PETE’S Story: WHY I BECAME AN RSL MEMBER and VOLUNTEER AMBASSADOR
Pete Rudland has had one hell of a life.
While serving in the the 2nd Commando Regiment, Pete survived a horrific Blackhawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan, in which four of his comrades died. He woke in a German hospital with significant muscular-skeletal injuries and a frontal lobe bleed.
Following 28 years in the military, the wounds he incurred in Afghanistan forced his hand as a medical discharge.
After relocating to a country town in WA, Pete didn’t really know anyone and didn’t feel like he had a lot in common with the people he was meeting.
“They were all good people, but they were different from me.”
Eventually, he bumped into an old Vietnam Vet who invited him down to the RSL for a beer.
“I went somewhat reluctantly because I just didn’t think the RSL was for me. I’m glad I did. I met good people from different Defence backgrounds almost every time I visited thereafter. I finally started to meet people I had something in common with and I learned a lot more about the area I was living in. I’d underestimated the true value of the community that RSL fosters.”
Since those early days Pete has relocated to NSW with his family. He has racked up a list of achievements including competing in three Invictus games teams and one as a co-captain of the Australian team in Canada in 2017. He has served as the Assistant Team Manager for veterans in the Australian Winter Sports Team and retrained as a counsellor, specialising in Post-Traumatic Stress.
In January 2021 Phil Winter, CEO of RSL Australia, invited Pete to become a National Ambassador for RSL Australia having been recognised for his wealth of experience in the Australian Defence Force, his affable personality and his knowledge in PTS counselling and holistic rehabilitation.
In this volunteer Ambassador role, Pete acts as spokesperson, working to promote and develop initiatives that benefit the veteran community.
“My life has changed a lot since leaving defence and a lot of it has come from simply being asked to go down to the RSL for a beer. But it really was more than just a beer, it was a connection to a community that I didn’t realise I was missing and a new direction for me.
“I feel very privileged to have found an organisation that I love being a part of and one that values my involvement. This position [RSL Australia Ambassador] has given me the opportunity to engage with a larger portion of our community and to find ways to enable veterans to better utilise the resources offered by RSL.
“As a kid, I was a Legacy ward and the RSL was always there to help my mother. We survived on a war widow’s pension and my mother did it hard. I will never forget how appreciative my mother was for someone to talk to that understood the complexities of being a war widow and an ex-military family.
“Not everyone needs to get so involved but what is so amazing about being in the RSL is that you can just come down to catch up with like-minded people or make a difference in your life or others.”
When asked about his approach to life post-service, this was Pete’s advice:
“Even though I was a medical discharge and I was completely frightened of becoming a civie, there came a time where I had to just get on with my life and stop seeing myself as a victim of circumstance. I had people that depended on me. I found the things that made me happy and made sure I had a sound equilibrium between family, friends, rehabilitation, and myself.”
RSL Australia is immensely grateful for the work Pete does within the organisation, which currently includes representation at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. We are proud to have Pete representing RSL and of his commitment to bettering the lives of our veteran community.
As part of the televised coverage of Western Australia’s ANZAC Day 2022, Pete Rudland was interviewed by ABC where he discussed his aspirations for RSL.