An Cosantóir

11 INSIGHT INTO VETERANS AFFAIRS Wayne with author and military historian, Paul O'Brien in 2013 after winning the European Military Press Association (EMPA) award for best article with 'At the Gates of Hell (Mali)' - written by Paul. One of Wayne's articles on the Veterans Charity ONE. Shadow Warriors: The Irish Army Ranger Wing' published by Mercier Press in April 2020. One of Wayne's infographics show how the ONE assist veterans of the Defence Forces. payroll or pension, or as a standing order with their bank, which is less than the price of a cup of coffee. This type of funding, he said, would allow ONE to maintain and plan for future services. The form can be downloaded from our website: https://bit.ly/DonateToONE Looking to the future, Wayne identifies an increased requirement for accommodation in the veterans' homes in the post COVID period, and the challenges in re-opening the Branch and Veteran Support Centre network. This, he said, would have implications for staff and residents in the Homes and Head Office from the necessary restrictions during the Pandemic. Like most charities, he added, the inability to fundraise during the pandemic was tough: "We see challenges with State funding in the post-pandemic period which is worrying. In the long-term, we strive to get a whole of government approach for a Veterans' Policy as many of the issues affecting veterans, such as health care and housing, do not fall within the remit of the Department of Defence. We also want the creation of an Office of Veterans' Affairs which is a common feature that other governments put in place as the strategic delivery agency tasked with co-ordinating the achievement of the objectives of Veterans' Policy." And Wayne knows what he is talking about, not only in terms of veterans' needs but also about life in the Army after 32 years' service in the Defence Forces. Originally from Dublin's inner city, he grew up in a military family with most of his male relatives, including those on his wife's side, serving in the Defence Forces. "As a young man I wanted an adventure and joined the Army which enabled me to travel the world and educate myself. I served overseas as a peacekeeper in Bosnia, Lebanon, and Kosovo (three tours) and held the rank of Sergeant for the majority of my career. I had a long and distinguished military career, having served nearly 32 years in the Defence Forces in both the Army and the Air Corps." He started his military career in the 5 Infantry Battalion in Collins Barracks, Dublin, in February 1990 and served there until October 1997. During that time, he recalled, he collected some great lifelong friends adding that the Defence Forces is great for its comradery. "Throughout my service, I trained and worked in administration, records and data management, IT/ECDL trainer, intelligence at home and overseas, which led me on to Public Relations and editing the KFOR Dialogue (now KFOR 4U) an official publication of the NATO Kosovo Force. And then when I went to the Air Corps, I worked on their Wings Newsletter." In 2011, Wayne was seconded to Defence Forces HQ to work on www.military.ie. There he took on the editing of the Connect Newsletter as part of the Defence Forces internal communications strategy, and shortly after took over as the editor of An Cosantóir, the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces, where he edited over 88 issues from May 2011 to June 2020. "I worked in the Defence Forces PR Branch for over 10 years, where I trained as a journalist, in desktop publishing, and in social media and brand reputation. In all I have written over 300 plus articles for An Cosantóir and in several military publications around the world," he explained. In April 2020, Wayne published his first book 'Shadow Warriors: The Irish Army Ranger Wing', which he co-wrote alongside his good friend, military historian and author Paul O'Brien. The book has to date sold well over 3,000 copies. "As part of my life-long learning I undertook several diplomas in my own time in the areas of public relations, social media marketing, equality studies, youth work, and mental health," he added. Not content to retire quietly, Wayne - after completing his 31 years of service - decided on a new challenge: "As an advocate for mental health and with my PR and social media related experience, I was interested in working in the charity sector. It was great to get the opportunity to join the Defence Forces Veterans' Charity ONE, which I greatly admired for the work they were doing for my fellow veterans. I took up the position as ONE's first full-time role as Marketing and Fundraising Officer in July 2021. I'm responsible for the co-ordination and management of ONE's fundraising and events and I also manage the charity's social media activity across several platforms. It's a role I'm enjoying very much." There remains much work to be done, as Wayne sees it, especially in working for ONE and making sure veterans in trouble are looked after in the best way possible. If you have a fundraising idea or want to help ONE you can contact Wayne on 083 097 3282 or wayne@oneconnect.ie. Ends

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