Rosie Skene:

Hello
and welcome to episode 42 of Triumph Beyond Trauma. I think I like to start
with the episode number because it actually blows my mind that I've recorded
more than three episodes, I think. So it's like a little celebration every
week. Yay. I hope you have been well, and if not, I hope that you are feeling
supported.

For those of you that don't know in the show notes for each
episode, which is usually just located underneath the play button from
whichever app you're using or listening from, I have a list of Australian
mental health resources. There are heaps of phone numbers, websites, um, and
details for these resources, and I encourage you to reach out to one of them or
more if support is something that you might need right now.

They are amazing and I think they're all free too. This week's
episode is really, really cool. I found Sam on LinkedIn and I just immediately
fell in love with his charity, veteran Gaming Australia and what he's all
about. He and his team are doing the most amazing things, and I cannot wait to
share it with you.

Officially Samuel Harris is the founder and CEO of Veteran
Gaming Australia or VGAA charity he established in 2021 to support over 42,000
veterans and their families through digital and physical social connection
programs. In 2023, he launched the hospital loan device program, expending it
to four states in 2024, providing veterans in hospitals with Nintendo Switch
consoles and Kindle E-readers for mental and emotional support.

Under his leadership, VGA has hosted over 480 digital and 250
physical events, created 17 plus social gaming hubs. Collaborated with
ex-service organizations, open arms and the Queensland government to promote
digital inclusion, STEM education, and mental health initiatives. Recognized
for his impact, Samuel was nominated for Volunteer of the Year at the 2024
Volunteering Awards in Queensland with VGA winning Social program of the year
at the VES Beer Awards.

Samuel served in the Australian Defense Force from 2006 to 2021
first in the RAF reserves before transferring to the Australian regular Army in
2012. He participated in multiple operations earning medals, including the
operational service medal with Middle East area of operations, and the
Australian service medal with clasp, special recovery and counterterrorism.

He continues to advocate for veteran wellbeing through policy
work, eSports coaching and charitable fundraising, reinforcing his commitment
to service, resilience and community support. And can I just add that Sam is
just the most genuine and happy man. I've had the pleasure of meeting and I had
the most wonderful time talking to him.

I'm sure that you guys are ready to listen though, so let's get
into it.

Welcome to Triumph Beyond Trauma, the podcast that explores
journeys of resilience and hope. I'm Rosie Skene, a yoga and breathwork teacher
and founder of Tactical Yoga Australia. As a former soldier's wife, mom to
three beautiful kids and a medically retired New South Wales police officer
with PTSD. I understand the challenges of navigating mental health in the first
responder and veteran community.

Join us for incredible stories from individuals who've
confronted the depths of mental illness and discovered their path to happiness
and purpose, as well as solo episodes and expert discussions. Together we'll
uncover the tools to help you navigate your journey toward a brighter, more
fulfilling life.

Whether you're looking for helpful insights, practical tips, or
just a friendly reminder that you're not alone. Triumph on trauma has got your
back. You matter and your journey to a happier, more meaningful life starts
right here.

Sam. Welcome to the
podcast.

It's such a pleasure to have you here.

Sam Harris:

Yep.
Thank you very much for having me, Rosie. Definitely excited. So yeah,

Rosie Skene:

I know
it's already going to be a great conversation. , I usually I'll just start with
where you've been and how you came to be, in the Defence Force so do you want
to have a bit of, have a bit of a chat about that?

Sam Harris:

Yeah, so
definitely. , so my inspiration of joining the ADF kind of came originally
about off my brother and also my grandfather serving, , in the ADF. So I both
served in the, , Royal Australian Army, Australian Army, , and went through
infantry service at the time. , I wanted to do something slightly different
than infantry.

I love what they do, don't get me wrong. , but seeing what he'd
done on a daily basis when he'd come back, you know, he'd done numerous trips
himself. That inspired me also to join. , I hold a lot of pride for Australia
itself. , so I also want to give back to this great nation that we call home.

, so I enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force originally. ,
that was back in 2006. , so I enlisted as a reservist at the time, , while
studying full-time and also as A-A-B-W-S store manager , so I did that roughly
from 2006 to 2012, and then I got the big itch to kind of, uh, change across to
full time.

, unfortunately the RAAF kind of had very. I guess limited
opportunities and positions at that time and army were very accommodating.
They're like, yep, come across to here, we'll take you up open arms. And it was
a very, very quick process. Yeah. , as soon as I applied, it was pretty much
like that next month.

I was heading to Kapooka. Yes. I had to do Kapooka again in a
shorting course, you know, is what is, , but that was awesome. , so I got to go
across, , to the army in 2012 full time. , and then, , I went through that
training cycle, I had some big injuries in my own training cycle also, , while
I was at Kapooka itself, , thankfully.

Other injuries that already sustained and kind of battled on
throughout the raft. I had that Mountelli to kind of battle through. , so I
copped an injury on my thumb, which required 36 stitches. , and made me almost
lose my thumb from an incorrectly bayonet target. It wasn't wired correctly. ,
yeah, so when I went to stab in, it just came straight through.

