there is no more addtional stock of this item
You May Also Like
there is no more addtional stock of this item
Veteran Games brings contemporary military Veterans together in teams of ten (8 plus 2 reserves) to compete in military-styled challenges that test fitness, problem-solving, communication and teamwork.
I founded Veteran Games because when people leave the military, they don't just leave a job. For many of us, we also leave behind a profound sense of purpose, community and identity that was built through years of service.
Veteran Games creates an opportunity to reconnect with these values while showcasing the excellence that continues to exist across our Veteran community and within each Veteran.
It's incredibly personal.
I know what it's like to leave the military and suddenly lose the team, purpose and identity that had defined so much of your life. Veteran Games is about creating something I wish had existed when I transitioned - somewhere Veterans can come back together, have a mission to work towards and remind themselves, and everyone watching, just some of what we can achieve together.
Watching what happens to people – the magic .
We've had Veterans reconnect with old mates, build entirely new friendships and make significant changes in their lives simply because they suddenly have something to train for and a team depending on them. And being able to do all this in front of their families and loved ones – improving lives and families captured so well by some of our testimonials at VeteranGames.com
Those individual stories are ultimately what Veteran Games is about.
Veteran Games really began from the findings of the Royal Commission’s Interim Report and my own experiences transitioning out of Defence.
So much of what I read reflected what I had experienced myself - particularly the loss of purpose, identity and community that can come when you leave service. I wanted to take those findings and do something practical with them.
We started on the Gold Coast in 2023 with an idea to bring Veterans back together, give them something meaningful to work towards and create an opportunity to showcase the excellence that continues long after service.
For me, growth is about taking what we've learned and turning it into action that can positively impact Veterans and their families for generations to come.
Everywhere Veterans have served.
What excites me most about taking Veteran Games internationally is the opportunity to reunite the coalitions many of us deployed alongside on combat operations around the world.
We served alongside our coalition brothers and sisters in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, sharing the same missions, risks and experiences. Now we have an opportunity to bring those same communities back together for a very different mission — supporting each other after service and ultimately helping to save lives.
We've already started that journey in the UK, and next we're looking towards the United States. My ambition is for Veteran Games to grow into a global Veteran community, reconnecting the nations we once served alongside through the shared bonds of service, purpose and experience.
We came together as a coalition in war. I'd love to see us come together again in peace, this time to look after our own.
The obstacles that can't be solved by one person.
I love anything where being the strongest or fastest individual isn't enough - you have to communicate, think, adapt and work as a team.
That's when you really see those military instincts come alive again.
There isn't one podium moment that stands above everything else.
I'm proudest when I hear what Veteran Games has caused someone to do before they even arrive - getting fit again, reconnecting with mates, joining a team or finding something worth working towards.
The event might last a weekend. The impact we're trying to create happens throughout the year.
That Veterans are an extraordinary national asset. Too often the public conversation about Veterans begins and ends with what might be wrong with us. Of course we need to support people when they're struggling, but Veterans also bring leadership, resilience, adaptability, teamwork and an enormous capacity for service into the communities they return to.
Veteran Games exists partly to change that narrative - from simply asking how we can help Veterans to also asking what Veterans can continue to contribute.
Because service teaches you that you're part of something bigger than yourself. And the inspiration that comes from this.
You're surrounded by people who understand you, rely upon you and hold you accountable. When you leave, that can disappear almost overnight.
Community gives people somewhere to belong again - and, importantly, someone else to show up for.
Physical challenge is incredibly powerful because it gives people something tangible to work towards together.
But the physical component isn't the end state. It's the vehicle. Put eight Veterans together, give them a difficult problem, introduce some pressure and suddenly they're communicating, helping each other, laughing, competing and operating as a team again.
That's where the magic happens.
Never underestimate what someone is capable of when you give them a purpose and people to share it with.
I've watched Veterans transform themselves because their team needed them. Sometimes what people need isn't another conversation about what's wrong - it's an opportunity to rediscover what's still right.
That people genuinely show up for each other.
Veteran Games is competitive, but you'll constantly see teams helping other teams, Veterans encouraging people they've never met and volunteers giving everything they have to make the experience better.
That's service continuing beyond the uniform.
People are the capability.
Plans, equipment and resources matter, but ultimately people deliver outcomes. Invest in them, give them clarity and purpose, trust them to perform and you'll continually be surprised by what they're capable of.
Resilience isn't pretending things don't hurt or simply enduring everything that happens to you.
For me, it's the ability to adapt, keep moving and find another way forward when circumstances change. Resilience should also be proactive – strengthened through the people and purpose we choose.
Every competitor receives a High Sierra backpack as part of their competitors pack at registration. We also use High Sierra backpacks as kit bags used in the competition, filled with stores the teams need to use to compete the events.
What I value about equipment used at Veteran Games is that it has to be functional, dependable and capable of taking punishment.
High Sierra fits naturally into that environment. Our equipment doesn't sit pristine on a shelf - it's transported around the country, handled by teams, exposed to the elements and genuinely used. We continue using products that can keep up with that.
For me, practicality always wins. I like equipment that has been designed around how people actually use it - comfortable to carry, easy to organise and robust enough that you don't have to think about it once you're moving. The shape, size and style are also what I call tactically chic – combined with the green colour we have been using - it’s on brand and on point.
It's less about exercise for its own sake and more about continuing to do things and daily movement
Train, travel, explore, compete, get outdoors, challenge yourself and share experiences with other people. Physical activity is obviously a huge part of my life, but ultimately an active lifestyle is about remaining engaged with life rather than watching it pass you by.
Travel removes familiarity.
You put people somewhere new, give them a shared experience and suddenly they're exploring, problem-solving and creating memories together.
Taking Veteran Games around Australia - and now internationally - also allows Veterans from very different communities to discover just how much they have in common.
Being prepared should mean you are ready for the mission ahead, as well as contingencies that may occur.
Taking the time to ensure you are prepared for what is to come should mean that you have the confidence and calmness to do what’s needed, and adapt as required.
That's certainly true of Veteran Games. We prepare obsessively, then when something inevitably changes, we have the people, equipment and confidence to solve it.
Trust, clarity and complementary strengths.
A great team doesn't require everyone to be the same. In fact, the opposite is usually true. You need people who understand the objective, understand what they bring to it and trust the people around them to do their part.
And the best teams I've ever been part of have one other characteristic: they care more about the team's outcome than their individual credit.
