An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | Supporting Veterans with ONE Hand by SGT WAyNE FITzGERALD PhoToS by SGT MICK BURKE A n Cosantóir was kindly invited to attend the annual convention of the organisation of National Ex- Servicemen and Women (oNE), which was held in September in the Radisson blu hotel in Sligo. In his opening address, outgoing ONE President John 'Gus' Hennessy welcomed the delegates to the convention and thanked ONE's CEO, Ollie O'Connor, and his assistant, Paul Cooley, for their help and support. He also expressed his ap- preciation for the work carried out by Dick Dillon and Sinéad Black (manager and assistant manager, respectively, of Brú na bhFiann). The outgoing president also welcomed his successor, Mick Carroll, from St Conleth's branch, Newbridge. Chairman Paddy Rooney then gave his report, in which he spoke about ONE's disappointment at the lack of a veterans policy in the government's 2014 Green Paper on defence, which led, following a number of meetings with the Chief of Staff and the Department of Defence, to such a policy being included for the first time in the subsequent White Paper. Mr Rooney went on to ask delegates to give their full support to the proposed devolution of responsibilities to ONE's area councils, as well as thanking the committee that worked on changes to the layout of ONE's Connect maga- zine. In relation to fundraising, he also spoke about ONE's Mayo branch and its production of the Home, Sweet Home DVD, which is on sale for €5, with all funds going to ONE; telling delegates that it shows what a small branch can do through innovative thinking. On the subject of training, Mr Rooney told the conference that the board continuously undergoes training in the areas of company law, accountancy reporting, charity regula- tions, health and safety, employment law, and governance, saying: "We don't invent these laws or regulations, but we have to implement them for the good of the organisation." CEO Ollie O'Connor was the next speaker. He told the delegates that "The new White Paper on defence, which will be DF policy for the next decade, now includes a veterans policy. We see everyone that served in the Defence Forces as a veteran and hope they will all join ONE." He went on to tell conference that ONE is now subject to the Charities Act 2009 and that under new legislation he had to register as a lobbyist in order to be able to speak to politicians on behalf of ONE. Ollie thanked everyone for their continued support for the organisation and expressed his appreciation for DF veteran Benny Hill for setting up the 'Friends of Brú na bhFiann' and the great charity work the new group did for ONE's homes and drop-in centres this year. He also thanked the former Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Conor O'Boyle, for the 'Friday Club' initiative, which sees veterans being invited to meet serving personnel over a tea or coffee in many barracks around the country. In relation to welfare, Ollie reminded delegates that the DF's PSS is available to veterans, and also spoke of the im- portance of fundraising initiatives like Christmas cards, golf classics, and the Fuchsia appeal. He thanked all those who have helped in these areas, including ONE's Fundraising Committee, and spoke of the need to keep coming up with new ideas, such as Mayo branch's charity DVD. After reminding delegates that the Niemba remem- brance Mass is on in Cathal Brugha Barracks on November 7th, Ollie finished by reading out the names of ONE mem- bers who passed away in the last year. Next to the podium was board member, Derek Ryan, who ONE ADC 2015 Lt Gen Gerry McMahon Retd speaking about ONE's strategic plan. ONE Board member Derek Ryan

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