And everything kind of came out with it as soon as I, , pulled
back. But, , that, that was all good. So, you know, a fun sock for a couple of
weeks. They still did field with it. I adjusted how I had to do my, , shooting
and stuff like that, because obviously I had to pass those tests still. , so
that was a big adjustment in having to readjust techniques on how I've
previously shot and.

Also the physical assessments and everything else doing push
ups wasn't too fun with a, you know, half the touch the bum effectively You
know, but we got there we got through that stage You know, thankfully the
awesome team there had the number one crash surgeon Uh, in Sydney at the time,
they operate on it.

Yeah. Um, so that was really good and, uh, you know, Chey, come
on, let me continue on, uh, throughout that, obviously, so.

Rosie Skene:

Wow. I don't even, is a thumb big enough for 36 stitches? Like,

Sam Harris:

You, you,
yeah, I, I, I wouldn't think so, to be honest. But, , yeah, it went right down
to the bone. So, I will say they did an amazing job.

It was tourniquet. Um, almost lost it. , I think it was about
20 something seconds left. , so yeah, very lucky, , in that, I'll put it that
way.

Rosie Skene:

Oh my
gosh, imagine gaming without a thumb.

Sam Harris:

Well, you know, I lost feeling kind of with that thumb, I lost feeling in it, but you
know, thankfully I've played on a controller for a lot of my life also, so
muscle memory plays heavily into it.

Um, you know, but it did take somewhat of my skills away, ,
compared to what I used to have, I guess, but um, you know, that was really
good though, like getting through that challenge, uh, that was a good challenge
to get through also, , I now posted it obviously to the units. , which were
absolutely amazing.

, I posted into nine FSB, uh, as the first unit. So I have four
support battalion. And in the first year, , I was deploying away as four
support element one. , so obviously supporting in Afghanistan, , from the
region of, . In Dubai itself, and also the naval components and stuff like that
on the logistics side.

So, that was really good, uh, exposure, skill sets, and
experiences gained. , I previously never got that with the air force side, no
deployment side on that, so that was really cool. , and obviously new
makeshifts made and everything else like that, which is really, really cool. ,
you know, that was obviously the early days, but that provided good background
and building level to kind of moving forward.

, I then posted into Special Operations Command with, , Special
Operations Logistics Squadron. Um, so supporting two commando logistically, ,
counterterrorism operations. , again, I'm not a door kicker myself. I strongly
appreciate all the amazing work that they do. I got playing mates that, , do
that, , intense role and they do an amazing job.

So, but on the logistics side, , it was amazing. The different
skill sets that you gain from that, the different courses you get to do, you
know, web B through parachuting, being able to call in, , C 17s and air supply
drops, , which you'd never kind of seen your typical core role, , even as a
logistician, , which was really, really cool.

, so I love my time in the Siroccom side, , that was amazing.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
I'd read, , a little bit about you before we recorded and in your deployment, I
saw that you implemented, , the technology to be able to support veterans while
they were deployed. how did that come about?

Sam Harris:

Yeah, so
we've seen movie nights and stuff like that that we had on kind of throughout
the week.

So typically workday, you'd work till about 6 6. 30. You go
have dinner, and then times your own after dinner. You know, whether you want
to hit gym, which a lot of us did. You'd go to gym and stuff like that. Yeah,
but after that period of time, you'd see people just go back to the rooms.
They'd put on movies.

That's all well and cool. Sometimes you'd sit outside and you
put the projector on, but the projector was, , a pretty old kind of busted one
too. And there was a lot of interest, I guess, around previous courses and
stuff that I'd done also. , both in the Air Force and also the Army going
through, that people had appreciation for gaming.

You know, I'd seen people with, , a PS4 in their room on a
course. , as a relaxation tool, and I've utilized it heavily in the past also
as a relaxation tool also, I'm like, well, you know, what's a great way to
create bonds also while we're sitting here, , we've done a gym, you come back,
you want to relax, okay, let's get a new projector set up, let's get an actual
gaming set up going here, and we got that going, just outside, like being
around near, near our, like, live in lines effectively, um, so you have the
coffee place nearby too, , which is really, really cool.

So typically people would go to the gym workout, they'd come
back, you'd have some games, you'd maybe throw a movie on, and then you'd call
it a day and get ready for another busy day the next day, so to speak. But it
provided a great way to bond, socially relax also, over a fun and happy medium,
which is really good in that environment.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
Did you see the, , moods change or the environment change within people after
you did that? Like the morale?

Sam Harris:

I'll
definitely say there's more involvement also from like rank getting involved
also, so it helped break down some of those, um, Stresses in relations to
sometimes a chain command can happen overseas, just from the, , different roles
and things that are going on.

Yeah. , so that was really cool. It just helped break down
lines of communication, enhance them effectively. Yeah. , we also did the same
with, uh, when we deployed into Afghanistan, , as part of, , Special Operations
Logistics Node. So, deployed over there, , we went outside the wire at Camp
Gibson.

And we came back, and the first thing you'd do, you'd sit down,
there was a PS4 already set up, that wasn't EMI doing, so one of the lads has
obviously brought it along. It's all shared by Coalition SF, um, so obviously
many other nations, SF force and stuff like that. You'd sit down, you'd play a
game of FIFA, and then you'd go have showers.

