Veterans Instameet #39 - Veterans Health Week

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Come and join the Veterans Instameet crew for our 39th instameet on Sunday 8th October 2023.

We are teaming up with the Saltwater Veterans Crew along with members from the Forestville RSL sub branch to take part in the 2023 Veterans Health Week. This years theme is Mental Wellness Matters. The themes aim is to promote good health and wellbeing in the everyday life of veterans and families, and shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health. Our outings always aim to bring together people with photography as the basis of a fun morning out.

We will be heading to North Head for a morning of exploring the military instillations, quarantine station and the Memorial Walk before lunch time. We will be meeting at the North Fort carpark (on Scenic Drive) at 9:30am with the intention to step off no later an 10:00am. 

You all asked for it and we are excited to bring back our photo challenges for the day. We will be having prizes for the most creative photos posted, there are some incredible giveaways lined up from some generous companies, they are listed below.

Be sure to wear sturdy footwear, bring plenty of water and some snacks. We still strongly encourage wearing appropriate footwear and bringing some wet weather gear in case of rain.

Registrations via the link below are a MUST for all wanting to participate on the day.

If you can't make it along, please SHARE this event with any Veterans you know that are into photography, word of mouth is our best tool in spreading our reach and growing the community.

We have three cameras available to anyone who wishes to try their hand at photography but doesn't want to commit to buying their own gear. If you'd like to borrow the cameras and tripods please let me know beforehand so I can ensure there are there on the day.

Let us know if you have any questions or queries.

Mathew Bell - 0409 241 419







Location:
North Head is located 10 minutes drive from Manly. Parking is available in the carpark at North Head Sanctuary, if it is full, please park your car off the road, safely, along Scenic Drive.
We will meet on the lawn next to the carpark at 0930.



Our Supporters on the Day!

We have teamed up with a number of veteran owned and supported business who have kindly and generously donated prizes and giveaways on the day. Get ready to think outside the box to win some epic merch from these guys:











Who Are We?!


We are a veterans photography group called the Veterans Instameet. Initially set up in 2014 by myself, Mathew Bell, a former grunt and an ex-engineer, Warrick Eady. We had both just come back from service in Afghanistan and found common ground through photography. After discharge we both felt completely disconnected from the defence community and found there was no photography outlets or groups veteran based. We felt that having this shared interest, we could get other like minded veterans together with photography as the basis and have fun and keep the connections to members post discharge. We soon expanded the group to include families of defence members and then the emergency services. We welcomed Andrew Judson on as one of the event volunteers, with his 10 years in defence, a background in personal training and a budding outdoorsman to boot.

We have since run 38 events in and around Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast.

We are comprised of former ADF members, current serving members, children of veterans, the emergency services, SES and a number of non serving civilians who support us and what we've been through.


Please Note:
As most of the events are outdoors, there is always a physical element. Most events require a walk from the carpark to the area of interest or a more strenuous trek. The majority of events are mobile, meaning we're constantly on the move while shooting. The important aspect to us is the psychological well being that comes from a day. The aim is for everyone to have fun and make connections to other people with shared backgrounds. Photography is in the background most of the time, we have the aim for everyone to chat, laugh and shoot photos. 
Each event carries risk and by registering and attending the event, each participant agrees to take responsibility for their own safety. Safety is everyone's responsibility and if in doubt, or if anyone feels unsafe it is the individual’s responsibility to sit out the event or highlight it to the other members.  Each participant assumes all risk associated with any activity whilst with the Veterans Instameet. Each participant assumes full responsibility for themselves, their choices, their actions and their equipment. 
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