THE founder of charity Guitars for Vets, veteran and former Frankston resident Dave Cox, says the gifting of guitars and music lessons to vets was a proven way of using music to heal.
The charity held a fundraising concert at the Soundbar in Rosebud on 23 April, with money raised going towards buying more guitars and lessons for vets in need.
The charity also accepts guitars and is calling for anyone with quality instruments to consider donating them.
An ex-Army officer, Cox said all of the 400 guitars that had been given away since 2017 had been appreciated by its recipients, some who said the chance to learn and play music had “changed their lives”.
“We know the benefits of music as a form of therapy, but for some vets they either can’t afford it or have never considered it before,” he said.
“We know that 30.9 per cent of male vets and 29.8 of female vets suffer from PTSD, and we also know that there are high levels of suicide and homelessness within the vet community.”
The charity’s motto is: Where words fail, music speaks.
Cox was introduced to the charity during a tour of America and brought the concept back to Victoria as a way to help others.
“I had a mainly positive experience with service, but many others didn’t, so I wanted to help,” he said.
Cox said the youngest recipient of a guitar so far was 25, while the oldest was around 78.
The charity pays for 10 lessons to give vets “the basics”, with many going on to continue their lessons.
“There hasn’t been one recipient that hasn’t seen a benefit, some have taken it a lot further and started writing songs and recoding them,” he said.
“I had a veteran who rang me recently and said he had enjoyed the experience so much he wanted to start busking.”
He said the charity was now operating worldwide.
Concert promoter and Rosebud resident Jenny Sparks said the concert was a wonderful event that would allow the charity to continue its outstanding work.
To donate a guitar or for more information go to guitarsforvetsaustralia.com
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 25 April 2023
