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Defence services company Babcock Australasia has expanded its longstanding partnership with Military and Emergency Services Health Australia (MESHA), enabling the not-for-profit to establish a permanent presence in Western Australia and deliver tailored support programs to local defence and emergency personnel and their families.
The renewed partnership, now entering its second decade, includes a fresh two-year corporate agreement that will allow MESHA, part of The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group, to broaden its national reach. A key focus of the expansion is the creation of a Western Australia-based lived-experience workforce, ensuring service members in the state can access support from people who understand the realities of military and emergency service life.
Through the new arrangement, MESHA will roll out several pilot programs in Western Australia, including:
- Group Emotional and Relationship Skills (GEARS) – a 12-week psychoeducation and skills course designed specifically for current and former ADF and emergency service personnel.
- MindRight and StoryRight – programs aimed at helping veterans navigate post-service identity, career transitions, and personal resilience.
- The Psychosocial Safety Program – a preventative mental health course for new recruits or high-risk units, teaching early intervention and distress-management skills.
Among those benefiting from MESHA’s work is Kathleen Pisani, the organisation’s program officer for logistics and administration. Pisani served 18 years in the Australian Army, including deployments with the United Nations and postings in Malaysia, Thailand, and South Sudan. She said MESHA’s transition programs were vital in helping her adjust to civilian life.
“I thought I was prepared for the loss of identity that comes with transition. I’d planned ahead – and I was wrong,” she said. “MESHA’s programs made a huge difference. MindRight and StoryRight gave me the skills I was missing, and they did it in a psychologically safe space, surrounded by others going through the same experience. The support and validation were incredible.”
The expansion was highlighted last week at the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, where Babcock hosted MESHA on its stand, offering visitors the chance to meet the team and hear directly from veterans and first responders involved in its programs.
Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said that extending the partnership reflected the company’s commitment to supporting those who serve. “Our service men and women play a critical role in keeping our country safe, and we’re proud to extend our long-running partnership with MESHA,” he said.
Cridland added: “Babcock has contributed to Australia’s national security from Western Australia since 2001 and sustains nearly 1,000 jobs in the state, including through our role as regional maintenance provider – west. Partnering with organisations like MESHA helps us give back to the communities that support our work, particularly in Western Australia.”
Dr Karen May, head of THRF Group – MESHA, said the West Australian expansion would significantly strengthen support options for veterans, frontline responders and their families. “This collaboration with Babcock marks a major step forward in meeting the growing needs of military and emergency personnel across WA,” she said.
“By building a strong lived-experience workforce in the state, we’re ensuring our support is both meaningful and accessible.”
Babcock partners with several organisations across Australia and New Zealand to foster long-term community resilience and skills development, including Yalari Foundation, the University of Adelaide Women in STEM Careers Program, the ADF AFL Wheelchair Team, Engineering Aid Australia, Auckland University of Technology, and Lifeblood.
MESHA, a subsidiary of THRF Group, is dedicated to delivering high-quality research and programs that improve the mental health and wellbeing of current and former military members, emergency service workers and their families nationwide.