You're stinking, you're sweating, you know. Don't get me wrong,
some people would go have their showers first, which is probably the right
attitude to have. , instead of just sitting on a, you know, stinky couch and
just playing some FIFA. But, it was a good relaxation also. You'd get back
outside, come back in, you know, inside the wire.

You'd sit and play some FIFA. Get off your shower, and then, ,
get on with the rest of the day kind of thing. , that was really cool, you
know, actually seeing that in that atmosphere too. , again, that PS4 was
already established there, and seeing the SF elements utilizing that, that was
amazing also.

Um, not just an Australian element either, that's all the
coalition, so love seeing that, you know.

Rosie Skene:

Do they
still do it?

Sam Harris:

They
still do it, yeah, so obviously they've drawn back a heap load in relations to,
uh, you know, disappointments that have happened to you over there. , but that
was back in, , that would have been, I don't know, 2015 was my first, that
would have been around 2018 roughly, was my second deployment, , so that was
over there, and yeah, they were doing that back in 2018, so it's not too long
ago, so to speak, , yeah, which is really cool though, , yeah, I got plenty of
commando mates at game, plenty of other, obviously all core mates at game, you
know what I mean, across everything, but , Yeah, in those environments, it
obviously helps, , it provides a level of relaxation, but also that connection
with one another that you can kind of just de stress and get focused in a way,
like, um, just takes you out of that mindset in a way, so, um, which is
somewhat needed in a biotech situation, .

Rosie Skene:

, so
what led you to, you're discharged from defence now, aren't you?

Sam Harris:

I am
discharged from defence, yeah, so,

Rosie Skene:

um,

Sam Harris:

my last
unit I, uh, did an adventure training exercise, so previously I'd already done
a little bit of damage from deployments, just handling heavy aspects of trunks,
, where you're handling 50, 60 kilo trunks by yourself, just because you're
such a small team, , mainly in that SF environment again, , but unfortunately I
did an adventure training exercise, , in my last unit for 2nd General Health
Battalion, , and I came out a little bit worse for wear on a 20 meter waterfall
jump, which was part of the adventure training.

, and I collected something in the water, so big, uh, word
wise, don't go jumping into waterfalls, but it was part of the adventure
training. Um, so, you know, it came out a bit worse for wear, so unfortunately
I came out of that and my arm was fully , pulsating and I couldn't close my
hand at all and it was like, , yeah, I couldn't describe the pain.

It was immense pain. , so it was also a lot of neurological
pain radiating all the way down my arm. I said, something's not right. I can't
close my hand at all on my left arm and I could feel it straight away. Um, so I
let them know, you know, uh, I kind of, uh, I should have went straight to the
IRP that specific day.

However, I ended up going the next morning. Um, still me, but
the next day it was pretty much, I pretty much couldn't do anything with that.
, I couldn't even move in an inch. And I said, yeah, you know, I did this
yesterday, I told them on the spot, I'm taking some ibuprofen, as you typically
do, and just keep going forward.

Um, yeah, and then, yeah, so they sent me in for MRIs and there
was a fair bit of damage done, so effectively I broke my neck. Yeah, there's
about three mil worth of fluid. , so again, extremely lucky to be walking, , at
that stage. However, I got given some options, obviously, when I started. They
sent me to a neuro, um, neurosurgeon and an orthopedic surgeon.

Um, get some best advice. Obviously, moving forward. , I still
had ambition to stay with the ADF at that stage. , however, my condition was
degrading significantly, , to the fact that it started affecting even my
ability to walk and move significantly. , I couldn't hop out showers. Uh, I
could walk about 10 meters max, , and I had to hold on to like railings and
other things.

So I had to use assisted devices to help me move. , so it's
kind of a no brainer to get a surgery done, , in a way, because the way they
describe it, it's a simple pat on the back or a trip, and you're most likely
paraplegic for the rest of your life. So Yeah, you

Rosie Skene:

don't
want that. It was,

Sam Harris:

yeah.
Get, get me in, get this done ASAP.

Unfortunately, uh, well, it did help with that surgery. It
helped get rid of all that radiating nerve pain, the migraines or something
daily. I started to learn to walk again, which was real positive. Obviously,
I'm getting back into strength training. , I'm not going to go into that. Um,
but there was also a loss for feeling in that left arm.

, and the neurosurgeon said, you know, it might come back
within the year. It might not. , you know, at that stage, I'll still learn to
walk again. You know, and there's a lot of things going on also, , obviously
the stage of the mental health was declined leading up to that. , but, and even
that recovery period, the brain's going through a lot of stresses obviously,
like am I going to be able to walk properly again?

Am I going to, , ever regain feeling in that left side of that
whole arm again ever? Um, You know, and then I end up calling it quits, , so to
speak, with the ADF, , medically because I would be restricted effectively to
the desk, , the rest of my life, no deployments, , minimal opportunity to kind
of be outfield and any other aspects around that, my own PT, things like that,
uh, pretty much the rest of my time.

