Deacon Gary Stone OAM remains one of the most dedicated figures in the Australian veteran community, pioneering holistic, spiritually based pastoral care through the Veterans Care Association (VCA). After graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1973, Stone served as an infantry officer and peacekeeper in global hotspots. His own battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sparked a deeper call to faith, leading to his ordination as a Catholic Deacon within the Military Ordinariate in 1994. He subsequently deployed as a chaplain for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) to East Timor, Bougainville, and the Solomon Islands.
Moving through 2026, Stone continues to focus his decades of experience on the veteran suicide and reintegration crisis. He remains a vocal advocate for grassroots support systems following the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Through the VCA's flagship "Timor Awakening" program, Stone and his team have spent the last 12 years guiding more than 1,000 veteran families through 11-day peer-to-peer rehabilitation treks in Timor-Leste and Australia. So far in 2026, the VCA has successfully executed its TA36 and TA37 programs alongside specialized mentor training to support an outreach network of roughly 10,000 veterans. Awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2020 and having overcome a personal battle with cancer, the "Veterans’ Padre" continues to deliver life-saving pastoral care from his base in South East Queensland, proving that for Australia's servicemen and women, the best is yet to come.
By the MO Media Team
Related stories: