We hit a record number or participants in connections activities at Homebase last month. Early analysis indicates that every $1 spent on The Oasis Townsville provides over double back to the community in social impact, according to the Australian Social Values Bank. Our recent Night Market was a huge success. The Queensland Government Veterans’ Legal Service pilot has proven its value in the first 12 months of operation. It’s great to see the change in the direction of RSL Townsville with the change in President. In the coming months, the big activities will be a financial expo and a jobs expo. Easter will be a well-deserved break for all, especially Team Oasis.

March was a bumper month for participation by members of the Veteran Community in connections activities at The Oasis Townsville. We hit a record of 1346 members of our community attending events at Homebase. We suspect this is partly due to our revamped What’s ON page. The new look page has had to change due to the increasing demand for space at Homebase and the variety of activities. Interestingly the number of activities being conducted during the day is about the same as after-hours. The coded after-hours access is proving particularly successful.

We received a DVA grant last year to have a consultant help us with data analytics, and the established routine for data capture is yielding rewarding results. Data is compared across quarters, so the first two quarters have comprehensively demonstrated a significant social impact on the cost of running The Oasis Townsville. It could be as high as $5 for every $1 spent. We’ll know better as each of the next three quarters' data is gathered and analysed using the Australian Social Values Bank. The ASVB is the largest bank of methodologically consistent and robust social values ever produced in Australia, putting a well-researched economic value on the improvement in wellbeing of Australians.

The big event last month was the Night Markets. Markets are proving to be very successful, especially as we have come to recognise there are many partners of veterans (both serving and ex-serving) who took up a hobby given difficulty finding work on postings and are doing so well they want to sell. With over 1500 people attending the Night Markts and many potential store holders being turned away due to space, we see a great future for Markets and will hold them regularly.

We were very pleased to host the Queensland Government Attorney General’s Department for the anniversary launch of the Veterans’ Legal Service pilot. This service has been conducted at Homebase for the past 12 months and has been very highly praised by veterans and partners using the service. The pilot has two years to run, and if we have our way, it will never stop. It is so valuable to have partners of veterans working at the Service at Homebase.

This last month we also welcomed the new President of the Townsville RSL Sub-Branch. Wayne Preedy has already made an impact, and his vision for the role of RSL Townville is welcomed. We look forward to working closely with Wayne and his team.

Keep your eye on our What’s ON pages for upcoming expos on finance and jobs. In particular, we’ll get our Veterans Business Alliance closely involved as they are the champions of helping businesses appreciate what a veteran and partner bring to the economic prosperity of Townsville. And they have demonstrated their practical support for veterans and their partners to experience a soft landing in the business world.

All of us at The Oasis Townsville wish you all a restful Easter. Team Oasis most certainly deserves the rest because if the first quarter of 2023 is anything to gauge by, we are in for a very busy year.