Rathcormac local accepts Pride of Cork award for ONE
Rathcormac resident Bob Seward, chairman of ONE Cork City Branch, recently accepted a Pride of Cork Award 2024 on behalf of the organisation.
Hosted by Cork Civic Life, the awards took place on Friday, March 1 and saw over 250 guests attend the gala black tie ceremony to honour 25 people and organisations across the voluntary, social, civic, charitable and not-forprofit organisations, operating across Cork city and county.
A native of Cork city who has been living in Rathcormac for around 16 years, Bob said that the award was ‘great recognition’ for the branch.
“There’s a huge amount of work that goes on in the background all the time. It was great recognition for the branch.
“Service personnel are in general very proud to serve, those who have served and become members of ONE (Organisation of
National Ex-Service Personnel) also pride themselves in the work of ONE. We want to give back and to create a situation where nobody is left behind or left struggling. The organisation, nationally, used the acronym SCAR - Support, Comradeship, Advocacy and Remembrance - that’s what we’re all about and to be part of something that can help to do that, gives us all the encouragement to continue on to help and support others,” Mr Seward said.
Mr Seward has devoted 34 years of his life to the Defence Forces, beginning with the FCA, before then joining the fourth batallion in Cork and then the naval service.
Having interacted with ONE through his years of service, after retiring, Mr Seward felt the need to give something back and began to do so by becoming a member of ONE, first in Cobh and then in Cork city.
“One of the big things with the ONE is comradeship and getting together with people who have served. Some may have only served a short time, others would have served 30 or 40 years like myself. When you leave, you lose that comradeship, but there is always that sort of bond there between service people and the ONE is a great place to get to meet people,” Mr Seward added.
'VIBRANT' BRANCH
The Cork City Branch O.N.E., is part of a national network of branches of Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann. Primarily working in Cork city, providing service supports to all veterans however, their reach is much further in areas of comradeship, remembrance and advocacy. They also facilitate homeless veterans from other countries living in Ireland.
According to Bob, there are volunteers within ONE who will visit members in their homes to help out with day-to-day tasks where needed, such as grass cutting, changing lightbulbs and little jobs within the home.
Veterans can also attend the Veteran Support Centre located in the city, which is open almost every day.
“We have a wonderful veteran’s support centre opposite Collins’ Barracks in Cork and that’s open every week day and many weekends. We have a polytunnel there for veterans to use, call up, have a cup of tea and go out and do a bit of gardening or whatever. We also provide a free professional counselling service for members who may need it.
“Much of the work we do goes under the radar for the simple reason that it is personal and confidential to the people involved. That’s the way it should be. We have a number of volunteer members who work every day of the week helping out veterans. I believe that was one of the main things that we were recognised for in this award. A lot of people get help and support through ONE and we have a very vibrant branch in Cork. We have many members doing great work there every day which is very beneficial. We have reached out to numerous other community groups in Cork and we have engaged with them,” Mr Seward said.
SENSE OF IDENTITY
FOR MEMBERS
Currently, ONE Cork City Branch are looking forward to opening a new 6-bedroom home for veterans in Cork city, with plans well advanced.
Mr Seward outlined that this home will be the first of its kind in Cork city and that ONE is actively fundraising to fit it out and provide this much-needed facility for veterans. It's planned to have the facility opened by the end of the year.
Advocacy is also a key element, which sees veterans advocated for at the Department of Defence and within national and local governments.
Comradeship is at the heart of what they do and they use the term comrade deliberately because it evokes a sense of shared experience, a shared culture, a shared set of values and a willingness to serve. This helps preserve a sense of identity and a sense of belong
ing. It evokes a sense of shared responsibility for those less fortunate than us.
The branch also participate in national and local remembrance ceremonies, as well as attending funerals of those who have served at the request of families, where possible.
“When people leave the Defence Forces, some may not be fully familiar with the workings of ONE, they might not fully engage with us, however, membership can be really beneficial for them. We in cork city branch keep that good comradeship between the veterans’ associations and with serving members also to help maintain good links between serving personnel and veterans.
“I really enjoy it. I find that if you have positive people working alongside you, you can achieve a huge amount. Years ago, many people joined for the comradeship and remembrance. The support and advocacy were always there, but now it is very focused. The ONE charity is professionally run and the branch is operated by volunteers assisted by an Area Council and by Head Office, in terms of the support services it
provides its members,” Mr Seward said.
YOUNGER COHORT VERY WELCOME
Open to all veterans, the group sees young and old coming together, while more recently, the organisation has seen a greater membership from veterans of different states, such as Ukrainian veterans who have now made Ireland their home.
“The general public don’t often realise that a number of people might only serve three, five or ten years, some leave without pensions, they still have served, they have made that commitment, they have that tie to the service and many may need support at some point in their lives after leaving.
“Many service personnel do extremely well after leaving and retiring, but not everybody does. It’s nice to have a mix of people here. We’re pushing the whole time to try and bring in younger members also, people that have left after just a number of years. They can bring so much talent and energy to the branch as well. We have got a great mix of people with a fantastic skillset and that’s what really helps the organisation,” Mr Seward reflected.