, which to me, I like to, I'd love to leave from the front, so
to speak, , rather than just being, singing it back. , so in my own mindset, it
was pretty much time to call that on that stage also. I love, I absolutely love
the ADF, and everything and the skills that it instills also and everything
else behind it.

, but that injury itself, , yeah, it was, yeah, it was a big
injury, uh, yeah, breaking your neck, but yeah, definitely lucky.

Rosie Skene:

So, did
you regain that feeling in your arm?

Sam Harris:

I did not
regain the feeling. So, to this day, I do not have feeling at all in that whole
left side of that arm. Um, but that being said, I don't get the migraines
daily, , I don't, I can hop out unassisted by myself out of showers and baths
and things like that, which is really cool now.

Um, but also in the exercise scheme of stuff, , I'm not back at
the level that I was obviously, but. It's still progressing towards those
stages every day. Um, you know, so, yeah, it's definitely been a big journey on
that frontage, I will say. Um, yeah.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
that's incredible. And like you said, your mental health must have been a
roller coaster of emotions happening there.

Sam Harris:

There was, yeah, because it creates a lot of stresses also. You know, your partner
then needs to take home, , you don't need to stay home often from work. Because
you aren't able to , do very little yourself. It's even a struggle to hop out
of bed, realistically. , you try to use a device to hop out.

Um, you know, and when you're trying to go into units and stuff
like that, , I had to change my car, even from a manual, because I did not have
the strength, , to change manual gear sticks. So I literally had to sell my car
to buy a, an automatic, , yeah, so, it's, but that, that's, , it happens, I, I
do count myself very lucky, as said in some instances on that,

you just gotta look at the bright picture, you know, glass half
full so to speak, and, , move forward from that,

Rosie Skene:

and you
just said all of that with the biggest smile on your face as well.

Sam Harris:

Yep.
Yeah, no, don't get me wrong, like, everything's an experience in life.
Absolutely. Like, uh, yeah, I've had some clo I like to say that I always have
a little age on my shoulder because I've had some very close calls, both with,
obviously, The farm, my neck, but when I was younger, almost got blinded in the
left eye.

That was by a two mil, , in the left eye. , yeah, it was one of
my brother's friends when I was a young kid. I was being a bit annoying, but
he, he went, he went to joke with the pool stick and, , yeah, unfortunately it
slipped a bit and it connected me right in the eye and apparently it was two
mil from blinding that left eye completely.

So, um, yeah, I was very lucky, , with the, , yeah, how close
calls it has. So, , yeah, you just gotta look at the positive side of it and
move forward from that, .

Rosie Skene:

Let's
talk about Veteran Gaming Australia and how that came about because I love this
so much and like I said to you before, I came across you on LinkedIn, I think
it was, and just started went down this whole rabbit hole.

Sam Harris:

Yeah.

Rosie Skene:

What is
this guy doing? This is amazing. And, , I said to you, I'm not a gamer at all.
Um, And, like, I think the latest game I played was Grand Theft Auto, maybe.
The kids try and get me to play FIFA, but the way they play is so intense, , I
don't find that, like, stress reducing at all.

Sam Harris:

Yeah,
yeah, well, FIFA's probably not one of the titles for stress, like, I get a lot
more stressed on FIFA.

Oh my

Rosie Skene:

gosh,
hearing three 14 year olds, , over here playing FIFA's, , they're in the world,
they're out of control. But, um, yeah, I just love Your mission behind it. And
I'll start with that because I wrote it down. It's so good. It's to develop a
community around a shared love of gaming geek cultures for veterans and their
families.

Our aims to improve veteran engagement, social connections
through interactive and engaging community platforms with an aim to decrease
reasons for isolation, hardship, health issues in the veteran and family
community space. There's so much in that. Immediately I picked up on. Community
engagement, isolation, which are all massive issues and mental health,
obviously, , in, in that community.

So how did that come about for you?

Sam Harris:

Yeah,
very good question. So, uh, obviously my own injury itself, , led to a huge
social decline, , where I'm used to doing PT regularly, chatting with mates.
Okay, so, , virtually ring fit as part of my own physical rehab but also as a
way to socially connect with members also on barracks effectively if some of my
mates so It was hard to, obviously some of those days were, , a lot harder than
others and stuff like that.

And I started to get a feeling around other members that I'd
previously seen go through that rehabilitation process from their own injuries
and stuff like that. I go, you know what? You know, there's a huge interest
already for gaming and geek culture in itself. , why aren't people utilizing
this as a way to kind of connect, you know, in a wider platform?

Let's utilize this for amazing good in relation to social
isolation and reducing that. That was our primary , I'm going for that first
hand also seeing myself lived experience was on that frontage. I'm saying other
members go through that also. I wish only that it starts sooner. I constantly
hear that feedback also.

Um, from fellow veterans, they're going, , I wish this was
around when I was in, , personally, I do too, to be honest, when, , I wish it
was, , come about earlier, so to speak, but a large amount came about off also
those self injury, you know, the injuries are copped. And, , utilizing those
platforms and going, this is amazing.

