filling the void

Driven by her passion for supporting individuals who complete military and community service, Kylie Carra is finding ways to give back to those who serve through her work as a doctoral researcher and lecturer in occupational therapy at the La Trobe Rural Health School.

By Anna Knight - Photography by Leon Schoots

Coming from a family with a long history of military service, Kylie Carra knows first-hand the vital part the military plays in the lives and identities of those who serve – and how difficult the transition away from that identity can be.

Kylie’s professional background and interest in helping former service members prompted her to complete a major piece of research investigating how veterans “fill the void” when they leave the military –and how participation in meaningful activities can help them step back into civilian life.

“I have a huge amount of respect for people who serve in the military,” she says. “It’s an amazing sacrifice and such an important contribution to our country – and I wanted to find a way to give back.

“Having worked as an occupational therapist, and now teaching in the discipline, I was really interested to explore the profession’s potential to support the transition of former service members back into civilian life, and help them find a new sense of meaning and purpose in life.” Coming from rural Victoria and now living and working in Bendigo, Kylie was particularly interested in researching how those in rural and regional areas could be supported.

“We know from the 2021 census that almost half of all former service members are transitioning to rural areas, where there may not be adequate access to specialist services and support.

“I wanted to know how occupational therapy might be used more effectively, particularly as approximately 50 per cent of former service members aren’t engaging with health services, even when they’re experiencing health difficulties.”

Occupational therapy is often focused on rehabilitation in community and hospital settings, but the discipline is incredibly broad, and Kylie is interested in some of its non-traditional applications.

“Occupational therapy is all about supporting people to improve their health through participation in meaningful activities – whether that be playing sport, gardening, volunteering, employment, creative practices – and participation in these activities is both the goal and the means to achieve that goal.

“Supporting people to do the things they find meaningful has a significant effect on their physical and mental wellbeing, but we don’t always reach everyone who needs this support.”

Kylie felt that some people were falling through the cracks due to rural isolation, a lack of awareness in the community, and in part because they were not necessarily ‘injured’ in an obvious way.

“Even former service members who’d be considered ‘well’ – people who perhaps don’t have obvious physical or psychological injuries – tend to find adjusting to civilian life quite difficult.

“Moving away from their former military identity to find a new identity outside the military’s strong institutional structures can be really challenging.”

Kylie found that former service members’ activities fell into two groups. An important part of the transition into civilian life was re-establishing a sense of safety and wellbeing, and the other vital aspect was the need to continue their service to the community in some way – whether through volunteering, employment or caring for family or pets.

“My research indicated that former service members have a very good understanding of what they need to do to recover and transition into civilian life, and they are often self-directing their own transitions without the support of health professionals.

“Ex-service members can be reluctant to reach out for help, as such a big part of their military training and identity is about strength, capability and the ability to withstand extreme circumstances.

“The people I spoke with had an incredible understanding of their service-related trauma experiences, and what they needed to do to overcome them.”

Kylie says we need a ‘whole-of-community’ approach to support former service members – recognising the unique skills and perspectives veterans have and establishing opportunities for employment, civic engagement, and participation in sporting and community groups.

“One of the biggest themes of my research was that ex-service members wanted to ‘continue to serve’ in some way – given service, sacrifice and community are strong values for military personnel – and finding ways to do this in the community really helped their transition.

“The same may be true for first responders, such as police, paramedics, and members of the CFA or SES who are transitioning back to everyday life after serving their communities. I’d like to investigate this in future research because occupational therapy can support individuals to find meaningful ways to contribute, even if they are out of uniform.”

Summer Vibes In Heathcote

Among the vines at Munari Wines was the perfect place for a celebration of summer.

The Heathcote winery hosted the Summer in the Vines event in early January, providing six hours of live music, food and, of course, wine. Taking the stage for the afternoon were locals Josh DeAraugo and Kate DeAraugo, and country band Darlinghurst.

Our highly skilled staff are committed to promoting an environment of excellence to deliver an exceptional and comprehensive level of care

• X-ray including dental imaging

• Ultrasound • CT and MRI

• Interventional Radiology

• Breast Imaging including mammography

• Nuclear Medicine

• Bone Mineral Densitometry (DEXA)

Never Alone In Eaglehawk

Film buffs settled into the Star Cinema’s comfy couches for the first night of the Eaglehawk Film Festival.

Returning for its second year, the festival screened eight films from around the world, all united by their title, Alone. A largely unknown but starstudded American drama from 1997 served as the launch film.