South-west veterans retreat set to close its doors

Greg Carter, a former Australian Vietnam War Veteran, opened the retreat after purchasing the former Macarthur Hotel in December 2019.

However, he said he has been forced to close the doors due to ill health.

Mr Carter, 72, suffers from atrial fibrillation and has been advised by his doctor to slow down.

"It's very sad, but wherever I go I will still have an active role in talking to and supporting vets," he said.

Since opening, Mr Carter has opened his doors to dozens of veterans.

"I've had homeless veterans staying here for several months at a time, while other veterans have stayed up to nine months at a time before they were confident to go out into mainstream society," Mr Carter said.

He said it was extremely important for veterans to be able to speak to people who had experienced what they had.

Mr Carter said he believed all veterans experienced some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning home from service.

"I would think - with my experience - it's not possible to be in a war zone - regardless of what your role was - to come back without some form of PTSD," he said.

He said regardless of a person's role, the constant fear of an attack was something veterans thought about for years after returning.

Mr Carter said he had put the former hotel on the market.

Items in the museum, which include uniforms and pieces of equipment from a range of countries dating to World War I, will be donated to a veteran's group in Adelaide, Mr Carter said.

"I'd like to thank the communities of Portland, Warrnambool, Mortlake and Penshurst - residents in all of those areas have been incredibly supportive," he said.

"I also have a large veteran's community which supports me."

Mr Carter said the museum had been closed during the coronavirus lockdowns, but he was still able to offer accommodation to veterans.

He and his partner Nicky Keller said they would be sad to close the doors

"It's been our lifeblood," Mr Carter said.

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