Look at what's doing in this landscape. The only self
improvement that had no belief on myself. Um, just, , obviously, I did go
through some mental health treatment on that side. And they noticed increased
improvements in mood, , stability and stuff like that in my own mindsets. ,
which was very important.

, and then, , it, it boomed as soon as I started the community
effectively. People going, this is amazing, , so they kind of all rushed in and
then the first year it grew to, it was over just over a thousand members in the
first year. Wow. , which is, yeah, huge for, you know, , and that was just all
through word of mouth, effectively.

So that was all through word of mouth, everyone's going, hey, ,
let's jump on some games. So we create new cool platforms throughout that time
period. , I'll, I'll go a bit more on that soon, but , the mission, we always
stayed on track effective with the mission was to reducing social isolation and
enhancing the health and wellbeing.

So, , there is a large, I guess, even shift now towards these
mediums and stuff like that. , I love the arts and that, you know, I love
fishing and everything else like that. And, , love promoting those aspects
also. So we'd love to call it another home effectively. , the veterans and
veteran families, , they've got lived experience from other veterans in the
community.

Also, they got shared interests, whether it be for gaming or
other geek culture, tabletop 3D printing, , and other cool stuff like that. And
often it's just that social interaction, which can help significantly improve
one's mood. , especially if you're doing something while it's fun, you know, ,
yeah, it has significant benefits.

Rosie Skene:

That's
amazing. I remember my husband got stuck on, , COVID border patrol in South
Australia, like really remote locations.

Sam Harris:

And

Rosie Skene:

he was,
, like you're saying on deployment, just watching the movies on like after
shift. And, , there's periods, , you're on a night shift, so you've got the day
to yourself and there's nothing to do.

Like this would have been amazing for him . Absolutely.

Sam Harris:

Yeah, so
now we've even got like Certain chaplains use it, obviously, with their
soldiers as part of that connection factor also. , we're trying to get it a lot
larger in the ADF where they introduce also eSports. , but we do have some
social gaming hubs on barracks.

, 6 RAR, so a typical infantry unit, which is really cool. ,
that the chaplains utilize as a mean of connection. And sitting down and having
a chat with the soldiers of those units. And, , obviously going through those
processes also, , which is really cool in that landscape, , many recovery
centers, , we've got one now that the more recent, the 51st, uh, battalion up
in now North Queensland.

Yeah, so there's a few going around, , joint movement unit and
a ram we can stuff like that. So there is a good shift having towards in the
ADF, including these factors. , a lot of parts also come off that education, ,
which was very important in that first year and that lived experience that we
had, , throughout that and hearing the stories of other veterans and their
lived experiences also being a part of the community, but also how they utilize
gaming and geek culture, uh, in their own physical and mental health wellbeing
journeys.

That was important to share and get that information across
also, , hopefully helping, helping one of our fellow brothers and sisters in
the ADF, , hopefully that journey can help, um, you know, see, , a journey
forward for them, they're going to go, okay, I can be still socially connected,
, I don't have to be sitting in isolation and, , just watching movies nonstop
or whatever it may be, um, you know, which often can come about from, , severe
physical injuries, especially on our front side.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
And that education piece too, that you just mentioned would be huge because for
people like myself who don't game like, and I see my kids is loving it so much,
but I sort of sometimes feel it can be a bit ice. They're isolating themselves.
Because we're in a family unit, but I guess they get that connection with their
friends and whoever they're playing with, usually just their friends, it better
be, , that, you know, that's where they get their connection from.

So I think the education for people like me, especially that
don't quite understand. It's a whole nother world. And, and , e sports as well.
Like I heard about that a couple of years ago. And now when I hear about
things, I definitely go and have a little bit of a look. And I was like, that
is wild.

Like the arenas that, that they play these games. It's crazy.
But yeah, I think the education for sure would have been so important.

Sam Harris:

The
education was definitely very important. And we even say, Because we've done a
fair bit of work with the Queensland Government , in relations to eSports, but
also digital skills.

, the Queensland Government run a veteran digital skilling
program, , so we spoke on how relevant digital skills are in relations to
business operations and entrepreneurship. But also certain schools we've spoken
to about on how to do it in a healthy fashion. , so a large part of what we do
isn't just about, you know, sitting down and, , obviously you may get some that
will, uh, sit down and they may gain a little bit too much, so to speak.

How can we educate and give them the most information and get
that across in a lived experience? Why? That they can take that on board and
go, okay, look at all these other processes, , this is how I can do it
healthfully, this is how, , doing it healthfully will improve my own health and
well being, that's very important also, so that's a big part of what we do on
the side also, uh, is that education piece, , we've got YouTube series around
how to improve your game, and a lot of that is around the health and well being
space, how to, you know, correct postures, the correct settings on your own
monitors, , because a lot of people don't know, , naturally screen monitors and
TVs will have blue lights that can affect your sleep.

You know, how can you turn these settings on? So, , many
parents don't know that when their children are, , operating their laptops, ,
how long to be on a session, so to speak. How to reduce that also. That's very
important. So, , parents, uh, you know, I've got kids myself and I'm very
educational aware and telling them about technology use, , same with gaming and
stuff like that, , to make sure they're doing it in a healthy fashion.

