After three years without a shepherd, Lifeline Canberra has announced its new Patron, Daniel Keighran VC. Signing up for an undecided amount of time, Mr Keighran will help spread the message of a more resilient suicide-free community and offer support to the community through Lifeline Canberra.
Born and raised in Queensland, Mr Keighran grew up in regional Lowmead. On completing high school, he enlisted in the Australian Army in 2000. He completed recruit and infantry training before his 18th birthday and was posted as a rifleman to 6RAR based at Enoggera in Brisbane.
Between 2001 and 2009, Mr Keighran was deployed to Malaysia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and was promoted through the ranks to Corporal. It was during his deployment on Operation Slipper in Afghanistan that his bravery and selflessness would see him awarded the highest honour in the Australian Honours and Award System, the Victoria Cross for Australia.
On 24 August 2010, Mr Keighran’s patrol was under fire by an insurgent force, outnumbered and with a friendly casualty, Mr Keighran acted quickly and decisively to turn the tide of the battle. Drawing enemy fire away from the patrol treating the casualty, Mr Keighran risked his own life for those around him, earning the VC and citation ‘For the most conspicuous acts of gallantry and extreme devotion to duty in action in circumstances of great peril’.
Completing his full-time service, Mr Keighran moved into the private sector and held a number of roles, he also remains a Reservist with the Australian Army. Juggling his time between his passions- work, family and donating time to numerous not-for-profits that support current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have physical or psychological wounds, injuries or illness as a result of their service.
Mostly keeping out of the spotlight in the ten years since being awarded the Victoria Cross, Mr Keighran says he will step forward for a good cause.
“I see my role primarily as raising awareness. It costs $26 to take a life-saving call, I think I spend more than that on coffee in a week. To me it is the awareness campaign, it is estimated that 10 percent of Canberrans use the service yearly which is a significant amount of people who sadly need some help,” says Mr Keighran.
Still residing in Queensland, Mr Keighran first learnt of the incredible work that Lifeline Canberra does through its first and last patron, Dr Brendan Nelson AO, when they were both on the board of the Australian War Memorial. Dr Nelson praised the work of the organisation and its CEO Carrie Leeson; this sentiment was echoed by Mr Keighran’s close friend Richard Rolfe.
“I didn’t make the connection at the time that Brendan and Richard were talking about Carrie, fast forward a few years and we finally meet… Since our meeting, I’ve been attending the Lifeline Gala Ball and I’ve got a good understanding of what the Lifeline crisis support centres do.
“Through Richard and Brendan, two people that I respect greatly and admire the work that they do. I think that sold it before I even got to meet Carrie and the work that were doing, through those connections I know this was something that I wanted to be part of.”
Queensland will remain home for Mr Keighran and his family, his son is settled at his school, and they don’t want to disturb that. Never say never, Mr Keighran says one day they might make the move. For now, he visits Canberra regularly enough that there will be no issue in supporting our local Lifeline.
Lifeline’s mission of suicide prevention will only be possible with the unwavering support of the community, explains Mr Keighran, and that is something he wants to be part of.
“My grandfather was a veteran of the Second World War, he was my hero, my father figure growing up and he had a strong set of core values and personal ethos which he instilled in me. He said to me, ‘If you are fortunate to help others, then you should do it.’ I think there is no greater purpose in life,” says Mr Keighran.
Not having had a patron for the past few years, Ms Leeson says that it was important they got it right and found the person best suited to the role.
“We look at the individual, everything that Dan has achieved, his VC but beyond that, he’s an incredible person. We look for values alignment, it is a hands-on role, we are an ambitious organisation, we go beyond our borders,” she says.
Together they are excited about where they are going to take the relationship and what they can achieve for the Canberra region. A patron is the face of the organisation, its storyteller, explains Ms Leeson and the story Mr Keighran can tell is an incredibly powerful one.
“Dan brings with him a very unique set of skills, a very unique story and very unique connections… We’re coming off the back of unfortunately a record number of calls to Lifeline, we’ve never had more than 3,700 calls at any one time, and we breached 4,200 calls last week as a result of what our country is going through. It couldn’t come at a better time,” says Ms Leeson.
The patronage comes at a time when Mr Keighran evaluating his commitments and ensuring that he was prioritising his family, says Ms Leeson. His instant commitment shows a lot about his character, she says and gives hope for the amount of people they can help together.
“Without hesitation at a time when Dan was trying to cut back on things, he said absolutely, what do you need? He’s already visited, he’s had morning teas and breakfast with the team. He has proven and demonstrated who he is which is very hands-on, authentic, dedicated and committed to helping people.”
Find out how you can support Lifeline Canberra; lifelinecanberra.org.au
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