The Australian Women’s Weekly puts veterans’ family stories on the mic

The Australian Women’s Weekly has partnered with Wounded Heroes Australia to launch Acts of Service, a monthly video podcast focused on veterans, their partners and the families affected by military service.

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The series extends the magazine’s existing Love Stories podcast and forms part of a wider partnership across Are Media’s print, digital and social channels.

What is Acts of Service?

Each episode brings veterans together with the people closest to them to discuss relationships shaped by military service. The series also looks at the impact that service can continue to have after veterans return home.

The first episode features Wounded Heroes Australia president Martin Shaw and his wife Kim Shaw in conversation with host Tiffany Dunk. The pair discuss their relationship and the work involved in operating the charity’s national, round-the-clock crisis response service.

Shaw said the series could help Australians better understand how military service affects entire families.

“At Wounded Heroes Australia, we see every day that the impact of service rarely stops with the person who wore the uniform. Partners, children and families can carry an enormous emotional and practical load, often quietly and without recognition.

“Acts of Service gives those experiences a voice. Through The Australian Women’s Weekly, we have an opportunity to take these stories to a much broader audience, build greater understanding of what veteran families experience and, importantly, remind veterans and their loved ones that support is available when they need it.”

From Afghanistan to family life

Episode two features Curtis McGrath OAM, a Paralympian and former Australian Army combat engineer, alongside his wife Rachel. McGrath lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan in 2012.

The couple discuss their relationship before and after his injury, as well as recovery, rehabilitation, parenthood and the role partners can play in supporting veterans.

Wounded Heroes Australia provides 24-hour, seven-day-a-week crisis support for veterans and their families.

Are Media head of vodcasts Rachel Fountain said Acts of Service showed how established editorial franchises could be extended through longer-form audio and video storytelling.

“Love Stories has always been about connection, deep relationships in all their forms and complexity, and Acts of Service is a natural and powerful extension of that idea. These are stories of love, resilience and partnership, but they also give a platform to experiences that can too easily go unseen.”

Fountain said the series was already connecting with The Weekly’s podcast audience and would also benefit from the publication’s broader reach.

“For us, the strongest partnerships are those where a brand or organisation genuinely adds something to the audience experience. Wounded Heroes brings an important purpose to this series, while The Weekly can use the trust, reach and storytelling capability of the brand to help these conversations travel much further.”

Where and when to listen

The first two episodes of Acts of Service are available now through podcast platforms and The Australian Women’s Weekly's website.

New episodes will publish on the third Thursday of each month, while regular Love Stories episodes continue each Monday.