So,

Rosie Skene:

um,

Sam Harris:

Yeah.

Rosie Skene:

That's
amazing. I'm going to definitely be putting that on the TV this afternoon. I'll
just hit play and they can sit and watch it because they, they don't listen to
me too, I think. So hearing it from an expert, that'd be really good.
Definitely

Sam Harris:

jump on
the YouTube channel. So yeah, yeah. I, I have a diploma of eSports qualified
also, so there's someone qualified if they ask.

Rosie Skene:

. So
what, how did that, what is that?

Sam Harris:

Interesting. Yeah, so it's pretty much sports coaching in itself. So it's, it
has an aspect of behavioral psychology attached to it. Yeah. For the eSports
side, but it's mostly diploma of sports coaching, , how I'm bringing teams
together, how I'm getting the best performance, obviously the health and
wellness side, including nutrition, all that good stuff.

Um, so deploy effectively diploma in sports coaching. , but
yeah, it's got a large aspect of behavioral psychology also, , in that kind of
eSports setting itself. So. , trying to get the best out of them, but making
sure they're doing it health and wisely. So,

Rosie Skene:

yeah,
that's so exciting. I love this. It's like a whole new world's opened up to me.

Sam Harris:

No, it's
definitely an amazing area. So many cool things with e sports. Like even if you
look at the Australian statistics, for gaming and, , the utilization of an
Australian households. I can't remember the exact number, but it sits above 82
percent of Australian households have an actual gaming device in their
household.

So again, that's why education. We did research in the
backgrounds on how we can, , get this information across effectively with all
our lived experience combined also, , our qualifications in the background, ,
the stages that we've gone through that veterans will obviously and veteran
families will take that information across hopefully as effectively as
possible.

, and we try and refine that as much as possible also. Based
off the feedback of the community also, um, so we try and put as much as we can
in the hands of the community to try and evolve as much around them. So if they
find not something, you know, certain video or that, , workshop that may be
running, they don't find that beneficial at all.

Okay, how can we improve this? , how can we make this better?
Give us, , the feedback. Let's adapt and change those, you know, so, , yeah,
it's always an evolving process that, , more technology will come in or, , ,
different stuff will happen. , we just got to keep moving with that.

And education is always a big powerful part of that too.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
Something that you guys do, , that I saw as well is that. You're not only
gaming, like you've advocated and assisted in emergency housing and financial
support for people. , so it's a real holistic type of charity that you're
running, isn't it?

Sam Harris:

Yeah,
yeah. So often, yeah, because you will find sometimes people, as I said, in
those periods of time where they are isolated, , and they turn to gaming,
they'll jump in and they'll have a conversation, and , there's been numerous
circumstances around ASSIST, , in preventing, , suicide ideaology and, , those
certain circumstances.

There's been situations around DV. So we strongly built a
foundation on collaborations also with networks that can support veterans in
relations to financial. So we're not financial at large, but we love to
consider ourselves the emotional stability side. So we come from a kind of
lived experience side with many, you know, we've got veterans that have
suffered from DV themselves that are volunteers also.

, we've got members that have done the assist course that have
also um, had suicidal ideologies in the past or depression or any aspect of
mental health concerns , so often that connection through lived experience is
also a good touching point. So we provide the emotional side effectively that
communications and we can't break down.

, in the steps where that veteran doesn't kind of have to do it
by themselves, where they're alongside them effectively. So, , if they don't
feel comfortable contacting, , RSL Queensland in relations to, , they don't
have any food on the table at all, , whatever it may be in a certain region, we
fully coordinate that stuff for them and get that process rolling effectively.

So. , we know it can be a pretty dark all the time for some
people, , and yeah, if we can provide a bit of shining light to just help them
and hold their hand in those certain stages to get them out of it, that's,
that's awesome. , that's the objective achieved effectively,

Rosie Skene:

so beautiful. , you've got quite a few programs available for people. , I'll just
run through it. Like you've got your physical events of which you said there's
more than 30 a year that you guys hold and then there's more that you do in
collaboration with other, , business. So roughly

Sam Harris:

it
translates to about a hundred by the time we collaborate and get all the other
events.

Um, some we do, you know, pretty much 50, 50%. Others, ,
there'll be multitude, uh, increase around a hundred physical events roughly
each year. that's alongside a digital event. So there is a lot of digital
events.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
Yeah. And then you also do retrofit outs.

Sam Harris:

Yes. Yep.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
What's involved with

Sam Harris:

that?

So, Retro Fits Out, , it was one of our very early adaptions,
effectively. , and this came about, , even before the hospital loan device
program itself. But, this program came about, so we used to do visits, well we
still , do, , miniature figurine painting and 3D printing workshops, , at the
Keith Payne VCU.

And this was our very first retrofit. , so when we went in
there, I said that they had a communal kind of TV set up that have your typical
programs alongside the obviously mental health treatments, , and aspects around
that, so to speak. Uh, however, , you'd see veterans sitting at the front
smoking, , and just stuff like that where.

You know, they'd still go in and do their day programs
throughout the day, but there'd be a lot of free time, so to speak, on their
hands, and they'd kind of go back to some of those other behaviors, so to
speak, that, , you know, I don't smoke myself, so I can only imagine, , the
need to smoke if you've been smoking for a long term.

