A $5 million federally-funded Veteran Wellbeing Centre in Wodonga will be named after former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer.
The facility in Victoria's north-east is one of six sites across Australia to get a slice of a $30 million program announced before the 2019 election, and the only one located in Victoria.
The Hume Veterans' Information Centre in Wodonga, which helps connect veterans to financial support, is helping to coordinate the funding.
Its chairman, Wayne Taylor, announced the centre's name today, on Remembrance Day, and said the final location should be finalised early in the new year.
"This new centre will be focused on through-life support, so from the day a person enlists to the day they die, a veteran will be able to access our service," he said.
"Their families will also be able to access the services."
'Over the moon'
Mr Taylor said the former deputy prime minister was an obvious choice.
"It was a collective decision. He's a local, he's well-known, and he's a Vietnam veteran," he said.
Before Mr Fischer's death from acute myeloid leukaemia in August last year, he attributed his condition to his exposure to Agent Orange during the war.
Mr Taylor said Mr Fischer's wife Judy Brewer was "over the moon" the centre will be named after him.
The Tim Fischer AC Veteran Wellbeing Centre will house different support organisations offering a range of services including mental health and financial support, help transitioning veterans back into civilian life, and Department of Veterans' Affairs services.
But Mr Taylor said it would also be an important place for veterans and their families to feel a sense of community.
"It's a quiet area that they can just come in, relax, sit down, read a book, and get away from life," Mr Taylor said.
"A safe place, and that's an important aspect of this — having a safe place for a veteran to attend, and their families."
The federal funding must be apportioned by mid-2022 when all six national centres are expected to be in operation.
