support services, programs and activities for participants.
I am incredibly passionate about this idea of transition.
Because getting someone through a crisis is only one part of the journey.
What happens afterwards?
How do we help someone rebuild their identity?
How do we help them reconnect with their community?
How do we help them develop healthy relationships, find purpose, experience joy and ultimately build a life that is not simply survivable, but genuinely meaningful?
I believe this is where we need to be putting our energy.
And this is also where I struggle with the way we sometimes approach funding and support in this country.
Governments spend enormous amounts of money across countless programs and organisations in the name of helping people. Yet too often, the question seems to become how much money was spent rather than whether that money actually changed someone's life. People are falling through the gaps everyday.
It genuinely saddens me that we can ask young men and women to serve our country, to put themselves in situations most of us could never imagine, and then, when that chapter of their lives ends, expect them to simply return to civilian life and somehow figure it all out.
The transition itself can be incredibly difficult.
And I don't believe this is unique to our Defence Force.
We see it everywhere.
People leaving relationships.
People surviving trauma.
People leaving prison and trying to rebuild.
People experiencing major changes in identity and circumstances.
People entering new stages of life and wondering, Who am I now? What does my life look like from here?
These are the moments when people need more than a service that simply ticks a box.
They need connection. Understanding. Support. Opportunity. Purpose.
They need someone to walk alongside them while they find their feet again.
That is what makes projects like this so important to me.
My Compass Project is built around this very idea — that sometimes, when life changes direction, people don't need someone to tell them where to go.
They need someone to help them find their compass.
Meeting Mr & Mrs Wally today reminded me once again why I am so passionate about this work.
Because ultimately, I don't just want to see people survive life's transitions.
I want to see people come through them and build healthy, connected, enjoyable and meaningful lives.
And if we are serious about mental health, perhaps that is where some of our biggest conversations need to begin.
