20/08/2026
In the continuation of mateship, and veterans helping veterans- two of our local veterans would like to share their experience improving their health and wellbeing with a little help from theActivate Health team. Yeppoon RSL Sub Branch
Veterans Health and Wellness: The Table of Knowledge
By Rick and Cav
On the left is Rick, on the right is Cav, and of course Toby the dog (photo attached- though im sure they are well known). Together they have the combined wisdom of 100 years of military service… and the combined maturity of two 14 year old cadets let loose with a box of sparklers.
These two first met at Kapooka in October 1969, where they bonded over the shared trauma of drill instructors, blistered feet, and discovering that “hurry up and wait” was not a suggestion but a lifestyle. They later served with 2RAR in Vietnam, where they bravely defended Australia from the terrifying threat of the screaming hordes from the north.
These Veterans attend supervised exercise sessions at Allied Health in Yeppoon — “supervised” because if left unsupervised, they’d either wander off, start a havachat in the corner, or claim their program is “too easy” while doing absolutely none of it correctly.
Every Veteran gets a personalised exercise plan, and if anyone tries to cheat, the Exercise Physiologist’s and Physiotherapist appear out of thin air like ninjas with clipboards. One bloke once tried to skip a set and was immediately surrounded by three staff members and a disappointed Toby.
But the real action starts afterwards.
Once they’ve finished pretending to be athletes, they march (slowly) to the bakery for coffee, pastries, and a solid hour of creative storytelling. This sacred gathering is known as “The Table of Knowledge”, where:
• every story gets longer
• everyone was a forward scout carrying an M60 Machine gun
• every danger gets more dangerous
• and every lie is told with absolute confidence
By the time they’re done, half of them reckon they personally won the Vietnam War and the other half claim they trained the SAS.
DVA funds these programs because they work. They keep Veterans:
• off the recliner
• out of the house
• away from the pub
• and far too tired to chase chicks
If you’re a Veteran and want to join the chaos, the camaraderie, and the caffeine, contact Allied Health in Yeppoon. They’ll get you moving, keep you honest, and politely ignore your exaggerated war stories.