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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Thursday, 1 July 2004) . . Page.. 3233 ..

“If I touched him on the shoulder he would jump,” Raewyn said. “At night he would break into sweats and I often woke up to find him digging a hole in the bed as though he was digging a fox hole. The stress just took over his life and he was barely able to function.” After several visits to a psychiatrist, Bill was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, a diagnosis that was accepted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. But despite medical records stating otherwise, he was not recognised for a total and permanently incapacitated pension, paid to veterans who are unable to undertake paid employment of more than eight hours a week as a result of their war or defence service related injuries.

Bill appealed through the Veterans Review Board and faced an Administrative Appeals Tribunal before being awarded 90 per cent of his pension, but it was the fight for the remaining 10 per cent Raewyn believes led to his death.

“Bill went to the VRB board in April last year and was knocked back,” Raewyn said. “He was late coming home and then he came in with a letter and a bag of groceries. The next thing the groceries were all over the floor and he turned to me and said, ‘What do I have to do to prove I am not lying? Kill myself?’’’

Raewyn referred her husband to hospital where he was treated by his psychiatrist. He returned home, seemingly better, but several weeks later, on July 1, Bill went missing.

He was found 10 days later in his son-in-law’s truck by the side of the road in Captain’s Flat. He was 65.

Bill’s tragic story is not unique. According to a study on the mortality of Vietnam veterans, conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare between 1980 and 1994, 67 people who served in the regular army during the war committed suicide—a 19 per cent higher suicide rate than expected for people of the same gender and age. Of those who were on national service in the Vietnam War, 62 committed suicide—a 21 per cent higher rate than expected.

Co-founder of the Queanbeyan RSL Sub-Branch Support and Welfare Centre, John Wright, was a close friend of Bill’s.

Mr Wright said the support centre acted as an interface between veterans and the DVA, medical specialists and other agencies. Where appeals against DVA decisions are required, an advocate will arrange the appeal and accompany the veteran to the VRBs and AATs. But the process, he said, was frustrating.

The purpose of my reading this tonight is that Bill Bastion left a wife, a daughter, four grandchildren, a son-in-law and extended family, and a support group in the ACT. Bill Bastion served his country in a variety of capacities and it is a pity that he had to fight to earn what was rightfully his. My understanding is that he earned the balance of what he fought for posthumously.

I believe it is important that we extend our support to all veterans in our community, to a greater extent than we do at the moment, to minimise and, hopefully, eliminate this suicide rate. It is also important that we support the families, and others, who are assisting people suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome, particularly veterans who have served us in war.

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