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102 years on from the arrival of the Light Horse at Gallipoli in 1915, Lockheed Martin has announced its support of Yass Valley-based not-for-profit organisation Remount to support Australian service men and women and their families.
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Remount is a horsemanship program designed to assist returned service men and women, and their families, to manage the impacts of loss, work-related stress, combat stress or PTSD, to re-establish their lives and develop new career paths post-service.
The Lockheed Martin sponsorship will support a further eight programs in 2018, providing the opportunity for an additional 30 returned service men and women, and their families, to reconnect through horsemanship.
Chief executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Vince Di Pietro made the announcement at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, at an event attended by Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson and senior Defence personnel.
"We are delighted to announce this foundation sponsorship and support for Remount, who are delivering programs that have a positive impact on our returned service men and women and their families through vocational, counselling and horsemanship training," Di Pietro said.
"Lockheed Martin Australia is proud to support the Remount program, as it is very clear that the program makes a significant and tangible difference to the health and well-being of the participants."
Remount founders, Ben and Marina Maguire, the board of directors and volunteers, all welcomed the funding support from Lockheed Martin Australia, which will provide much needed equipment and resources to sustain the horse program with a difference.
"With our 2017 programs fully booked, we can now deliver a further eight programs for the 30 people on our 2018 wait list," Ben Maguire said.
"Program participants learn to ride a horse and muster up to 300-head of cattle by day, while in the evening they can sit around a campfire and share stories of their military experience.
"Our approach is different, it pushes our ‘drovers’ outside their comfort zone and uses the power of the horse to heal. This is real work experience, challenging them in areas they never imagined."
Remount is delivered at no cost to current or former serving members of the Australian Defence Force. The two, three and four-day Remount programs include onsite accommodation, catering, tuition and workshirts.
