PM opens new Soldier On recovery centre

Soldier Todd Berry started heading downhill after five of his men were killed in a car accident in Malaysia and he was required to attend their autopsies, then accompany their bodies home to their loved ones.

In East Timor in 2001 his condition became much worse.

"I literally had the blood of Australian soldiers on my hands before and my anxiety levels were through the roof whenever my guys were out on patrol," he said.

He left the defence force in 2007 and attempted suicide in 2009.

After "a bit of meltdown" on the campus of the University of Canberra, he encountered former army chief Peter Leahy who encouraged him to go to Soldier On.

"And for that I will remain forever grateful," he said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who officially opened Soldier On's expanded soldier recovery centre in Canberra on Friday, endorsed the organisation's good work.

The centre is named after Private Robert Poate, one of three Australian soldiers killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan in August 2012.

"Here in Canberra where he was born and raised, Robert's memory is commemorated, his service is commemorated in this centre, helping veterans from this part of Australia make the transition from the warzone to life back home," Mr Turnbull said.

The prime minister said the veterans of 1916 can be best honoured by caring for the veterans of 2016.

"The grandsons and great grandsons and the great-grand daughters of the diggers of 100 years ago, they are the veterans we care for today and we do that very well when we support Soldier On."

Soldier On, founded in 2012 to provide a range of support services to veterans, plans to open more such centres across Australia.

Founder John Bale, a former army officer and veteran, said Soldier On was transitioning to a full-service delivery organisation.

"Although Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor Leste and our border protection commitments seem a long way away or a long time ago for most people, for many who we support they are not just their past but they are also their present and their future," he said.