Rutherglen RSL members puts out call for all war veterans to get vaccinated

Rutherglen RSL member Lloyd Patterson, who served in the Australian Army for 22 years, holds fears for ex-serviceman from his generation in the fight against COVID-19.

"There's a lot of cynicism as most ex-servicepeople don't trust politicians," Mr Patterson said.

"Unfortunately, cynicism will kill you. Not only kill you, but kill the ones you love too.

"That attitude is alive and well. Most of the guys I know have only got it because their wives have insisted.

"It's very sad, but anything they hear from a politician they divide by 10 and disregard completely."

Rutherglen RSL secretary and RSL Victoria state executive member David Martin has put out a call to Border and North East ex-servicepeople and those in the armed forces to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.

"Because there's such a large contingent of retired servicemen and veterans in Albury-Wodonga, I think it's appropriate we encourage that contingent of people to get vaccinated as well," he said.

"While it's not a war of combat, it's a war against the pandemic we're looking at in the community, and we can play our part.

"We've seen the pain health-wise and economically and the damage it's doing to both sides of the border.

"There are plenty of places for people to go and get their vaccinations. There's the vaccination hub in Wodonga, there's numerous medical clinics around that have it and your GP.

"Roll your arms up, get the jab and contribute to the health of the community."

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Afghanistan war veteran Warrant Officer Class Two Cheyne Truelove, who serves at Bandiana, said the uptake has been promising among his peers.

"Initially there were a few concerns, but most of the serving community has already been vaccinated. They jumped in pretty quickly with that," he said.

Troops have recently been deployed to the Queensland border and have been used at various stages of the pandemic in Australia to protect against COVID-19, but WO2 Truelove believes it carries just as much importance as foreign missions.

"I think people are more than happy to serve Australia in whatever capacity, whether it's overseas or domestically," he said.

"The quicker everyone is vaccinated, the quicker we can get the rest of the community back to whatever normal looks like.

"The guys supporting those COVID tasks are proud to be able to take up the call in the time of need we're in."

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