In most walks of life the families of people killed or badly injured in the course of their work are well compensated through workers’ compensation schemes, other industry based funds or legal chains.  Sadly this is not the case for those serving the Australian military, who voluntarily subject themselves to greater risks and hardship on a daily basis.  Members of the Special Air Service do so at an even greater level because of the intensity and hazardous nature of their methods of operations.  Ergo, their probability of death or injury is considerably higher with, on average 1-2 SAS Soldiers killed annually alone.

Whilst a military compensation scheme exists, it is sufficient only to meet the basic needs of those affected.  This was clearly highlighted following the 1996 Blackhawk helicopter accident in Queensland when 18 of Australia’s finest soldiers lost their lives during training.  15 of these soldiers came from the SAS Regiment.  The families of those killed and the soldiers who were left permanently disabled received only minimal support from the Government.  The publicity surrounding this forced a review of the military compensation, yet the changes made have still proved to be inadequate.

Apart from the trauma of losing loved ones and colleagues, families and injured survivors of the Blackhawk tragedy were left, in many instances, facing severe hardship. Unfortunately the same applies to serving members killed or injured prior to and since the Blackhawk tragedy.

These circumstances prompted a group of concerned citizens to form the Special Air Services Resources Trust.  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 organisations as the most capable and highly respected forces in the world.

It was time for the Australian community to provide the same support for its own Special Air Service Regiment as other countries have for theirs.