In This Section
Why the need for the Trust
Members of the Australian Defence Force voluntarily subject themselves to greater risks and hardships on a daily basis. The men of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment do so at an even greater level because of the intensity and hazardous nature of their methods of operation. Ergo, their probability of death or serious injury is considerably higher with, on average 1-2 SAS soldiers killed annually alone.
This was clearly highlighted following the 1996 Blackhawk helicopter tragedy in Queensland when 18 of Australia’s finest soldiers lost their lives during a training exercise. 15 soldiers were from the SAS Regiment based at Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Western Australia. One further soldier was rendered paraplegic and many more were seriously injured.
Whilst a military compensation scheme did exist in 1996 it was sufficient only to meet the basic needs of those affected. The families of those killed and the soldiers who were left permanently disabled received minimal support from the Government. Apart from the trauma of losing loved ones and colleagues families and injured survivors of the Blackhawk tragedy were left, in many circumstances facing hardship. Unfortunately the same applied to those serving members of the SAS Regiment killed or disabled prior to 1996. The publicity surrounding this forced a review of the Military Compensation Scheme and on the 1st July 2004 changes were made to the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.
These circumstances in 1996 prompted a group of concerned West Australian citizens to form the Special Air Service Resources Trust. The Trust’s objectives were to try and provide greater peace of mind to our SAS soldiers whose lives are put at risk. This risk occurs on a constant basis during both training and active duty within Australia and overseas. Their efforts are for the benefit and security of all Australians. The families, and particularly their children will be well supported in the event of their death or permanent incapacitation.
After all, many of the world’s other Special Forces have had Trusts which have been in existence for many years and proven their worth by supporting these important organizations as the most capable and highly respected Forces in the world.
For the period from 12/06/1996 to 30/06/2010 our Trust has received $3,255,401.15 in donations and distributed $848,648.82 in beneficiary payments. In 2009 the Rudd Labor Government made a Grant of $10 million to our Trust to enable us to continue our work in looking after the families of the deceased or disabled members of the Australian SAS Regiment.