She Served AU Scarf Initiative

In this episode of the She Served AU Podcast, Natasha Hilbers introduces the concept behind the Australian Female Veteran Scarf Initiative — a simple, visible gesture of recognition for women who have served in the Australian Defence Force.

For decades, Australian women served in uniform while often remaining largely unseen in the national narrative of military service. Many carried out their duties quietly, without ceremony, recognition, or representation. 

The scarf initiative is designed as a respectful acknowledgement of that service.

The idea is straightforward: one nationally designed scarf issued once to every verified Australian female veteran - for collection at Australia Post. 

#NoDataHarvesting

Not merchandise. Not a fundraiser. 

Simply a dignified symbol of service that women can choose to wear, keep, or pass on.

The scarf represents the silent service — the women who stood watch, worked in operational roles, supported units across Australia and overseas, and continued serving their families and communities long after they removed the uniform.

This episode explores why visibility matters, why recognition can still be meaningful decades later, and how small national gestures can help reshape the way Australia understands who served.

Natasha also speaks about the broader mission of She Served AU, a platform dedicated to telling the stories of women veterans and supporting initiatives that bring their experiences into public view.

The scarf initiative is not about creating division or special treatment. It is about ensuring that when the story of Australian service is told, women are not left out of the frame.

Because she served.

And that service deserves to be seen.

#NotAFootnote

#SilentService

Transcript

Speaker 0:13

Hello and welcome.

Speaker 0:14

I'm Natasha Hilbers and this is the She Served AU podcast, Trigger Warning.

Speaker 0:19

This is a space where we name MST, military sexual trauma, SV, sexual violence, and DV, domestic violence. If any of these topics are triggering for you, please take time, find space, come back when you're ready, or not at all.

Speaker 0:36

But if you do need help, please do reach out to the following organisations. The Open Arms from Department of Veteran Affairs, Lifeline, or the Amazing Anthina Project for Survivors. Their contact details are in the notes below.

Speaker 0:52

Also, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional landowners on which I live and are recording today, the Nunga people of the Wandari Nation, and I respectfully acknowledge the traditional landowners past, present, and emerging. And I'd like to offer my respects by treading softly and listening deeply.

Speaker 1:16

So, find a comfy spot, relax, and this is the She Served AU Podcast, and I'm Natasha Hilbers. Hello and welcome. I'm Natasha Hilbers, or SheServed AU Podcast. This is episode six, and I'm talking today about my scarf initiative.

Speaker 1:37

So, how often do we see a female veteran on Anzac Day and see her medals? And I can count on all fingers and toes the amount of times peers, myself, have been approached by individuals and saying, Love, you're wearing it on the wrong side. We're not wearing it on the wrong side. It's just that that visibility of a female veteran in Australia is very minimalized. We are invisible. And when I talk about the silent service, this is where the nerve is raw.

Speaker 2:12

So today I'd like to talk about my scarf initiative. I originally brought this initiative to light in March in 2025 in Canberra at the Women's Veterans Forum. It was, you know, it was an interesting time. No ideas are ideas, but I stand firm in my belief in this. And the approach from the She Served AU perspective is to have a nationally recognizable scarf for women veterans to be collected from Australia Post, free of charge. You show identification to collect your once-off issue of your scarf, and you can wear this anywhere.

Speaker 2:50

This is about being identifiable, visible, and to acknowledge the silent service because women veterans serve. It's just we don't have that high visibility profile. So imagine Anzac Day and you see a lady wearing a scarf, and she might not have medals, but you can immediately identify that she served, and you can thank her for that service as well.

Speaker 3:16

So again, this is an initiative that I would love to roll out nationally, and I would love for female veterans to have more visibility and to be seen, to acknowledge the silent service. I am Natasha Hilbers, this is the She Serve podcast. Thank you for listening and for John Space.