THE Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM) has received a $4000 community grant from Australia Post to support its Mornington Peninsula arts-based veteran wellbeing program. The program, called Making Space, is designed to foster connection, creativity and peer support through creative engagement among local veterans.
ANVAM deputy director Kat Baldwin said they were “thrilled and grateful” on hearing the news. “This grant recognises the importance of veteran-led creative spaces and the role they play in building resilience and community connection,” said Baldwin.
Funding will go directly towards program costs, expanding access for more veterans across the peninsula. “It will make a real and immediate difference in continuing to grow a community where creative expression helps veterans reconnect and thrive. “For many who have served, creative expression is not just an outlet, it is essential to maintaining health and wellbeing.”
While ANVAM does not have a dedicated studio space on the Mornington Peninsula, the Making Space Program has been situated in Somerville due to its proximity to ANVAM’s program supporter, Longbeach RSL, and their target audience at HMAS Cerberus. Baldwin said the grant will allow them to run more program sessions in the peninsula community around HMAS Cerberus.
Baldwin said there were no “barriers to entry” nor prior arts experience required for those wishing to join. “What makes the program unique is the involvement of veteran artist mentors, who work alongside arts facilitators to combine lived experience with creative practice and community connection,” said Baldwin.
“With the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide highlighting the urgent need for responsive, non-clinical supports, Making Space fills a vital gap. Small workshop groups provide individual attention, a person-centred approach, and a safe environment for veterans to explore creativity as a pathway to resilience and wellbeing.”
The 2025 Community Grants program is part of Australia Post’s commitment to mental health, which includes a partnership with Beyond Blue. This year, a record-breaking amount of over $700,000 in funding was announced for 88 not-for-profit community groups nationwide.
First published in the Frankston Times – 7 October 2025
