An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 23 would be run by trained veterans with a statutory board behind them, and under the same ideals as a Citizens Information Centre. "They would be a marriage of the Citizens Information Centre and a type of Men's Shed," Ollie said, "where veterans will be able to seek advice and direction, and also be able to relax in a welcome environment, under the saying, 'It's OK to say you are not OK' – that's what the centres are for." There are two veterans support centres in operation, in Lim- erick and Dundalk, with a further seven in development and six more locations identified, which will cover most of Ireland. Recently retired director of Personnel Support Services, Lt Col Ollie Barbour (retd), now a board member with ONE then took the podium for his first conference. He told delegates: "The veterans support centre is not just for problems; I'm a firm believer in the 'cup of tea'. The idea is to just come in and have a cup of tea and chat. These centres would be there for all veterans, not just ONE members – all veterans and all associations welcome." He said. Speaking about staff training, he said: "All our veterans will have the skills to help other veterans. That's why we opened up our re- cent Mental Health First Aid course to other veterans associations, so they are trained on how to listen and guide people with mental health issues; not just veterans, but their spouses and family mem- bers as well." He also said all staff would be Garda vetted and trained further, like staff in Citizens Information Centres. He finished by say- ing: "I'd like to think of the veterans support centres as the PSS for retired veterans." Next up was board member Derek Ryan to talk about public re- lations and social media. His talk was very informative, especially in this modern world were news is a few keystrokes away and fake news can be created from one post or tweet. "Our PR message should always include the fact that we are a charity, housing homeless veterans," he said. "The aim of good public relations is to inform the public or veterans, donors and other stakeholders, and to give a positive view on our organisation and what we do." He then went on to give some jaw-dropping examples of the dangers and pitfalls of bad PR, the fallout of false accusations, cyber bullying, and the law. "An online comment will stay there forever despite attempts to delete it," he warned. "Comments can be attributed to an individual, a branch, the organisation, and even private posts are admissible as evidence in civil actions." Then, to hammer home this point he said: "All comments on social media are public comments, even if posted on a private forum. It is the same as writing a comment in a local newspaper, and anything negative and untrue about an individual or a group can be perceived as defamation." He then quoted Article 40.3.2 of the Constitution, which says: "The State shall, in particular, by its laws, protect as best it may from unjust attack, and in the case of injustice done, vindicate the life, person, good name and property rights of every citizen." Derek went on to talk about cases of defamation and gave guidance on what not to do online in order to protect ONE and its members. He also added that ONE could also sue people for negative or false comments, and would do so if required. He finished by telling delegates that the board was drafting a social media policy for members and branches, and would be conducting training and workshops in this area soon. ONE Company Secretary Albert Farrell then briefed delegates on ONE's progress with the Charity Regulator's guidance on good governance and said it is an evolving code that includes the prin- ciples of leadership, effectiveness, accountability, remuneration and relations to stakeholders. Workshops were then held to discuss the veterans support centres and financial policy. Later the delegates reconvened for the AGM part of the conference with only 11 motions on the table. Those of note that were passed included: the establishment of branch welfare officers, to lobby minister for defence for all DF veterans to be awarded the 1916-2016 commemorative medal and any subsequent commemorative medals. Overall, it was a very informative conference, where relevant matters pertaining to the welfare of our veterans were discussed in a thoughtful and well-planned manner. ONE Conference 2018 Pictured with 'Branch of the Year' trophy is Jim McEneaney from the wining Michael McNeela Branch along with ONE National President Tom James, Pat Durnin, Mick Reid and Paddy Flavin. ONE Chairman Brig Gen Colm Campbell (retd) gives an inspiring talk.

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