“How we treat our veterans – and their family and whānau – says a great deal about us as a society,” says Martin. “So Fallen Heroes’ mission to honour the fallen with ongoing support for their loved ones is a vital service to our community that we’re very proud to support.”

“As a community, we can also do more to help others who have also served their country and help enrich their lives, and those of the people around them.”

Martin says GBF believes that veterans continue to make a vital contribution to New Zealand after their service.

“Our military veterans bring a host of skills that can support the community, local businesses and the wider economy,” says Martin.

“These men and women are highly trained, with both specialist skills – from advanced mechanics to technology – and well-honed experience in leadership, resilience, problem solving and creative responses to challenging tasks.”

“These are all attributes that can be invaluable to both our business sector and our broader community.”

Martin says the key thing those wishing to support our veterans can do is engage with them to understand what they can offer.

“If we respect the sacrifice these servicepeople, and their families, have made to protect our country, then – especially as business leaders – we owe it to them to recognise the unique contribution they can make when they leave the services.”

“It can be hard to make the transition to civilian life,” says Martin, “and sometimes people are not willing to look more deeply at the experience servicepeople have, to understand how they can take on a variety of roles in the community.”

“I believe we owe it to all those who have served – past and present – to respect the enormous commitment they have made to help protect our country and play our part in ensuring – as the Fallen Heroes mission highlights – they can enjoy all the opportunities of a full and rewarding life.”

 

Adam Modd, who is supported by Fallen Heroes, explains his journey and what the Trust has meant to him and his family:

“Life can be difficult at the best of times, but there are circumstances that can break people in ways that most people don’t see or understand. 

In the military you choose to dedicate your life to serve others, and that requires training mentally and physically to the highest standards and maintaining those. Then there are the personal sacrifices where being away for frequent and extended periods fighting for freedom and human rights mean your own family time is lost. 

These are things that are common to service personnel, but imagine having devoted your life to this, and having put tears, sweat and blood into honing your body and mind that a single act could take all of that away and leave you with seemingly almost nothing. 

I dedicated my life to the service of bomb disposal, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. I risked my life to save others, but that was what I wanted the most from my professional military career. 

One incident on operations took that all away. I was physically broken beyond repair, and mentally devastated that the very things I had trained all my adult life to do, I could no longer achieve. Then there is the pain that wears you down physically, mentally, followed by unhappiness, loss of self-worth. Relationships between loved ones, family and friends suffer too. 

Service personnel are proud people and the stigmas behind depression and PTSD mean we hide our demons. 

I was very lost and despondent, and out of the blue, New Zealand Fallen hero’s reached out to me at possibly the lowest point of my life. The support that was offered to me and my family was very generous and unexpected, and it was an amazing lift financially and emotionally. The way in which the New Zealand Fallen Hero’s approached this helped my mental and physical healing, it was a very dignified approach which helps immensely as a proud service person it is challenging and painful asking for help. 

Me, my wife, and children will be forever thankful, grateful and indebted to New Zealand Fallen Heroes who offered support in a way that helped me rebuild my life and our lives as a family.”

 

Jolene says the whanau are grateful for the assistance of the Trust over the years.

“From helping to cover costs for counselling and psychologist visits, orthodontic work for all three girls, and assistance with school fees, boarding fees, and funding towards university fees, The Fallen Heroes Trust has made such a positive impact on the girls lives,” said Jolene.

“It has meant we have been able to say yes more often, the girls have been able to experience and take on opportunities that, most likely we wouldn't have been able to provide for on our own. For being there, for providing these opportunities and for enriching our girls lives we will be forever grateful.”

The support the Trust has made available to Luke Tamatea’s children typifies the work of the Trust and its focus on providing the assistance and support the families of fallen servicepeople need to live full lives.

 

Art in Recovery has been running since 2018 and this exhibition was the first open to the public. 

New Zealand Army Liaison Officer Injured, Wounded and Ill, Captain Rebecca Millar, says this exhibition has allowed stories to be shared through art and aims to enhance a sense of wellbeing. 

“We have 20 artists and more than 40 pieces of art across a variety of mediums including mouth painting, sculptures, welding, digital art and more,” said Captain Millar.

“Our oldest former serving artist is 89 years old and it’s been lovely to see him reconnect with military though his art.”

She said Art in Recovery was about raising awareness of recovery through art by exhibiting and showcasing work by NZDF people.  

“The journey to recovery can be found in many forms, including art and creativity which is just one therapeutic method that can help in the recovery process,” Captain Millar said. 

Former Royal Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft technician Gill McFarlane spent 17 years in uniform. She now works as a civilian at RNZAF Base Woodbourne in health and safety. 

Mrs McFarlane has two pieces of art in the exhibition and says her first taste of Art in Recovery was in 2021 with the Art in Recovery Workshop where she discovered a love of painting landscapes. 

“It was so refreshing to be able to talk about what was happening inside my head, and have an outlet to encapsulate my feelings. 

“When I got home, I tried all the different techniques taught and then I started to paint watercolours. I have been doing that for about a year now. I found I really enjoying painting landscapes. I doubt my paintings are technically correct, but it was more about enjoyment than technical skill.

“I didn’t consider art as an outlet until I attended the Art in Recovery workshop, and now it is a regular tool in my mental wellness toolbox,” she said. 

Mrs McFarlane said it meant a lot to her to be a part of Art in Recovery. 

“I think it is really important to create open, honest conversations around mental health and mental injuries. For such a long time there has been massive stigma and I think we are moving away from those attitudes and Art in Recovery is a really cool way to do that,” she said. 

The exhibition ran for six days and was free to attend. 

As a non-public funding event, this initiative could not have happened without the support of sponsors The Fallen Heroes Trust, Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand and the RSA.

 

The Warehouse are committed to enhancing the lives of families and young people throughout Aotearoa, which is why they are proud to partner with the New Zealand Fallen Heroes Trust. This is the fourth year of the partnership, which was established in 2013.

“We believe education is critical to ensuring future generations and the country as a whole continues to flourish. We are really pleased our customers got in behind this initiative so the children of New Zealand's fallen heroes are able to access education,” says Shari French, The Warehouse Group GM Community Relations.

Thanks to the generosity of The Warehouse Group's customers, team members and suppliers, over $45 million dollars has been raised for New Zealand community organisations in the last 35 years. More information on their commitment to New Zealand communities and the environment is available on their website: http://www.thewarehousegroup.co.nz/community-environment

 

Through education grants and funding for medical care like orthodontic work, the Fallen Heroes Trust is able to help Luke and Jolene’s three daughters achieve their goals, dreams and aspirations.

NZFHT Chair Baden Ewart says Luke’s death was one of the driving factors behind the establishment of the trust.

“Their story and loss is one of the key reasons we became engaged in this in the first place,” Baden says.

“I’m honoured to be able to help them enjoy their childhood despite the tragic loss of their father.”

Jolene Homburg recently wrote to Baden, telling him how well all three of her and Luke’s girls are doing in school.

“We recently had parent teacher interviews, and I was extremely proud to have all of their teachers compliment me on how amazing our daughters are,” Jolene wrote.

“They try their best and all three are kind, caring and respectful – as a mum, I can’t ask for anything more.”

Detailing their achievements, a proud Jolene said they’re all accomplishing great things in school, and are kept busy by their various sporting pursuits.

“Kaytlen is currently representing the Bay of Plenty in netball and had her first tournament in Te Awamutu where her team won all five of their games,” she said.

“I’d like to once again thank you for all of your support – without it, these opportunities might not be possible for my girls.”