Jonathan Brett Young has been with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity for 30 years, and this year his service was honoured by becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Jonathan was born in Melbourne and joined the Royal Australian Navy out of school. He criss-crossed the globe during his service and had spells with the US, Ethiopian, and Indonesian Navies. He even served with the Royal Navy during the Suez Crisis. He left the military in 1969 and moved to the Scottish Highlands with his wife Dorothy and their two sons.
After relocating to Sutherland in 1984 Jonathan noticed a lack of support for vulnerable veterans in the region. He started an advice information service for those in need, and the service he started has since turned into a Citizens Advice Bureau, serving veterans and civilians alike.
It was through this work that Jonathan first became involved with SSAFA, where he was invited to speak at SSAFA Sutherland (now SSAFA Caithness and Sutherland), and joined as a caseworker over 30 years ago. He also served as Branch Chairman for 13 years.
With a breadth of experience helping those in need, being a caseworker meant everything to him:
“While I was in the Navy I looked after the welfare of my sailors, helping them with any problems they were facing, mental, financial, or otherwise. Looking back now, that was an excellent background for becoming a caseworker with SSAFA.”
Jonathan was delighted and humbled to receive his MBE, calling it a “tremendous honour”. He was also quick to credit the volunteers and management committees he works with for their invaluable contributions.