But to try and minimize some of that also and get them
connecting in a social setting. , so the TV was a great one where, , they're
watching movies together and they're discussing movies. However, there was
often feedback in the programs of, Hey, would there be an opportunity to get
another TV going or, , some other activities also?

And we're like, well, an activity that obviously brings
everyone together and , , it was education factors, educating also around the
alternative arts and I think delivering those miniature figurine paintings and
, the 3D printing workshops and stuff like that in the early days led to the
retrofit stage where, you know, at Hustle, like, you know, this would actually
be awesome to actually have a gaming hub where we just start discussing with
them because the first initial conversations where, , they're like, Oh, , I
don't know if a gaming hub would be too beneficial, , but I said that education
pace, what they do also in the U S and all the other data that we'd already
had.

Yeah. Providing that information across to them, the feedback
of the veteran inpatients that have been there previously also, that was an
important step in getting the retrofit set up. , so it was a chance to just
bring everyone together effectively and provides a social hub where you can
just sit and have fun.

The chance to either unwind or sit there and chat to your mate
right next to you. That was the whole idea around the retrofits. , it's
advanced a little bit now in relations to our retrofits also include full
esports hubs now. , so yeah, uh, they come out, , they can cost us a fair bit
though. So we don't have too many.

, there'll be about five by the end of this year established, ,
nationally. Um, so that's, that's just for the e sports hub side, the social
gaming hubs. We've got about 13 now established, , on barracks in veteran
hospitals, , at the base of our self care. So your temporary homeless
accommodations.

, yeah, and we'd love just having that social setting that
veterans can just sit down, then jump on a Nintendo switch, play some Mario
party together. Have a good laugh. And you know, it brings them back to a nice
steady state and mindset, which is important. So

Rosie Skene:

, that's
awesome. My favorite, like I said to you before is the hospital loan program.

I think this is amazing because anyone that's been in hospital
for any amount of time, even just sitting in emergency, it's not the most
stimulating environment, is it mentally? I can imagine you would have been
there for a little while too, you know? , so tell us about that. I love this.

Sam Harris:

Yeah, so
the hospital loan device program, , it came about, , we're visiting veterans in
hospitals and on our visits, , there'd be a blank canvas or room effectively
that often would be a communal TV, but the veteran had, , injuries that might
prevent them either being able to walk that far to the communal room and as
myself and many other veterans would know when you're sitting in a room, that's
a blank canvas.

It's pretty boring. Sometimes also you don't want to go down to
the communal room also, you might not be in that right stage at that period of
time, , it might be directly after recovery and you're like, , I don't really
feel like, , going down there and sitting around, but it provided, it
effectively provided, uh, a setting that veterans could get a free loan device
when they're checking in the hospital, you Kindle e reader or a Nintendo switch
game device.

That they could bring in the room and they could actually have
an entertainment device and also provide another means also, because I said, 82
percent of Australian households. Have a gaming device in their household. What
is one of the factors when you're going in a hospital and suddenly you're away
from that gaming device in its completely entirety.

It starts then affecting your mindset and other things like
that. On top of injury already and the surgery that you've just gone through
say. , whatever it may be. , so it was a way to bring back that mindset into a
good mental mind state. , but also we've had like virtual reality headsets that
have gone out as part of like the hospital loan device program in certain
hospitals.

So the orthopedic, , not orthopedic, the physiotherapist can
utilize the virtual reality headsets as part of active recovery. for those
veterans also. So that's another aspect is the physical side. , yeah. So it's
got many amazing benefits obviously for the veteran because no one loves just
sitting in a blank canvas room and you know, often , not every single hospital,
but we've seen plenty that don't have a TV at all in the room.

Yeah. And you can imagine sitting there for a week. Just, ,
playing on your phone, maybe, and that's it. Yeah, it'd be horrible, ., and
that's been amazing to date. The feedback on that has absolutely been amazing.
, it's now extending into the WA, and South Australia region this year, , in
its entirety, effectively.

So, that's really cool. , yeah, we trialled it in the
Queensland and Victoria region, and it's been amazing feedback. So, we're
expanding into more regions as we go along. , yeah, it's a lot. I love saying
it, you know, in the hospital areas and also the hospital staff love saying it
also because I see improvement in the mood, the relationship, but also in
relations to the programs.

You know, that veterans might be a part of at that hospital, so
to speak, whether it be the physical recovery or the mental health side, they
have more participation in relation to those programs also, which is very
important. Wow. Yeah.

Rosie Skene:

That's
so cool. Do you only support the veterans or is it families of as well?

Sam Harris:

Yep, so
veterans and veteran family members. So a lot of our programs covers both So
the hospital loan device program it can cover both also We are often limited by
the amount of devices. It does cost a fair bit. Yeah, unfortunately for our
main devices But roughly, we have about 10 to 15 devices in each location, ,
that we kind of divvy out, and we have to time frame, obviously, you know, if a
veteran's in for six weeks, or four weeks, or two weeks, so we kind of schedule
that in a register.

