AVLA held its Annual General Meeting on 31 October 2026, providing an opportunity to review the Association's progress, engage directly with members, and discuss priorities for the coming year.

We are pleased to advise that all member resolutions were successfully passed, including constitutional amendments designed to support AVLA's long-term development and governance arrangements, together with the confirmation of the current Board of Directors.

Members also supported the nomination of Soldier On as AVLA's nominated beneficiary organisation in the unlikely event that our association is ever wound up, ensuring any remaining assets would continue supporting the veteran community.

Since its establishment, AVLA has focused on building a strong foundation for Defence linguists, veterans, and language professionals through:

✅ Established a national presence through its website and social media channels

✅ Introduced a quarterly newsletter connecting members and supporters

✅ Built relationships with related civilian industry and professional bodies

✅ Conducted advocacy with government and industry stakeholders

✅ Appointed senior Service Ambassadors from Navy, Army and Air Force

✅ Introduction of complimentary memberships for first time graduates from the Defence Force School of Languages

✅ Established local member hubs in multiple locations across Australia

The discussion at today's AGM reinforced the ongoing relevance of AVLA's mission and highlighted strong support for continued growth and engagement across the Defence linguist community.

Looking forward, key priorities include pursuing charitable status, strengthening professional accreditation pathways, expanding local hubs, developing scholarship opportunities, pursuing grant funding, and continuing to advocate on behalf of Defence linguists and veterans.

We thank our members, supporters, partners, and volunteers for their continued contribution to AVLA's development and success.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Group Captain Mick Jansen as our Air Force Ambassador.

Mick brings almost 40 years of Royal Australian Air Force service, including command appointments, operational deployments across the Indo-Pacific and Middle East, and senior international engagement roles including as the previous Defence Attaché - Hanoi. A passionate advocate for Defence language capability, he has championed opportunities for ADF linguists to develop and apply their skills throughout their careers.

We look forward to working with Mick as he helps strengthen connections between the Air Force, veteran, and linguist communities while promoting the value of language and cultural capability across Defence and beyond.

📢 We are thrilled to announce Lieutenant General John Frewen as the first of our Army Ambassador! 🎉

We look forward to working with him over the coming years to promote the veteran linguist community, their capabilities, and the mission of our association.

Read more about John on his profile page.

✨ You’ve asked for it, and now it’s here! We’ve just created a new Blog section on our site, for the main purpose of posting the occasional newsletter to help keep you updated on our activities.

🔔 We’ve also setup a page so that people can subscribe to receive notifications for when our newsletters or other updates are published. 📩 📰

Whether you’re a member, volunteer, or neither and just want to keep up to date with what the association is up to, all are welcome to subscribe. ✍️