, but it is completely open to veteran family members also. ,
all our programs are very inclusive of veteran family members. , whether it be
from the physical events, uh, the workshops that, , 3D printing, the hospital
loan device program, , any digital event, you know, we often see plenty of
veterans in attendance, both at the physical and digital events.

So yeah, we, we love veterans and the veteran families.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
That's so awesome. Do you want to go through a couple of the physical events
that you've got coming up?

Sam Harris:

Yeah,
most certainly, , yeah.

Yep, so yeah, so some of the events we've got coming up, for
example, , like in WA, , this year, we got like Holy Moly Golf, , coming up. We
got, , Palace Arcade, uh, food and games function. Uh, so you sit down, you
have some food, there's plenty of pinball arcade action. Usually goes for
around three hours, for example, , in those experiences.

, we've got Strike Bowling, , other arcade days, , like group
virtual reality sessions. Uh, they're pretty often throughout the year, , the
group VR sessions and stuff like that. , and Strike Bowling, for example,
that's just in WA. , you're then looking at every state kind of has something
different going on.

Um, you know, Victoria, as I said, virtual reality is kind of
one of those common ones across the board for every, , state, realistically. ,
but where we can also educate in relation to the STEM, , and other areas like
that, we love getting them out to effectively to those, , activities. So, like,
Victoria has, , Legoland going on, ScienceWorks.

, they got Castle Theme Park, there's, , what else, there's Zoo
Visit, I think the Werribee Zoo, , coming up this year. again, that virtual
reality is one of those constant ones that rolls around. , but we also love
trying to get veterans out wherever we can, out to those larger events like
Comic Con, , PAX Australia, so getting veterans and their families along to
those.

, so we try and subsidize either heavily the tickets for those
or cover the cost completely. Uh, we also do have a retrofit program, , not
retrofit, uh, Air Assault program where we try and get veterans out to PAX
Australia and we completely cover every expense. That's flights, accommodation,
food, the entry, , for both days to PAX Australia, which is the largest gaming
geek culture event effectively, , in Australia.

That, that, it does cost a lot of money, those events. So
usually we are limited in the amount that we can get along to those. , but in
previous years, we've got two veterans effectively across. , to events like
that, for example, , but other stuff coming up, you know, we've got the
Brisbane Broncos, for example, our Brisbane events, , we've got the Cromwell
Wildlife Sanctuary, , geez, what else is there, , yeah, there's a heap load of
stuff coming up, so each state is quite different, , so what's kind of coming
up and what we do, but the main theme is also heavily around that social
connections, Um, and the other thing that we've been doing is enhancing the
community around them and effectively on the physical side.

Also, it's education and that's why we also got deep in our
toes into these other aspects like the Broncos home games and stuff like that.
We have an understanding that there is a large interest in relations to other
activities also, but the physical side education around that and why that's
important.

Also, that's very important to us also so. , we try and provide
that holistic community approach to it all. , so there is a lot of gaming,
Geek Concert stuff going on. Like I said, uh, education is also very important,
but you know, there's plenty who love the Brisbane Broncos games. There's
plenty that love, , the arcade days or Holy Moly Golf.

And we try and make it as veteran and veteran family friendly
as possible. So a lot of our activities you'll see are very family inclusive. ,
I don't believe there's any activities that we run. , that won't have an aspect
where families aren't invited effectively. Yeah. You know? That's amazing.
Yeah.

Yeah. Having family myself, I know the importance especially,
you know, and we see the attendance rates at so many physical events. They're
between a hundred to 150 people. , at some of the events that we've held, ,
obviously those physical events like the Broncos, Gainesville can't quite have
150 people

Um, you know, so usually you are about 20 to 30 roughly, say a
Broncos games. As first and best dressed effectively, , yeah, so it's all just
about building that social connections, enhancing your health and well being .

Rosie Skene:

Beautiful, how can people get in touch with you?

Sam Harris:

Yeah, so
Discord's usually our best platform, , it's just discord.

gg, um, backslash Veteran Gaming Australia. , we do have a
Facebook closed community because we also understand. , that not everyone loves
Discord, or they need to learn how to operate on that platform, so to speak. ,
so we do have a Facebook community also, , so people who love Facebook. And we
also have a website.

So the website's going through an awesome redevelopment at the
moment. We'll have a lot more cool information very soon. Um, you know, as we
advance and stuff like that, , we're detailing what the hub locations have, ,
specific equipment, events coming up on the website. Um, so they're the best
platforms at the moment.

Rosie Skene:

Beautiful. I'll link to everything in the show notes as well. So people can
find you nice and easily. Sam, thank you so, so much for coming on today and
sharing everything that you have. Like I said to you, I think everything that
you're doing is just amazing and something that. You know, I didn't know about,
but I can see how amazing it would be for veterans and their families and just
bridging the gap and reducing isolation.

And I think it's so wonderful. So thank you so much for
sharing.

Sam Harris:

No, very
much for having me. I greatly appreciate it. I'm always happy to chat offline
to any, uh, veteran and veteran family also if they need any education on that.
So, but thank you very much for having me.

Rosie Skene:

I hope
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